LIHU‘E — The county Department of Public Works will hold a public information meeting Monday regarding the county’s pursuit of Ma‘alo (mauka of Hanama‘ulu) as the site for the new county landfill. The meeting is at 7 p.m. in the
LIHU‘E — The county Department of Public Works will hold a public information meeting Monday regarding the county’s pursuit of Ma‘alo (mauka of Hanama‘ulu) as the site for the new county landfill.
The meeting is at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria of King Kaumuali‘i Elementary School in Hanama‘ulu.
This will be the first public meeting since Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr. announced the new location of the landfill on Sept. 10, a county spokeswoman said Thursday.
Residents of Hanama‘ulu are especially encouraged to attend, said Mary Daubert, county public information officer.
Topics to be discussed at the meeting include the county’s overall plan for developing the landfill and a nearby resource-recovery park, environmental studies that have yet to be completed before construction can begin, and how the public can participate in the landfill-siting process.
Following the briefing, the public will be invited to ask questions.
The site, comprised of 120 acres near Ma‘alo Road in Kapaia (the road to Wailua Falls), is owned by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and is currently leased to ranchers as pasture land.
Last month, Carvalho said the county would cease pursuit of the ‘Umi site on Kaua‘i Coffee Company land in Kalaheo as the location of the new landfill in favor of a more-central location.
“Having a landfill is not optional,” he said during his announcement at Lihu‘e Civic Center.
“Even though we are working toward diverting as much material as we can from our landfill, there will always be a need for a landfill — especially on an island where we must ship recycled materials to other markets, and where we are prone to natural disasters.”
Carvalho said the Ma‘alo site is the only location that “has the potential to be accepted by landowners,” and “could actually benefit agriculture in the long run.”
For additional information, contact Allison Fraley at the DPW Solid Waste Division, 241-4837, or e-mail afraley@kauai.gov.
