Surfrider Oahu Chair Ray Aivazian, left, and neighborhood residents Troy Guerrero and Mike Plowman stand at the shoreline of Puuloa Beach Park, near where a proposed wall is to be built.
Surfrider Foundation Oahu Chapter is calling upon the Marine Corps conduct a thorough Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the human and environmental impacts of a 1,500 foot shoreline barrier along 'Ewa Beach.
In 2019, the US Marine Corps (USMC) proposed building a 1,500 foot steel shoreline barrier along the Puʻuloa Range Training Facility (PRTF) at 'Ewa Beach and adjacent to Pu'uloa Beach Park. PRTF is a firing range used by the USMC for training purposes. The USMC maintains that the 1,500 foot wall is needed to mitigate coastal erosion. In March 2020, the US Marine Corps conducted an Environmental Assessment (EA) and determined that the project would not have significant environmental impacts.
Surfrider Foundation Oahu Chapter, local government agencies, and community members, however, are concerned about the project's potential impacts on nearshore coral reefs, surf spots, potential beach loss, and accelerating coastal erosion. In a June 14, 2020 letter to the Secretary of the Navy, Surfrider Foundation Oʻahu cited numerous shortcomings in the Environmental Assessment. The Surfrider Foundation Oahu Chapter is calling on the Department of the Navy to conduct a more thorough Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared by independent experts on the wall's environmental and human impacts. As part of this assessment, the Oahu Chapter requests that the Navy fully evaluate the long-term consequences of the wall and consider natural or nature-based alternatives.
As of July 2, Surfrider Foundation Oʻahu has received no response from the Department of the Navy or the U.S. Marine Corps.
Beaches are important ecosystems and we as the public have a legal right to access and enjoy the beaches. While inconvenient for the Navy and Marine Corps, it is their responsibility to properly evaluate all risks to our beaches and find alternative plans if our beaches are under threat with the current proposed project.
Sign the Petition Here.
In challenge to Marine Corps Base Hawaii plan for 2,000 foot long steel sea wall at its Ewa Beach firing range, Surfrider Foundation has written Secretary of Navy demanding EIS examining impacts such as erosion of sand at shoreline and Puuloa Beach Park area.
Read Media Coverage Here:
Military Times: "Surfrider Foundation challenges proposed Marine Corps Base Hawaii sea wall" (July 15, 2020)
Star Advertiser: "Proposed Ewa Beach sea wall raises concerns" (July 12, 2020)
KITV: "Study contracted by the military in 2015 warns against plans to build retaining wall in Ewa Beach" (June 18, 2020)
Civil Beat: "Ewa Beach Residents Want Marines To Take Another Look At Retaining Wall" (Nov 18, 2019)
Civil Beat: "Schatz To Marines: Rethink Project That Threatens Ewa Beach" (Nov 19, 2019)
Contact
Contact us to get involved:
-Mike Foley, Beach Protection Coordinator, beachprotection@oahu.surfrider.org
-Ray Aivazian, Chair at chair@oahu.surfrider.org