Keauhou Bay Offshore Moorings Project a ‘No-Go’

Wikki Commons imageof Keauhou Bay.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources will not pursue a previously proposed mooring project in Keauhou Bay.

On Friday morning, DLNR and its Division of Boating and Recreation announced that it has selected the “no-action” option in a Draft Environmental Assessment for the proposed Keauhou Bay Offshore Moorings project.

The decision was made after the public took a large interest in the project, providing feedback in the project’s review process.

As proposed, the project would have involved the replacement of nine existing offshore moorings with up to 16 new offshore moorings permitted by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Ultimately, DLNR came to the conclusion that not adding more moorings would be in the greater interest of the community.

“After hearing from many people about this proposal as well as personal site visits by DLNR and DOBOR leadership to review the situation, I am confident that it is in the best interest of all users of Keauhou Bay that we not add additional moorings” said DLNR Chair Suzanne Case.

The DLNR says that the Draft EA did not find any significant environmental impacts as a result of the project or proposed alternative.

According to DLNR officials, the decision not to pursue the project was a result of community concerns over public safety and congestion. The concerns included user traffic in the bay and impacts on cultural practices, as well as the cost of the project to state taxpayers.

“We thank people for their continued engagement with this proposed project over the years,” said Ed Underwood, DOBOR Administrator. “While we have decided not to pursue additional moorings, we still need to be sure that the existing moorings are compliant with all regulations. We will work with the mooring permit holders to be sure this is done.”

DOBOR will file the “no-action” option outlined in the Draft EA with the Hawai’i Office of Environmental Quality Control this week.