HONOLULU (AP) — A judge has halted plans for an artificial wave pool until developers can revise an environmental review to address concerns of native Hawaiians and others who say the project is unnecessary in the birthplace of surfing and water waste.
In granting a temporary injunction Tuesday, Judge Shirley Kawamura of the Hawaii Environmental Court ordered a new review of the concerns, including impacts to water supplies and projected growth in the area.
A group of Native Hawaiians and other residents filed a lawsuit last year challenging the Hawaii Community Development Authority’s approval of the 7.6-acre Honokea Surf Village planned for western Oahu, finding it will have no significant environmental impact to have.
Opponents of the project say the wave pool, with a capacity of 26 million gallons, is needed no less than two miles from the ocean and another existing wave pool.
Project supporter and renowned native Hawaiian waterman Brian Keaulana has said that artificial waves are useful for competitive surfers to train for perfect breaks that are sometimes elusive in the ocean. Adaptable surfing options, he said, can also help create ideal conditions for learning surfing and lifesaving skills.
“Our goal of creating a place that combines cultural education and skills-based recreation must be achieved in a way that does not harm our natural resources,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. “The court’s ruling gives us an opportunity to re-examine environmental concerns, especially our water resources.”
The judge said in her ruling that there was “insufficient evidence for the HCDA to determine whether there is a likelihood of irreversible commitment of natural resources and whether secondary and cumulative impacts from water use, injection, land use changes and wildlife mitigation would be likely lead to a significant impact, favoring an injunction.”
The current assessment is “ambiguous as to the specific manner, time frame and actual daily water use involved in the initial and periodic filling of the lagoon,” the ruling said.
However, the development authority has adequately assessed the potential impact on historic preservation and burials, she added. The HCDA declined to comment on the ruling on Wednesday.
Developers say the project would draw from a private water utility separate from Oahu’s water utility, using a water supply established decades ago.
But the judge noted that they were drawing from the same underlying aquifer.
“Additional analysis is thus needed to fully capture the potential cumulative impact of projected growth and subsequent increased competitive water demands,” the ruling said.
The attorney general’s office said it is reviewing the decision.
Healani Sonoda-Pale, one of the plaintiffs, called the ruling a “pono decision,” using a Hawaiian word that can mean “just.”
“A lot has been written about Hawaiians being on both sides of the issue,” she said. “Building a wave pool is not a cultural practice. The threat of a surge… is so immense in terms of how many people could be affected.”
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Associated Press
