Digging wasn’t authorizedBy LESTER CHANG TGI Staff Writer WAILUA — More than 15 potentially dangerous trenches, some the size of small cars, were dug illegally along the shoreline north of Wailua Golf Course last week. The county Planning Department has
Digging wasn’t authorizedBy LESTER CHANG
TGI Staff Writer
WAILUA — More than 15 potentially dangerous trenches,
some the size of small cars, were dug illegally along the shoreline north of
Wailua Golf Course last week.
The county Planning Department has begun an
investigation to determine who’s responsible for the unauthorized digging.
According to sources, the county Public Works Department is under
investigation.
Public Works, through an arrangement with the state
Department of Land and Natural Resources, uses and maintains the land where the
holes were dug.
Kurt Bosshard, a frequent user of the beach and a Kaua’i
attorney, said he believes the Public Works Department is responsible for the
holes.
“It is ironic that the very moment they are digging up the coastline
on the north end of the golf course, the same department received nearly
$190,000 for a revegetation project to prevent erosion of beach areas fronting
the golf course,” he said.
Glenn Mickens, who also uses the beach, said if
the county department is responsible for the work, the employee who dug the
holes “should not be blamed.” But whoever in authority allowed the work to be
done “should be hung out and dried,” Mickens said.
One county official, who
asked not to be identified, speculated the trenches were dug to reduce access
of four-wheel vehicles and all-terrain vehicles to the beach.
The Kaua’i
Police said it is illegal to drive on Kaua’i beaches.
In the past,
residents complained that vehicles have contributed to the erosion of the
beach.
Although the trenches—some stretching 20 feet and more—pose
potential safety hazards, the Public Works Department had not closed off the
area to beachgoers by Tuesday morning.
“There is liability here. Someone
could fall in,” said a county official.
Because Public Works has the
responsibility to take care of the property, the agency has agreed to refill
the holes, said Les Milnes, coastal zone management planing inspector.
The
trenches were dug in violation of the county’s special management area rules
and the county’s shoreline setback rules, Milnes said. Whoever did the work was
required to get county permits first, he said.
The county has issued a
notice of compliance to the Public Works Department, and a notice of violation
may be issued that could lead to a $10,000 fine if the holes aren’t refilled,
Milnes said.
Bosshard said the department has been warned and cited
numerous times for similar infractions in the past. Nonetheless, the “county
continues its assault on the coastline,” he said.
County engineer Cesar
Portugal was not available for comment.
Milnes said a complaint was
received about the holes Monday. On the same day, he and an official with the
state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which has jurisdiction over
beach areas by the holes, surveyed the damage.
The work was done to
discourage the gathering of large groups of youths along Wailua Beach, said a
county official who spoke anonymously.
ln some cases, youths have built
bonfires that have increased the risk of wildfires in the area, the official
said.
Milnes said beachgoers who witness “any kind of questionable
activity” in the shoreline area should call the county Planning Department at
241-6677.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext.
225) and lchang@pulitzer.net
Holes such as this one, located north of the
Wailua Golf Course, have prompted the county Planning Department to eye the
county Public Works Department. (Photo by Dennis Fujimoto)
