For Immediate Release:
Press release by:
Tom Cook, Councilmember
Maui County Council
media@mauicounty.us
Council passes bill for Kūlanihākoʻi Gulch sediment removal
KĪHEI, Hawaiʻi (April 5, 2024)—Councilmember Tom Cook applauded the Maui County Council’s passage today of a bill to authorize the county to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the federal government to support a sediment-removal project for Kūlanihākoʻi Gulch in North Kīhei.
He said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service will remove sediment, as authorized by the agreement, to prevent loss of life and property damage from flooding. Cook chairs the Water and Infrastructure Committee, which recommended the council pass the bill, and holds the council seat for the South Maui residency area.
“The drainageway has collected a great deal of sediment over the years and requires emergency action for the safety of our community,” Cook said. “My colleagues and I are committed to addressing South Maui’s long-standing flooding concerns.”
The Natural Resources Conservation Service will cover three-quarters of the costs for the project, which has a budget of more than $3.3 million, Cook said.
Other efforts for the Kūlanihākoʻi Gulch include a $354,000 grant to the Mālama Haleakalā Foundation for site assessment and preliminary design for a stormwater detention basin. Cook announced the grant in a press release on Dec. 12: https://www.mauicounty.us/press-release/grant-approved-for-sediment-removal-and-flood-mitigation-in-south-maui/.
Bill 41, CD1, FD1 (2024) now goes to Mayor Richard T. Bissen, Jr., and will take effect on his approval.
For more information, contact Cook’s office at (808) 270-7108 or Thomas.Cook@mauicounty.us.
Photos: Councilmember Cook conducts a field visit with South Maui residents and agency partners, assessing floodplain conditions in Kūlanihākoʻi Gulch. (Photos courtesy, Office of Councilmember Tom Cook)
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