Kekaha Beach Project

SOURCE: KEn Taylor (taylork021@hawaii.rr.com)
SUBHEAD: Disappearing Kekaha Beach is to have more than 80,000 cubic yards of sand restored.

By Cris Takushi on 23 October 2012 in Island Breath -

This post is from the content of a letter forwarded as email by Ken Taylor.
 
[IB Editor's note: There are those that think the recent "improvements" by the Army Corps of Engineers to Kikialoha Harbor upcurrent to Kekaha Beach was the source of its loss of almost the entire beach in the last year.]


Image above: Where once the Kekaha Beach lifeguard tower stood, now lies a graveyard of ironwood trees. From (http://www.hawaii-aloha.com/blog/2012/07/29/the-disappearance-of-kekaha-beach/).

Oceanit has been contracted by the State Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DLNR-DOBOR) to carry out this project.

The following is a summary of progress to date and some of the tasks that are coming up.
  • Project tasks underway.
  • Planning and Project Management
  • Coordination and meetings with agencies and affected groups.
  • Public Information Meeting held on 8/15/2012 at the Waimea Neighborhood Center.
  • PORTech Engineering of Lihue, Kauai has been contracted to do the Shoreline and Topographic Survey and has begun field work.
Right of Entry letters and e-mails have been sent out to affected landowners informing them of these surveys.
  • Research and Evaluation
  • Review of as-built plans from the State and US Army Corps of Engineers for the project area.
  • Review of previous studies and design data.
  • Review of past harbor modifications and maintenance.
  • Review of public comments and other public information.
  • Review of types of environmental controls required for alternatives.
  • Site Assessment
  • Assess possible borrow and stockpiling areas to take sand samples.
  • Planning for field work to take sand samples on east and west sides of harbor.
Tasks soon to be started.
  • Sand analysis of borrow and fill sites.
  • Feasibility Analysis
  • Evaluate different sand transport methods.
  • Conceptual Designs
  • Work with US Army Corp of Engineers to set up wave penetration gages


Image above: Hundreds of feet of sandy Kekaha Beach extended in front of lifeguard station as recently as a few years ago. From (http://hawaiiindependent.net/story/beyond-the-horizon-retirement-for-hawaii-residents-is-often-barely-there#.UIcKAIVBER5).

Background and Objectives
  • Design and develop a sand transport program to move sand from the up drift beach east of Kikiaola Harbor to the down drift beach west of the harbor. The program will include an initial transport of 80,000 cubic yards of sand to the eroded down drift beach and an annual sand bypassing scheme to nourish the down drift beach with 5,000 cubic yards of sand. The annual sand bypass would remove sand that has filled in the harbor entrance which is currently creating a safety and hazardous condition for harbor users. Cumulatively, these actions should reduce the rate of siltation, slow or stop the rate of erosion west of the harbor and improve the function of the harbor.
  • Prepare plans and specifications to repair damages to the west breakwater root structure. The continued beach erosion west of the harbor has damaged the root of the west breakwater by flanking. Continued erosion at this point will cut off the breakwater from land creating further damage to the shoreline.
  • Conduct a study to investigate the wave conditions at the dock and determine the degree of wave penetration. Although the docks have been repaired the facility is not a safe haven for docking boats because of potential damage caused by high wave action.
Oceanit plans to keep the landowners affected by this project and the users of Kikiaola Harbor and surrounding areas informed and involved. The project’s objectives were formulated by DLNR-DOBOR based in part on studies by the US Army Corp of Engineers, with a valuable amount of public feedback and concerns related to safety, liability and maintenance (boat docks, water depth, etc.) issues.

We welcome your feedback in the development of the solution. Please call, e-mail, or meet me in person during one of our site visits, which we will notify you in advance by e-mail throughout the project.

• Cris Takushi, is a Professional Engineer and the Project Manager for Oceanit. His number is
(808) 954-4129

.

No comments :

Post a Comment