LIHU‘E — The temporary solution for unforeseen roadblocks for Kekaha Landfill’s lateral expansion will be much cheaper than the original option, but will also turn the landfill into a 120-foot beachfront structure on the Westside. “Why are we in this
LIHU‘E — The temporary solution for unforeseen roadblocks for Kekaha Landfill’s lateral expansion will be much cheaper than the original option, but will also turn the landfill into a 120-foot beachfront structure on the Westside.
“Why are we in this situation? Why can’t we get ahead of the curve?” Kaua‘i County Councilman Gary Hooser said at a council meeting Wednesday.
After an AECOM consultant advised the administration to pursue another lateral expansion, called Cell 2, of Kekaha Landfill, the state Department of Health pointed out a costly oversight.
The permitted process for the landfill’s Cell 2 turned out to be a lot more complicated, because the expansion, though lined, would touch the unlined and closed Phase I, which was originally opened 60 years ago.
The administration sent a money bill to the council to appropriate $300,000 for the permitting process of the vertical expansion. By comparison, the original price tag for Cell 2 was $9.5 million, but this will likely swell with the DOH’s new concerns.
The vertical expansion would not extend or shorten the life of the landfill, County Engineer Larry Dill said. The administration will still pursue the permits for Cell 2, but now with a longer cushion to work out any problems.
“I’m not happy with the plan to go vertical; I wasn’t happy with the plans to go lateral either,” said Councilman Ross Kagawa, adding that it’s time to “give a break” to the people on the Westside.
Councilman Mel Rapozo, who was shaking while questioning county officials, said Kagawa mentioned giving Kekaha residents additional burden, but what the vertical expansion is giving Kekaha is “a 120-foot mountain of trash.”
Timeline
The landfill first opened in 1953. Forty years later, Phase I was shut down and Phase II opened.
In 2001, Phase II reached a height of 37 feet, and its first vertical expansion was approved to 60 feet.
In 2006, a second vertical expansion was approved to 85 feet. In 2010, when the last vertical expansion was complete, Cell 1 opened.
Current estimates point to April 2014 as a target date for when Cell 1 will be full.
Despite a longer-than-expected life for Cell 1, the permitting process for Cell 2 is behind schedule and there are new concerns from the DOH.
Cell 2 would remove a physical separation between the unlined Phase I and the lined Phase II, taking away the ability of separately monitor ground water from the two distinct areas.
Also, potential settlement of Phase I could cause structural failure of Cell 2, according to Dill.
He said one option would be to ship solid waste to O‘ahu to be converted into energy. But this would likely cost at least $6.75 million a year to the county.
And there is little assurance the administration would be able to secure permits to ship trash before April 14, because this is something that has never been done.
So the “best option” left on the table was to pursue a vertical expansion to 120 feet, because it is the most environmentally-friendly option and at $300,000 it is the most cost-effective one, according to Dill.
2024
The vertical expansion would last five years and Cell 2 would last another five years, projecting the landfill to reach capacity by 2024, according to Dill. In prior council meetings, however, Dill had indicated the landfill would reach capacity by 2021 or 2022.
Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura was one of the most vocal critics of the administration regarding recycling programs.
She said she has been suggesting an emergency waste diversion plan for at least five years, and the administration still doesn’t have one, not to mention the county didn’t follow the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan by developing a Materials Recovery Facility right after the plan was released.
Council Vice Chair Nadine Nakamura said she had concerns with the resolution of the issues, what would cost to address them and if it was feasible to expand to expand the landfill laterally.
Councilman Tim Bynum asked for an overview of the ISWMP in late May or June, with the administration present.
Rapozo said he preferred to have it before the budget review sessions, which are about to start.
Council Chair Jay Furfaro set a public hearing for April 3, and referred the Bill 2473 to the council’s Finance Committee.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0452 or lazambuja@ thegardenisland.com.
