HONOLULU (KHON2) — A major decision regarding the city’s new landfill site is stirring controversy. The city has announced the location for Oahu’s next landfill: a site in Central Oahu. However, critics are raising concerns, saying it could put the island’s aquifer at risk.
Get Hawaii’s latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You
The new landfill will be located on agricultural land, 3.5 miles northwest of Wahiawa and 1.5 miles west of the Dole Plantation, near Kamehameha Highway.
The site was selected from six locations evaluated by the Landfill Advisory Committee.
“This site is legally acceptable under federal and state laws, including Act 73, because it is away from groundwater wells and residences, it’s accessible by a major state highway, it has flat terrain, and we know we can build and operate a landfill here without harming the environment,” said Roger Babcock, director of the Department of Environmental Services.
But the decision is already proving divisive, with concerns about its potential risk to the island’s aquifer. The selected site is located about 800 feet above the aquifer, raising alarms from the Board of Water Supply.