Board of Water Supply manager calls proposed landfill site ‘Red Hill Two’
City says long term risk is ‘minimal’
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - There’s a growing push against a new landfill outside of Wahiawa with the head of the Board of Water Supply calling it the next Red Hill.
But Honolulu’s mayor and his administration insist the risk to the environment is very low.
Observers say it’s awkward political situation.
Board of Supply chief engineer and manager Ernie Lau won praise for protecting water. He’s publicly disagreeing with the mayor and his administration.
“I think we’ve learned from the situation at Red Hill and I almost think of this as Red Hill No. 2 that we are dealing with,” Lau told Spotlight Now.
The city’s selected site for a new landfill is outside Wahiawa in a Dole pineapple field, but Lau says he’s against it because it would be 800 feet above Oahu’s aquifer.
He called it a potential risk to drinking water and future generations, just like the Navy’s fuel leaks that sickened thousands of people in 2021.
“It’s a no go. I call it Red Hill No. 2 because there are some parallels,” said Lau.
But the city calls Red Hill a “preventable disaster.”
“A landfill is very different from an underground storage tank. We would build and design with all the current standards which is designed to prevent leakage and we of course would maintain it and that’s actually required by law,” said city Department of Environmental Services director Roger Babcock.
“The long-term risk is very minimal,” he added.
The city says required maintenance is 30 years.
Currently, Act 73 bans landfills within a half-mile buffer zone for schools, residences and hospitals. It also cannot be in a conservation zone.
State Sen. Kurt Fevella said he would not support amending Act 73.
“I would never amend it,” said Fevella. “I really feel that this is a political deployment to try to pressure the legislation in this year’s legislation to try to modify Act 73.”
“No that’s not our intention. Our intention is to move forward with this site,” said Babcock.
The Waimanalo Gulch Landfill is scheduled to close in 2028. The city says it has capacity until 2035.
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