Wailoa Boat Harbor dredging to begin this summer

Hawaii DLNR has just announced that the long-awaited dredging of the Wailoa Small Boat Harbor, on Hawai‘i Island, could begin this summer.

Initial funding for the project was released in January 2024; a consultant has been hired, and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers has indicated it will expeditiously handle the required permitting process.

The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) issued a ‘Notice to Proceed’ for the consultant to begin planning and design work for dredging.

Issuance of the notice followed the March 21 submission, by DOBOR, of the draft permit application to USACE, prior to execution of the consultant’s contract. The permit application will be amended after the consultant has completed water depth surveying and calculated dredging quantities.

“There is no mechanism to do “emergency” dredging. We asked for funding for several years for Wailoa dredging, but we did not receive any until the 2023 legislature. If everything goes as planned and we get the necessary permits, in a best-case scenario we expect the dredging to commence sometime in July,” assistant administrator Meghan Statts explained.

The proposed July start date is dependent on no delays and the contractor being available to begin dredging immediately upon this issuance.