WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii is a well-known tourist destination due in part to its natural beauty, from lush mountains to beautiful sandy beaches; and

WHEREAS, shoreline areas and beaches represent one of Hawaii's most valuable and vulnerable natural resources; and

WHEREAS, studies have shown that miles of sandy beaches in Hawaii have been lost or severely narrowed due to chronic erosion on armored shorelines; and

WHEREAS, beach loss and shoreline armoring have caused the loss of public access to shoreline areas and beaches; and

WHEREAS, Lanikai was once known for its beautiful, white sand beaches and was voted the best beach in the United States in 1996; and

WHEREAS, due to chronic erosion, the beaches in Lanikai have been reduced to rocky shoals, inaccessible to the public; and

WHEREAS, in response to the disappearance of beach access, the Lanikai community, in collaboration with the State of Hawaii and the City and County of Honolulu, has established a project

site entitled the Lanikai Demonstration Pilot Project for Beach Replenishment located on Mokulua Drive at the public access right-of-way between Aala and Pokole Drives; and

WHEREAS, it is in the public interest that the State investigate the use of groins and sand restoration to restore and manage the shoreline at Lanikai to provide public access to this natural resource and promote the beauty of Hawaii; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is requested to conduct a study, in coordination with the Army Corps of Engineers, to assess the economic feasibility, environmental impacts, and design and construction alternatives for the use of groin structures and sand restoration to restore a sandy beach and public access at the experimental project beach access site located on Mokulua Drive between Aala Drive and Pokole Drive on an armored shoreline in Lanikai; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DLNR consult with affected parties including the Lanikai Beach Preservation Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, in establishing the parameters of this study; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DLNR submit its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2004; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and the Lanikai Beach Preservation Foundation, Inc.

Report Title:

Requesting DLNR to study restoration of a beach at Lanikai.