Kahului is located on the northern coast of the island of Maui and is the site of the only commercial port on the island. Four Corps projects at Kahului include the Kahului Deep Draft Harbor, the Kahului Light Draft Harbor and the Kahului Bay Mitigation project.
Kahului Deep Draft Harbor
Kahului Deep Draft Harbor (DDH) is located on the northern coast of the island of Maui. The Kahului DDH was authorized by the River and Harbor Act of 27 July 1916, 25 June 1919, 21 January 1927, and 14 July 1960. The local sponsor is the Department of Transportation, State of Hawai’i. The project is in the operations and maintenance phase.
The total project cost was $13,971,441 (Federal: $13,941,241; non-Federal: $30,200). The constructed project consists of rubble mound breakwaters on the east and west sides of the harbor, approximately 2,766 and 2,315 feet in length, respectively; an east breakwater revetment 1,957 feet long; an entrance channel 600 feet wide between the breakwaters; and a harbor basin 2,050 feet wide, 2,400 feet long, and 35 feet deep. Non-Federal features include three commercial piers (>3,019 linear feet).
Kahului Harbor is an authorized Federal harbor that was originally constructed by the Kahului Railroad Company in the early 1900’s. The harbor serves as Maui's only deep draft commercial port. The town of Kahului, where the harbor is located, is the largest community on the island and serves as its retail center.
USACE started maintenance dredging of Kahului Harbor in March 2024. The active dredge area is isolated using a corral (shown in yellow) that is attached to the dredge barge and is retrofitted with a silt curtain to contain turbid waters within the enclosure. The corral with silt curtain has proven to be a successful best management practice to preserve water quality in harbor waters through the Honolulu District area of responsibility.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining the breakwater structures and project depths in the entrance channel and turning basin. Maintenance dredging was last completed in 2016, and additional maintenance dredging will be conducted in 2021/2022. Over the years, numerous modifications, and repairs to the two large breakwaters that protect the harbor from large waves generated by winter storms in the North Pacific Ocean have been made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Removal of a rocky shoal area in the northeast edge of the basin was completed in 1966. Rehabilitation of the breakwaters was completed in 1969, 1973, and 1977. Major rehabilitation of the east and west breakwaters was completed in 1984. In October 2002, the 1,200 feet-long revetment that was attached to the root of the Kahului Harbor east breakwater structure was repaired.
Kahului Light Draft Harbor
The Kahului Light Draft Harbor site is located within the Kahului Deep Draft Harbor on the northern coast of the island of Maui. The Kahului Light Draft Harbor was authorized under Section 107 of the River and Harbor Act of 1960, as amended. The non-Federal sponsor is the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, Department of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawai’i. The project is in the operations and maintenance phase.
Construction was completed in 2007 for $2,654,475. A State option Non-Federal features were constructed by the State in 2005, replacing an existing single-lane boat launch ramp and dock with a new three-lane boat launch ramp and concrete loading dock with lighting at a cost of $1,162,270. The Federal project features include a 130-foot long rubble mound breakwater structure with a crest elevation of +9.0 feet above mean lower low water; an entrance channel that is 1,179 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 9.5 feet deep; and a turning basin that is 121 feet long, 100 feet wide, and 8.5 feet deep.
Kahului Light Draft Harbor is located inside the Kahului Deep Draft Harbor which serves as Maui's only deep draft commercial port and has a long history of being an important center of commerce. The town of Kahului, where the harbor is located, is the largest community on the island and serves as its retail center.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining the project structure and project depths in the entrance channel and turning basin area.
Kahului Bay Mitigation
The Kahului Bay Mitigation Project is located in Kahului on the island of Maui and was completed in 1976 at a cost of $751,900. The project was authorized under the authority of Section 111 of the River and Harbor Act of 1968. The project consists of an 890-foot-long revetment (which included the rehabilitation of an existing 380-foot-long revetment, built by the State in 1964); a 280-foot-long west groin; a 100-foot-long offshore breakwater; a 100-foot-long seaward extension to an existing 200-foot-long east groin (also built by the State in 1964); and the beach replenishment of 6,550 cubic yards of sand. The local sponsors are the State of Hawai’i and the County of Maui.