People are encouraged to communicate with their locally elected leaders, City and County of Honolulu, and the state of Hawaii. The Honolulu District is in constant communication with our partners on this project and welcomes specific project questions. Once an agreement is in place between USACE and our non-Federal partners, formal channels will be established for the public to communicate questions or concerns.
There was significant public participation and outreach from 2004 to 2015 to meet the Federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements and also to follow the Hawaii state environmental compliance policies to the extent possible. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) held a public meeting, presentation and open comment session with the public during the public review period on Sept. 30, 2015, which was attended by approximately 180 people. The public review produced written comments from 64 individuals and organizations, which USACE and DLNR provided individualized written responses. Since 2012 the Feasibility Study Report documents 44 other specific engagements with stakeholders including open houses, focus groups, and specific agency outreach. Prior to 2012, there was also a significant amount of outreach documented in the Feasibility Study Report, however, this was during a phase of the study which focused on multiple project purposes (ecosystem restoration, flood risk management), so most of the material in the Feasibility Study Report is centered on the period after 2012 when the study was re-scoped to focus exclusively on flood risk management. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Honolulu District worked in cooperation with both the City and County of Honolulu and the state of Hawaii on developing the Feasibility Study, community outreach, and developing the recommended plan. Any party who submitted comments during the public review of the document received a written response to their specific comments from USACE and the State DLNR.