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State Appendix: Hawaii |
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1,052 miles of tidally affected lands // 230 miles of beach coastline // Coastal population is 1,108,229 // 100% of the state's population resides in coastal counties |
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Appendix for Hawaii Main appendix topics are: 1. Website Access 2. Beach Access 3. Water Quality 4. Armoring 5. Erosion 6. Nourishment 7. Surfing - - - - - Contact Information Hawaii Coastal Zone Management Program P.O. Box 2359 Honolulu, Hawaii 96804 (808) 587-2846 http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/czm/index.html http://www.state.hi.us/health/ 1. Website Access Hawaii's Coastal Zone Management Program Website provides some general information on the coastal program, but contributes very little information in terms of the Beach Health Indicators. The Website does not indicate when it was last updated, but the index page has not been modified since 1998.  Go to top of page2. Beach Access Hawaii has approximately 319 total public-access sites for 360 miles of coastline, which is on average one access point every 1.1 miles. In addition, the state has high-quality access. Maui has 24 beach parks, and most have parking with paved access and restrooms. Oahu has seven regional parks and 61 local beach/shoreline parks. Kauai has 18 beach parks, and Molokai has six beach parks. In total, Hawaii has 116 beach parks, which is 36% of all the beach access on the islands. The following County Websites contain beach access information: Kauai: http://www.kauai-hawaii.com/parks.html Oahu: http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/parks/programs/beach/index.htm Hawaii: http://www.hawaii-county.com/parks/parks.htm Although Maui does not have a web accessible beach access guide, there is a county Website with contact information: Maui: http://www.co.maui.hi.us Additional beach access, surf, and safety information is available from a lifeguard Website. The lifeguard site on Oahu is particularly good for this island: http://www.aloha.com:80/~lifeguards The Coastal Zone Management program has also worked with Hawaii and Kona counties on beach access signage programs to make beach access sites more easily identified. Information Sources Each county planning or tourism department publishes a guide to Beach Access sites. The following list is the name of each guide: Maui County Office of the Mayor. Maui County's Shoreline Access Guide. 1994. (Also contains information for Molokai and Lanai.) County of Kauai Planning Department. Kauai Beach Access Guide. June 1984. County of Hawaii Planning Department. Shoreline Public Access Guide. April 1981. City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting. Summary of Public Access. Date Unknown. Go to top of page
3. Surf Zone Water Quality Water Quality Monitoring Program The Department of Health monitors a total of 42 beaches on a weekly basis throughout the year. This includes 14 beaches on Oahu, 11 beaches on Maui, 11 beaches on Kauai, and 6 beaches on Hawaii.34 Beaches are monitored for enterococcus and Clostridium perfringins, which is used to confirm elevated levels of enterococcus densities. The department does not always close a beach if the standard has been exceeded, but instead relies on additional factors, such as the presence of raw sewage, when determining whether conditions warrant a beach closure.35 The agency plans to make monitoring data available on the Clean Water section of its Website: http://www.hawaii.gov/doh/eh/cwb/index.htm. The Hawaii Department of Health phone number is: (808) 586-4309
Storm Drains & Sewage Outfalls There are four sewage outfalls (one each in Honolulu, Honouliuli, Mokapu Peninsula, and Waianae) on the island of Oahu. One outfall is located in Wailua on the island of Kauai, and one outfall can also be found in Hilo on the Island of Hawaii. Maui only has an emergency outfall that goes into injection wells.36 Most of the sewage and storm drain information is kept locally, and it is obvious from the number of contacts below that responsibility for these is spread across a number of offices in the Department of Health and each individual county. Sewage Outfall and Storm Drain Contact Information: Department of Health: Sanitation Branch: (808) 586-8000 Department of Health: Wastewater Branch: (808) 586-4294 Department of Health: Environmental Planning Office: (808) 586-8000 Department of Health: Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office (808) 586-4394 Hawaii County Public Works: (808) 961-8338 City and County of Honolulu Department of Environmental Services (808) 527-6663 Kauai County Public Works (808) 241-6616 Maui County Public Works (808) 243-7414 Go to top of page4. Shoreline Structures Before 1970, shoreline protection devices could be constructed without a permit. In 1970, Hawaii instituted a shoreline setback policy that required permits for any construction seaward of the setback line. The line varies between 20 and 40 feet of the shoreline. County governments can increase the shoreline setback, and can give variances to small structures within the setback line. State Policy Under HRS Chapter 205A-2, it is the policy of the state of Hawaii to discourage all shoreline hardening that may affect access to, or the configuration of, the island beaches. COEMAP plan 1999 HRS 205A-2 (9) (B) Prohibit construction of private erosion-protection structures seaward of the shoreline, except when they result in improved aesthetic and engineering solutions to erosion at the sites and do not interfere with existing recreational and waterline activities; and This statute, and all of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, is available at: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/ County Websites may also provide additional information on permitting or rules.37 Extent of Shoreline Armoring The state has no comprehensive assessment of shoreline armoring; however, recent research conducted by scientists at the University of Hawaii measured shoreline change rates in highly armored areas along Oahu's coastline. Their research calculated that shoreline armoring caused beach narrowing along 7.8 miles of Oahu's shoreline, and total beach loss along 4.7 miles of the coast. The total beach narrowing and loss represent approximately 24% of the original sandy beach on Oahu. A similar study conducted on Maui concluded that shoreline armoring resulted in beach narrowing and loss along 33% of the island's sandy beach. Information on the number of major and minor Special Management Area (SMA) applications for each county that were submitted and approved is available; however this information does not indicate the extent or location of shoreline armoring structures. The 1998-1999 fiscal year the following counties in Hawaii issued seawall permits and variances:38 The County of Hawaii: No Shoreline Setback Variances were received The County of Maui: 28 Shoreline setback approvals and 1 Shoreline Setback Variance. The City and County of Honolulu: 6 shoreline setback variances were issued and 12 minor shoreline structure permits were issued. The County of Kauai Planning Department: No seawalls or setback variances approved. Information Sources The following academic journal articles give the best information on shoreline armoring: Fletcher, Charles H., Robert A. Mullane, and Bruce M. Richmond. "Beach Loss Along Armored Shorelines on Oahu, Hawaiian Islands." Journal of Coastal Research. Winter 1997. Volume 13. Issue 1, 209-215. Coyne, Melanie, Robert Mullane, Charles Fletcher, and Bruce Richmond. "Losing Oahu: Erosion on the Hawaiian Coast." Geotimes. December 1996, 23-26. Go to top of page5. Erosion Hotspots Erosion Information The average erosion rate for the Hawaiian Islands varies between 0.5 to 1.0 foot per year. A recent shoreline change study on Oahu measured accretion rates of nearly 3 feet per year along South Kailua Beach and erosion rates of 5.6 feet per year along east Ewa Beach. In 1981, the Department of Planning and Economic Development published a more comprehensive study of shoreline change in Oahu. The results of the report are too detailed to describe in this publication. The Hawaii Coastal Erosion Management Plan (COEMAP), prepared by a collaborative effort between the University of Hawaii, School of Ocean Earth Science and Technology, Department of Geology and Geophysics, and State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Land Division and Coastal Lands Program, helps to identify certain steps that will improve the current erosion management regime in Hawaii. The Marine and Coastal Zone Management Advisory Group (MACZMAG) Coastal Erosion Subcommittee provided guidance on the Shoreline Hazard Mitigation Project. The Shoreline Mitigation Project is a multiyear project proposed to set strategies to mitigate the damage caused by shoreline hazards, including shoreline erosion and other shoreline events that affect public safety, economic viability, and/or the natural resources of a community. This project developed a site-specific plan for hazard mitigation through beach restoration instead of traditional shoreline hardening. The plan provides recommendations on the most feasible technical and engineering specifications and the most appropriate institutional and administrative arrangements for successful erosion hazard mitigation at an erosion "hotspot." There are several Websites that provide information on beach erosion in Hawaii. They are as follows: University of Hawaii Seagrant: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/SEAGRANT/ Coastal Geology Group: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/coasts/cgg_main.html Western Regional Coastal and Marine Geology: http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/research/hawaiico.html Information sources Coyne, Melanie A., C.H. Fletcher, and B.M. Richmond. "Mapping Coastal Erosion Hazard Areas in Hawaii: Observations and Errors." Journal of Coastal Research. Spring 1999. Special Issue 28, 171-184. Hwang, Dennis. Beach Changes on Oahu as Revealed by Aerial Photographs. Urban and Regional Planning Program. July 1981. Go to top of page6. Beach Nourishment Last year, Lanikai Beach in Oahu received 15,000 cubic yards of sand during a beach nourishment project. Waikiki, which has been continuously nourished since the 1930s, is currently in the design-and-permitting phase of a beach improvement project, which will include nourishment. In Maui, a beach restoration project has already been proposed for Honokawai, while there is some interest in a restoration project for Kihei. Sugar Cove has been the site of ongoing beach nourishment for the past five years. In Kekaha, Kauai, a sand-bypassing project will mechanically move sand around a harbor to nourish downdrift beaches. This project is in the permitting stage and will likely be performed next year.39 Go to top of page7. Surfing Areas The Surf Report identifies 128 well-known surf spots on the island of Oahu; however, the Surfrider Oahu Chapter survey reports that the island of Oahu offers anywhere from 200 to 300 surf spots. The surfing areas are in fair condition, but water quality remains a big threat. Aside from water quality, each of the four surfing regions of Oahu — North Shore, South Shore, Windward (east) Side, Leeward (west) Side — faces its own distinct problems. The Ala Moana area, in particular, is under the constant threat of poor water quality. Urban runoff from the highly developed area of Honolulu travels through the canal and deposits right into Ala Moana (Bowls). In addition, there is a dredging project planned, which will take the sediment and dump it into a deeper part of the ocean. Even with tourism being a large part of its economy, the state is not concerning itself too much with the conditions of these surfing areas and beaches: It does the minimum required by law. Information Sources The summary of surfing areas comes from Surfer Magazine's The Surf Report issues for the state. Surfrider Foundation Chapters were surveyed to establish surfing conditions in the state. Go to top of page |
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