In June, crews will start the process of moving 400,000 tons of ash and debris from the Aug. 8, 2023, Lahaina wildfires from a temporary site in Olowalu to its permanent home in Puʻunēnē.
Earlier in the year, Maui County announced debris from the fires had been fully cleared from 1,538 properties in Lahaina. The debris was taken to a site in Olowalu, which community members objected to because of environmental concerns, while the County worked to acquire and construct a permanent disposal site. In Feb. 2024, officials selected the Central Maui Landfill as the location for a permanent disposal site. The County received approval from the Maui County Council in Dec. 2024 to acquire 79 acres, with 14 acres set aside for the PDS, for about $4 million. The extra acreage will provide the County with additional landfill capacity in the future, according to a news release.
Once construction is completed at the PDS, which is expected to occur in June, crews will start transporting the debris. Every day, over the course of five months, 50 trucks will make four round trips. Maui County said because of safety concerns, crews will not work at night.
The debris-hauling trucks will travel on a 19-mile route: Trucks will travel from the Olowalu site along Honoapiʻilani Highway to Māʻalaea, then turn onto Kūihelani Highway before using former cane hauling roads from Waikō Road to the PDS.
County officials worked with property owners to get permission to use the privately owned former cane haul roads in an effort to minimize traffic, according to our news partners, the Honolulu Civil Beat. Officials have also designated alternative routes in case there are road closures on the cane haul roads.
Plans to move the debris were made by the County of Maui in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Hawaii Department of Transportation.
“We appreciate our County departments and State and Federal partners for helping us reach another significant step in our recovery efforts,” said Maui Mayor Richard Bissen in a news release. “We ask for the continued kōkua of our residents and visitors to ensure the transfer of Lahaina’s wildfire debris is done safely and respectfully.”
Maui County asks motorists to plan for slower than usual traffic and not to pass or tailgate debris hauling-trucks while operations are ongoing.
In order to minimize airborne ash, debris at the temporary disposal site in Olowalu will be lightly wetted. Then, crews will load it onto trucks and wrap it in industrial plastic sheeting. Dust monitoring stations will be set up at both the Olowalu site and the new PDS. Maui County said, “the debris is considered nonhazardous.”
Lt. Col. Adrian Biggerstaff, District Commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Honolulu District, said “We are implementing rigorous protocols at every stage of the debris transport process, from Olowalu to the Central Maui Landfill, that will help us get the job done safely and with the utmost respect for the Lahaina community.”
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