Department of Land and Natural Resources

DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
News Release

NEIL ABERCROMBIE GOVERNOR

WILLIAM J. AILA JR, CHAIRPERSON

For Immediate News Release October 16, 2013

DLNR HOLDS PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING OCTOBER 21 ON
PROPOSED HANALEI STREAMBANK RESTORATION PROJECT

LIHUE — The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) invites the public to attend an informational meeting next Monday on Kauai regarding a project to restore a breached streambank in the Hanalei River.

DLNR proposes to repair approximately 100 feet of a severely eroded section in the streambank of the Hanalei River. The breach is located approximately 5 river miles upstream of the river mouth. Engineering improvements to repair the stream bank will reduce future erosion and reduce chances for breaching during future flood events.

“We are working to ensure a thorough stream and engineering analysis, as well as the development of a stream bank restoration design that is resilient and naturalistic,” said William J. Aila, DLNR chairperson. “There will be no visual hardening of the banks, which will be fully vegetated with native and locally existing vegetation.”

The meeting will take place at 4 p.m. Oct. 21, 2013, at the Wai‘oli Hu‘uia Church Mission Hall in Hanalei, Kaua‘i. At the meeting, DLNR and consultant AECOM will provide an update on the design and permit status for the proposed project.

Since a large flood event in November 1995, the Hanalei River has continued to breach the left bank at this location, and has created a split flow condition between the river and the breached channel.

Flood flows have repeatedly broken through emergency repairs to the stream bank at this location and the breach channel has expanded after every major flood. The breach channel has become very steep and has already eroded more than 30,000 tons of soil along its path. Nearly all of the sediment generated by the breach reaches Hanalei Bay. If untreated, continued erosion will further impact near-shore waters.

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) maintains an irrigation diversion structure downstream of the breach on the Hanalei River, which supplies water to the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) as well as the taro fields. The breach has resulted in reduced water flow to the NWR and taro fields potentially creating significant ecological and economic impacts to both.

Construction of the project is scheduled to commence in spring 2014 and conclude before winter 2014.

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Deborah Ward,
DLNR Public Information Specialist
Phone: (808) 587-0320