KAANAPALI — The state Department of Land & Natural Resources’ Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (OCCL) will hold an informational meeting on the proposed Kaanapali Beach Restoration and Berm Enhancement Project at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24.

The webinar link is: https://zoom.us/j/91922314975.

Kaanapali Beach has been negatively impacted by chronic erosion and extreme seasonal erosion over the previous four decades. 

According to the state, sand loss is expected to continue and even accelerate with sea level rise. 

The State of Hawaii and Kaanapali Operations Association Inc. have developed plans for the project, which includes both beach restoration and berm enhancement. 

Beach restoration is proposed for the section of beach between Hanaka’o’o Beach Park and Hanaka’o’o Point, and beach berm enhancement is proposed for the section of beach between Hanaka’o’o Point and Pu’u Keka’a (Black Rock).

Approximately 75,000 cubic yards of sand needed for the proposed project would be recovered from an 8.5-acre sand deposit located 150 feet offshore of Pu’u Keka’a in 28-56 feet water depth.

The proposed sand recovery method consists of a moored crane barge equipped with a clamshell bucket.

Barges would be rotating between the sand deposit and two off-loading sites, where the barges would be moored to an elevated trestle or floating bridge to shore.

Sand would be transferred to shore along the trestle or bridge system.

Land-based equipment would transfer sand from the shoreline to the placement area for the sand to be spread along the shore and berm enhancement areas.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this project was published in the Office of Environmental Quality Control’s Environmental Bulletin on Aug. 23, and comments are currently being solicited for the Draft EIS until Oct. 7, 2020.

For more information on this project, visit https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/occl/kaanapali/.

For further information on the virtual meeting, contact the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands at (808) 342-1922.