Waikiki Beach only one of many on Oahu eroding away
By Kristine Uyeno KHON NEWS
Major repair work is just about to begin on one of the most popular beaches in the world.
Crews are about to fix the erosion at Kuhio Beach in Waikiki.
But it's just one of many beaches across the state facing this problem.
Whether it's the North Shore or Kailua you'll notice an eerie trend.
"Beach erosion is a problem everywhere in the state of Hawaii," Dept. of Land and Natural Resources administrator Sam Lemmo said.
Experts say that's because erosion is inevitable even in world-famous Waikiki. That's where crews will use bulldozers to haul sand from large areas of the beach to cover areas that have become exposed because of erosion.
"As you can see the beach is incredibly crowded during the day and tonight there's a negative low tide, minus .2 inches which is going to allow them to go further into the ocean putting the sand in," city spokesperson Jesse Broder Van Dyke said.
Erosion isn't just a problem here but at 70 percent of Hawaii's beaches.
"Not a day goes by where I don't get a call from a homeowner or a condo association or somebody who has in the midst of a major erosion event," Lemmo said.
Earlier in the day the state was at Sunset Beach trying to help homeowners save their properties. In Lanikai residents take matters into their own hands.
"Maybe I'm going to build a beach restoration, maybe I'm going to build a shoreline structure to protect my property, maybe I'm going to move my residence," Lemmo said.
There's no one easy solution to this statewide problem. But most beachgoers, including those in Kailua, don't let it bother them. City officials don't want this project in Waikiki, to bother visitors either, which is another reason why they're doing the work late at night.
"We don't expect it to last forever but it will look good for our tourists who are here in the coming weeks," Broder Van Dyke said.
No one knows how long this solution will last. Experts say it could last just a few weeks because a variety of factors including global warming.
Crews will be moving the sand until midnight. One lane of Kalakaua Avenue is closed because of the project and will reopen at 3:30 a.m.
