Kekaha Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Phase II Vertical Expansion

Kekaha Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Phase II Vertical Expansion

The County of Kaua`i, Department of Public Works, Solid Waste Division (County) is proposing a vertical expansion of Phase II of the Kekaha Municipal Solid Waste Landfill (Kekaha Landfill) located in Kekaha on the west side of Kauaʻi (Proposed Action). Pursuant to the requirements of Hawai’i Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 343 and Hawai‘i Administrative Rules (HAR) §11-200.1, the County prepared a draft and final environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of the Proposed Action.

Document:

• Draft Environmental Assessment
• Final Environmental Assessment and FONSI (Available 2/23/24)

Project Site

The Kekaha Landfill encompasses approximately 98 acres of land within Tax Map Keys (TMK) 1-2-002:001 (por) and 1-2-002:009. The Kekaha Landfill is comprised of two distinct refuse fill areas:

• Phase I : An unlined municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill stopped accepting solid waste in 1993. No changes to Phase I are proposed.
• Phase II :  An active lined MSW landfill that began accepting solid waste in 1993.  Currently, the maximum permitted elevation of Phase II is 120 feet above mean sea level (msl). Phase II is projected to reach capacity in June 2027.

Proposed Action

• The Kekaha Landfill is Kauai’s only permitted landfill and is projected to reach capacity within the next 5 years. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to prolong the life of the landfill facility while the County identifies other long-term waste solutions.
• The County proposes to extend the Phase II landfill height vertically to a maximum permitted elevation of 171.5 feet above msl.
• The County understands there is a critical need to identify a long-term MSW capacity solution for the Island of Kaua`i and is currently exploring alternatives.

Draft Environmental Assessment

• The Draft EA for the Kekaha Municipal Landfill Phase II Vertical Expansion Project was published in the August 8, 2023 edition of The Environmental Notice. The document can be accessed via the link provided above.
• The County accepted comments on the Draft EA from August 8, 2023 to September 7, 2023. Comments received during the required 30-day public review period were incorporated into a Final EA.

Final Environmental Assessment

• In accordance with the requirements of Hawai'i Administrative Rules (HAR) §11-200.1-20, comments received on the Draft EA were considered and incorporated into the Final EA, as appropriate, and copies of the comments received, and responses provided are included in Appendix D of the FEA.
• Based upon the analysis and findings presented in the Final EA, implementation of the Proposed Action is not expected to result in a significant adverse direct, indirect, or cumulative impact on the quality of the environment. As such, the County issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in accordance with HRS Chapter 343.
• The Final EA and FONSI were published in the February 23, 2024 edition of The Environmental Notice. The document can be accessed via the link provided above.
• If you have any questions about the Proposed Action or environmental review process, please contact Allison Fraley, County of Kauaʻi, Department of Public Works, Solid Waste Division at AFraley@kauai.gov or Leslie McClain, Tetra Tech at Leslie.mcclain@tetratech.com