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| Project Manager for Kaʻū Community Development Plan, Ron Whitmore, has given an analysis of the Black Sand Beach, LLC development proposal, in terms of CDP compliance. He notes that commercial enterprise is planned near the coast and concludes that a new shoreline setback certification study should be done. Plan from Black Sand Beach, LLC |
AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AT PUNALU'U BY THE PROJECT MANAGER OF KAʻŪ COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN is going to become testimony to the Windward Planning Commission, according to the Kaʻū Community Development Plan Action Committee. The Committee voted this week to send testimony and include the analysis by County of Hawai'i planner Ron Whitmore. It can be read along with other testimony at
https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/weblink/1/edoc/136134/2024-07-
11%20Ka%C5%AB%20CDP%20Meeting%20Packet.pdf.
Whitmore writes that the proposal appears to be inconsistent with three Policy Controls in the Kaʻū Community Development Plan.
Regarding Policy 6, Whitmore writes, "It does not include affordable housing." Policy 6 in the CDP says, "The development of visitor accommodations and any resort development should complement the
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| https://www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ general-plan-community-planning/cdp/kau. |
Whitmore notes that the proposed development "clearly includes 'new facilities' as well as development on parcels that abut the shore, including Artisan Garden Hales, Museum Pavilion, Welcome Center and Beach Club Cafe, so a new shoreline setback should have peen established per Policy 28."
Regarding Policy 29, Whitmore writes: "Necessary assessments were not completed, including for impacts on scenic resources, view planes, water quality, marine life, and cultural resources as well as the impacts of tsunamis and sea level rise." Policy 29 says, "No development, including subdivision, shall be approved in the SMA unless the development will not have any substantial adverse environmental or ecological effect."
Whitmore writes: "The CDP Action Committee has an opportunity to play a leadership role, in collaboration with the landowner, in implementing Community Action 20: Develop and implement plans for Punalu'u."
See his entire analysis at https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/weblink/1/edoc/136134/2024-07-11%20Ka%C5%AB%20CDP%20Meeting%20Packet.pdf.
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MORE SHAKING ON KĪLAUEA'S SOUTH FLANK - DID YOU FEEL IT? That is the topic of the latest Volcano Watch, the weekly column by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates:
The most recent notable felt earthquake happened on Saturday night, July 6, at 8:47 p.m HST. The magnitude (M) 4.1 earthquake was on Kīlauea's south flank at a depth of about 7 km (4.4 miles) below sea level. This event produced a handful of aftershocks, including three above M2 that occurred within ten minutes of the M4.1.
Earthquakes that occur on Kīlauea's south flank typically happen on either the Hilina fault system or the fault called the "décollement." The steep faults of the Hilina fault system are easy to visualize as they appear on the surface as steep pali (cliffs) along the southeast coast of the Island of Hawaiʻi. These steep faults continue through the subsurface and can produce large earthquakes as rocks along the nearly vertical faults slip against each other.
The décollement, or detachment fault, sits beneath the Hilina fault system. This fault is nearly horizontal beneath Kīlauea's south flank at the interface between the island and the ocean floor. This interface can produce larger events and, according to seismologists at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), was the likely source of Saturday's M4.1 based on the depth and motion.
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The most recent was the M6.9 earthquake that occurred on May 4, 2018. This earthquake was caused by the magmatic intrusion in Kīlauea's East Rift Zone, which led to the 2018 eruption in the lower East Rift Zone.
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| Road destruction from M6.9 Kīlauea earthquake in 2018. USGS photo |
The most destructive of the three events was in 1975, and it was the largest earthquake in Hawai;i since 1868. A M7.7 on the décollement fault beneath Kīlauea caused several meters (yards) of horizontal and vertical movement along faults in the summit and south flank regions. The earthquakes caused building and road damage, along with a tsunami that resulted in two local fatalities.
Within this greater context, Saturday's M4.1 was only a minor slip along Kīlauea's décollement, but its widely felt shaking serves as a reminder of the potential for this region to produce damaging and widely felt earthquakes. More than 700 people reported feeling the recent M4.1, spanning the Island of Hawaiʻi and even as far as Maui and Lanaʻi.
As residents of a very shaky island chain, the USGS "Did you feel it?" website is a phenomenal resource that citizens and scientists alike can use to report how we individually feel earthquakes.
While the magnitude of an earthquake is the size derived from data collected by the network of seismic instruments, the intensity of an earthquake is a measure of shaking derived from the network of people reporting how they felt it. Based on the felt reports, "Community Internet Intensity Maps" or CIIMS are generated in near real-time and help us understand how different types of earthquakes can impact different regions in Hawaii.
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| A coconut grove subsides into the ocean at Halape in 1975 M 7.7 Kīlauea earthquake. USGS photo |
The next time you feel an earthquake, first ensure that you and your surroundings are safe. Then, if you would like to support the science happening in Hawai'i, please fill out your felt report. Mahalo to everyone who reports feeling earthquakes in Hawai;i; your reports help us understand impacts of earthquakes in our dynamic environment.
Volcano Activity Updates
Kīlauea is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is ADVISORY.
Elevated earthquake activity and inflationary ground deformation rates continue in Kīlauea's summit region, indicating that magma is repressurizing the storage system. Over the past week, about 550 events
Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.
Four earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the week ending Thursday: a M3.4 earthquake 0 km (0 mi) W of Pāhala at 32 km (20 mi) depth on July 8 at 12:39 p.m. HST, a M1.9 earthquake 7 km (4 mi) SW of Volcano at 1 km (1 mi) depth on July 7 at 6:56 a.m. HST, a M3.3 earthquake 14 km (8 mi) S of Fern Forest at 6 km (4 mi) depth on July 6 at 8:51 p.m. HST, a M4.1 earthquake 15 km (9 mi) S of Fern Forest at 6 km (4 mi) depth on July 6 at 8:47 p.m. HST.
HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.
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