A multi-million dollar dredging project is expected to begin Monday at the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor. Photo courtesy Department of Land and Natural Resources

State officials say routine dredging work scheduled to begin Monday at Lahaina Small Boat Harbor will also provide a rare opportunity to dredge the main harbor basin for the first time since 1966.

According to the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, the work is meant to remove sediment that accumulates over time and reduces harbor entrance depths.

The department said the dredging will help ensure safe access to the harbor for recreational, commercial and emergency vessels by going down to minus-13 feet for the harbor entrance channel and minus-10 feet for the harbor basin.

An aerial view shows Lahaina Small Boat Harbor. The state plans to begin dredging Monday, with work expected to continue through December as part of the harbor’s ongoing recovery and restoration. Photo courtesy Department of Land and Natural Resources

Limited commercial boat operations resumed in December at the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor for the first time since the August 2023 wildfires, and the dredging is part of the larger plan to rebuild the harbor.

“The permitted commercial operations will continue without interruption during the dredging work,” DOBOR Administrator Meghan Statts said in a statement. “We have continued to engage with the operators and everyone is aware of the plans for the dredging. We appreciate the cooperation from the operators as well as the contractor to ensure that both operations can take place simultaneously.”

No facility closures are anticipated, but the harbor parking area adjacent to the King Kamehameha III Elementary School lot, which is currently accommodating commercial operator vehicles, will be used for stockpiling dredged material.

The department said it is working with the commercial operators and the county to determine alternative parking arrangements during the construction period.

“Completing the work now gives us a rare opportunity to dredge the main harbor basin, which our records show was last done in 1966,” Statts added. “We typically only dredge the entrance channel where sediment buildup occurs. However, because of the ongoing restoration, we are taking advantage of the open space in the main harbor to dredge the basin as well. This would have been nearly impossible to do with a harbor occupied by all the vessels. When the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor fully reopens, users will enjoy the benefits of restored harbor and channel depths.”

State officials say dredging work at the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor is scheduled to begin Monday as part of the ongoing effort to restore harbor access and rebuild facilities damaged in the 2023 Maui wildfires. Photo courtesy Department of Land and Natural Resources

The contractor for the dredging work is American Marine Corporation. The department said all dredged material will be disposed of at the landfill due to the potential presence of wildfire debris in the sediment.

Last updated in April, the ongoing rebuilding plan included $5 million for the dredging work, with the funding released Dec. 29. The project is expected to be completed in December.

Other projects at the harbor that have already been completed include the installation of a temporary trailer office at Mala Boat Ramp to serve as the West Maui harbor office until the harbor office can be rebuilt.

Also, all of the steel and concrete piles and mooring anchor blocks have been removed from the harbor, and the main loading pier fender repairs were completed in January 2025.

Work wrapped up on the harbor’s water system repairs on May 5, 2025, and the Mala Boat Ramp dredging was finished April 25, 2025.

Upcoming projects in the larger plan include front-row piers and a dinghy dock, inner and outer marginal wharfs, and rebuilding the harbor office and ferry pier.

For more information about recovery work at the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor, go to dlnr.hawaii.gov/dobor/lahaina-recovery/.

Commercial and recreational vessels are seen offshore near Lahaina Small Boat Harbor. Limited commercial activity returned to the Lahaina harbor in December as rebuilding efforts continue. Photo courtesy Department of Land and Natural Resources