PUBLIC NOTICE
The Hawaii Island Community Development Corporation (HICDC), developers of the Kumakua Affordable Housing Subdivision, will be implementing a soil cleanup project of a former Kohala Sugar Company Pesticide Mixing Site in North Kohala. Previous hazardous substance investigations by the Hawai’i Department of Health (HDOH) and two environmental consultant firms have confirmed the presence of pesticide and pesticide related contamination in soils on the site due to its past use as a pesticide storage, mixing, and loading area. HICDC, working with a Cleanup Action Plan approved by HDOH and funding through a loan from the Hawaii Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (HBCRLF) will be ready to commence implementation of the cleanup project in January, 2016.
The former Kohala Sugar Plantation pesticide mixing site is an approximately 1/2 acre portion of property currently owned by the Hawai’i Island Community Development Corporation (HICDC) near Hawi, located in the North Kohala District of the island of Hawai’i (TMK 03-5-5-019:025, portion). After four cleanup alternatives were compared and considered, the response action approved by HDOH, will be to physically remove all soils on this HICDC property that exceed current HDOH environmental action levels for residential use. Impacted soils on the site are proposed to be excavated, trucked, and buried at the West Hawai’i sanitary landfill.
Background information regarding previous site investigations and the response options considered and the removal action selected are available for review at the North Kohala Public Library (during library hours, ask at the Reference desk). Questions regarding the cleanup project may be directed to Brian Nishimura (for HICDC) at (808) 935-7692 or nishimura.brian@gmail.com. In addition, you may access the cleanup project site documents on the HDOH Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response (HEER) Office website: http://hawaii.gov/doh/heer in the “What’s New” section of the homepage.
Prior to the start of the cleanup project, HICDC will hold a public information meeting to provide information regarding the details of the cleanup plan including project schedule and mitigation measures being utilized to address community concerns raised during a previous public meeting in 2013.
Date: Thursday, December 10, 2015
Meeting Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Kamehameha Park – Kohala Intergenerational Center
Address: Kapa’au, HI 96755
(WHT818370 11/22/15)~
