HONOLULU (KHON2) — Communities alarmed over the location of a new landfill are hoping for better solutions.
Legislation prohibiting the placement of a landfill above aquifers comes after controversy over the city’s proposed new landfill site in Central Oahu.
“I don’t often say this in this line of work, but this is black and white. This is a choice between having safe, pure, fresh drinking water on this island or not having it,” said Rep. Sean Quinlan.
If approved, the landfill would be located 3.5 miles northwest of Wahiawa and 1.5 miles west of the Dole Plantation – 800 feet above an aquifer. The site was selected from six locations evaluated by the Landfill Advisory Committee.
Critics who raised concerns said it could jeopardize the water supply – a risk too great for an island that is completely dependent on its groundwater for drinking water, according to the Board of Water Supply.
To address concerns over potential contamination, the Department of Environmental Services plans to implement various safety measures.
“We have a single liner system currently at our Waimanalo Gulch landfill, which has been open for 35 years,” said Mike O’Keefe, DES deputy director. “We have not had a leak through that line or system into the ground in that 35 years. We are proposing to do a double liner system at the Wahiawa site.”
Others like the Hawaii Farm Bureau said there’s not enough agricultural land to put at risk. According to the organization, Hawaii has lost 80,000 acres, or 7.4 percent, of agricultural land since its last census.
“We need to protect [aquifers] for agriculture. No water, no agriculture. No agriculture, no food. Why in the world are we considering taking out more agricultural land? It’s not marginal land. It’s land that’s actually producing food and will produce food in the future,” said Brian Miyamoto, HFB executive director.
The city said the new landfill does not necessarily have to be at the chosen location. However, the city’s deadline to close the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill by 2028 is quickly approaching.
“The reason we have named that site is because it was the only legally available option to us. If there’s a bill this session that changes that, we will happily explore those options,” O’Keefe said.