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ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLING TO ASSIST IN KAKA'AKO REDEVELOPMENT

Release Date: 7/28/1998
Contact Information: Randy Wittorp, U.S. EPA, (415) 744-1589

NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS        

     (San Francisco) -- 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.