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Latest on Debris Containment
Permanent Disposal Site, Central Maui Landfill
Central Maui Landfill has been selected as the location for the Permanent Disposal Site (PDS) for the Lahaina ash and debris from the August 2023 Wildfires. The County of Maui announced in November 2024 that it had entered into conditional agreements with a subsidiary of Nan Inc., Hawaiʻi’s largest, locally owned construction company, to purchase approximately 49 acres of previously quarried land and 30 acres of land currently being quarried adjacent to the Central Maui Landfill. On Dec. 13, 2024, the County of Maui’s proposed acquisition of 79 acres for the PDS and Central Maui Landfill expansion was approved by the Maui County Council, which passed bills amending the Fiscal Year 2025 budget for the acquisitions. The County Department of Environmental Management is preparing to initiate the design and construction of the PDS.
For more information, click here.
October 16, 2024
Presentation of Olowalu TDS Site Sampling and Monitoring Report III
view presentation (PDF)
July 17, 2024
Presentation of Olowalu TDS Site Sampling and Monitoring Report II
view presentation (PDF)
July 17, 2024
TDS – PDS Transfer & Closure Plan Presentation
Currently being updated.
Latest version coming soon.
Environmental Monitoring Quarterly Reports:
- Q1 Report (without attachments for easier viewing)
- Q1 Report (Operational Period 1/21/24 - 4/19/24)
- Q2 Report (Operational Period 4/20/24 - 7/18/24)
- Q3 Report (Operational Period 7/19/24-10/17/24)
Other TDS Documents for Public Record:
April 10, 2024
Presentation of Olowalu TDS Site Sampling and Monitoring Report
view presentation (PDF)
February 28, 2024
Final Permanent Disposal Site
To learn more about the final selection, including a comparison of the scoring for the top three sites before and after consideration of the community survey results; as well as the next steps for the PDS, view the presentation.
February 21, 2024
Results from PDS Community Survey
More than 2,700 people over a two-week period from Jan. 31 2024 through Feb. 15 2024 participated in County of Maui surveys on proposed Permanent Disposal Sites (PDS) for Lahaina wildfire ash and debris. The results of the surveys, which guided county officials in selecting the final site at CML, were presented to community members during Feb. 21 2024 Disaster Recovery Community Update Meeting at Lahaina Civic Center.
For specific details: view the presentation here;
For full reports: view the final public open link survey report here; and the final scientific survey report here.
January 31, 2024
PDS Site Selection Process Background
At the Jan. 31 Disaster Recovery Update Meeting, the Department of Environmental Management offered a presentation to provide background on the eight initial locations proposed for the Permanent Disposal Site and the Departmentsʻ initial selection criteria including: time to acquire land; proximity to Lahaina (traffic congestion, public safety); access into and out of site (alternative access, turn movements); constructibility; surface water management; adjacent property impacts; distance to drinking water; distance to residential areas, schools, hospitals; natural/environmental concerns. DEM considered initial public response to priorities, such as historic preservation; cultural sensitivity; distance to coastline; and prevailing winds and decided to launch a community survey at this meeting to gather more public input and guide the Department in making the final PDS decision, view presentation.
frequently asked questions
A Temporary Debris Storage (TDS) site was built in Olowalu to address the immediate threat of uncontrolled debris in Lahaina until the Permanent Disposal Site could be selected and built.
As we move forward in Phase 2, the County's primary focus remains the removal of ash and debris from affected properties. Alongside this essential cleanup effort for health and safety reasons, there's an additional aspect that is equally important – creating a safe repository for any items or remains that exist in the ash. To meet this challenge, the County has designated Olowalu in West Maui as a temporary debris storage site. This initiative is being designed to allow Lahaina families to honor their past while streamlining the cleanup process.
Temporary Debris Storage Site Environmental Monitoring
The Temporary Debris Storage (TDS) area located in Olowalu was designed as the most robust temporary site ever constructed by a federal agency. It is underlain by a thick (80 mil or 0.08 inches) plastic impermeable liner to protect the soil, groundwater, and ocean. As required by Bill 120 (Ordinance #5596) the entire TDS site is being monitored closely by USACE to ensure no impacts to the surrounding area or the marine environment from either the ash and debris, along with any leachate or rainwater run-off generated. The Bill requires sampling and monitoring data related to leachate, run-off and air quality to be reported and made public every 90 days. The first and second reports on this data were posted below. Please stay tuned to this space for updates as they are available. For more information on what is being monitored please see Bill 120 and the informational document.
The third quarterly report on this data is expected October 16th.