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Kahana

Environmental, Archaeological and Cultural

Environmental

Archaeological

Cultural

Environmental

A Preliminary Environmental Assessment (EA) was conducted in late 2019, which provides a high-level review of pre-existing environmental conditions, and potential short- and long-term impacts associated with the proposed Project in a variety of environmental areas, including:

  • air quality;
  • wildlife;
  • vegetation;
  • climate;
  • soils;
  • land use;
  • natural hazards;
  • noise;
  • traffic;
  • socio-economic characteristics;
  • visual impacts;
  • hazardous waste;
  • water quality;
  • public safety; and
  • recreation

The Preliminary EA identifies areas in which further study is required and will form the basis of our environmental program going forward. These studies will include:

  • general and detailed plant and wildlife surveys;
  • wetland and waterways assessments;
  • archaeological and cultural impact assessments;
  • visual impact and glare analyses; and
  • traffic and noise studies.

For the regulatory and permitting processes, independent third-party qualified professionals will conduct these studies and prepare the reports that will be submitted for regulatory review and approval. As they become available, the results will be shared with the community at future public meetings and posted to our website.

  • We thank you for attending and participating in the virtual public information session held on December 9, 2020 where we shared the preliminary archaeological and environmental results.  To have a look at the presentation material, click here, or to view the recording, click here.
  • The draft Biological Resources Survey Report can be found here.
  • The draft Delineation of Wetlands and Other Waters of the U.S. can be found here.

Based on the existing information available, the following permits will likely be required to construct and operate the Project. Through engagement with regulatory agencies and officials and various studies and analyses, the list will be refined as needed.

  • State Special Use Permit (SUP);
  • Maui County Special Use Permit (CUP);
  • Hawaii Revised Statute (HRS) Chapter 6 E compliance, including State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) review and approval of Archaeological Inventory Survey (AIS);
  • CWA §402 National Pollution Discharge and Elimination System (NPDES) General Stormwater Permit from Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH);
  • Federal Aviation Administration Determination of No Hazard
  • Construction Noise Permit from HDOH;
  • Grading, grubbing, building, and electrical permits from Maui County (must have County CUP approval before construction permits [e.g., building, grading, grubbing] can be issued.

Although Innergex will design the Project to minimize impacts to Water of the U.S. (i.e. jurisdictional waters under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), if impacts are unavoidable, then the following permits may also be required:

  • Clean Water Act (CWA) §404 Nationwide Permit (NWP) from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) (to be confirmed based on results of jurisdictional determination and final Project design);
  • CWA §401 Water Quality Certificate (WQC) from Department of Health (DOH) under the blanket form (to be confirmed based on results of jurisdictional determination and final Project design);
  • Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Consistency Determination from Department of Business Development, Economics, and Tourism (DBEDT) Office of Planning (if CWA §404 NWP required); and
  • Stream Channel Alteration Permit (SCAP) from the Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) (if impacts are made to stream channels within CWRM jurisdiction).

Archaeological

Based on the results from prior archaeological surveys, the Project area is unlikely to contain a high number of significant archaeological features. The previous archaeological work in the vicinity has shown that on flatlands like those within the Project area, archaeological sites have been absent because of the past impacts to the land. One archaeological resource is present in the Project, the Honolua-Honokohau Ditch and its depth beneath the ground surface will be assessed. Mitigation measures may be required for this resource to ensure the protection of this historic property.

Once the Project area boundary is finalized (which will include all Project activities that may require ground disturbance), an archaeological consultant will initiate consultation with SHPD and will complete a supplemental archaeological investigation survey (AIS) of the Project area. The AIS will include a comprehensive field study documenting all of the extant archaeological features within the Project area and reassess the significance of such resources, as well as new treatment recommendations for all of the documented sites.

Cultural

As part of the archaeological resource support, the archaeological consultant will also determine the presence or absence of cultural practices or traditionally-significant cultural places within the Project area and vicinity. Background research and (if appropriate) ethnographic interviews with knowledgeable native Hawaiians will be conducted to determine if there are any known significant sites in or near the Project area. If cultural practices or traditionally-significant cultural places are identified within the Project area or within the vicinity of the Project, Innergex will work with the archaeological consultants to assess potential Project impact to these sites and associated avoidance or mitigation measures. This will be detailed in a Cultural Impact Assessment.