The Maui News

An emergency stormwater capture system will be installed in Lahaina to reduce the environmental impact from silt, ash and other disaster debris from potentially entering storm drainage systems, the state Department of Transportation said Tuesday.

The DOT is working with Maui County and the Federal Highway Administration on the $40 million project, which includes design, construction management and continued management of the system through 2024 and is funded through the Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief program.

The area to be covered by the stormwater capture system includes the entire length of Front Street, Honoapiilani Highway between its southern connection with Front Street and Wahikuli Wayside Park, and stormwater inlets in the Leialii Hawaiian Homes development, Kapunakea, Mala, the Puunoa Beach area, Lahaina town, Lunaville and Wainee.

Work to prepare the area for the system has begun, with green “socks” or fences to filter sediment and pollutants being installed in the project area, according to a DOT news release. Additional measures may include:

• Debris removal through street sweeping, vacuum trucks and road crews.

• Source control through the application of hydromulch in open grubbed areas that are historically prone to erosion during storm events. Only nontoxic and biodegradable materials that have previously been used on Maui will be used for the hydromulch.

• Inlet protection using sediment fabrics on inlets and catch basins to provide additional filtering of stormwater as it enters drainage structures.

• Capture and treatment by temporarily capturing and diverting stormwater for pollutant removal before discharging it back into the storm drainage system.

For more information on Maui stormwater management, visit www.stormwatermaui.com/ and www.mauicounty.gov/2129/Stormwater-Management-Program.