Sampling to Assist in Kaka'ako Redevelopment

[Center for Public Environmental Oversight <cpro@igc.apc.org>]

U.S. EPA: Environmental Sampling to Assist in Kaka'ako Redevelopment

SAN FRANCISCO, July 28, 1998 -- In the first stage of the cleanup of the
Kaka'ako Community Development District, the Hawaii Community
Development Agency (HCDA) began environmental sampling of the district
in central Honolulu, Hawaii on July 27. The sampling, paid for by a U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) brownfields grant, will
determine the type and extent of contamination in preparation for
eventual cleanup and reuse of the area. The groundwater, soil and
sediment sampling will continue until August 8, 1998. The results of the
sampling will be available by the end of this year. Cleanup plans and
cost estimates for the cleanup will follow. The EPA brownfields grant
was awarded to the Hawaii Department of Health to assist the state's
efforts to redevelop the Makai area of the Kaka'ako Community
Development District into a thriving, productive area. The HCDA was
created by the Hawaii Legislature in 1976 to plan the redevelopment of
the state's urban areas. The Makai area of the Kaka'ako district
comprises about 227 acres between Ala Moana Beach Park and Aloha Tower.
Most of the land is state owned. Earlier redevelopment efforts have
resulted in the development of Kaka'ako Waterfront Park and the
soon-to-be completed Children's Discovery Center. Other possible plans
for the area include an aquarium, children's theater, shops, restaurants
and other commercial activities. Brownfields are former industrial and
commercial properties where redevelopment is complicated by real or
perceived environmental contamination.

SOURCE: US EPA