Public meeting scheduled to discuss upcoming munitions cleanup in South Kohala

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Honolulu District will host a public meeting next month to discuss upcoming fieldwork for munitions cleanup in South Kohala.

The meeting, which will take place on Jan. 12 at 10 a.m., will provide updates for the Munitions Response Site Project 18 at the Waimea-Kohala Airport, which is part of the Waikōloa Maneuver Area, that was used by the federal government for live-fire training from 1943 to 1945.

Unexploded munitions are the byproduct of live-fire training. The federal government is responsible for the environmental restoration (cleanup) of this area, which has been ongoing for several years. To date, the removal and disposal of over 2,700 munitions and 120 tons of debris has been performed, according to the Army Corps of Engineers website.

In the upcoming meeting, representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers, Hawaiʻi Department of Health, and the contractor will be available to answer questions regarding the project site, which encompasses 11.2 acres.

Community members are encouraged to attend in person to learn more about the project and planned field activities, which include vegetation clearance, use of digital geophysical mapping, and handheld metal detectors.

The area is in the remedial phase of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act process.