Announcement:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Honolulu District, in partnership with the Port Administration of American Samoa Government (PAAS) and the
U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD), announces the release of the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Aunu‘u Small Boat Harbor Wharf Expansion Project.  
The draft EA will be available for a 30-day public comment period from July 27 to August 26, 2026.

Comments can be submitted by postal mail or email:
Postal Mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Honolulu District ATTN: CEPOH-PPC (Aunu’u) 230 Otake St.  Fort Shafter, HI 96858-5440
E-Mail: CEPOH-Planning@usace.army.mil

A virtual public meeting was held on August 5, 2026. For those who were unable to attend, a recording of the meeting is available for viewing here.

Photos

Aunu’u Small Boat Harbor

Aunu‘u Small Boat Harbor (SBH) is located on the western shoreline of Aunu‘u Island, American Samoa. Aunu‘u SBH was authorized under Section 107 of the River and Harbor Act of 1960, as amended. The non-Federal sponsor is the Department of Port Administration, American Samoa Government. The project is in the operations and maintenance phase.

Aunu‘u SBH was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in March 1981. The total project cost was $1,938,294 (Federal: $1,713,446; non-Federal: $224,848). The completed project consists of a northern revetted mole that is 240 feet long; a southern revetted mole that is 220 feet long; a stub breakwater that is 90 feet long; an access channel that is 175 feet long, 70 feet wide, and 14 feet deep; a turning area 14 feet deep; a mooring area 8 feet deep; a wave absorber that is 200 feet long; and a service dock (constructed as a local feature).

The Aunu‘u SBH provides navigation safety to boats ferrying people and goods between the small Aunu‘u community and the main island of Tutuila.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining the project structures and project depths in the entrance channel and turning basin area. In 1994 repair work at Aunu‘u SBH consisted of repairing the south revetted mole, the stub breakwater, and the north revetted mole, utilizing 4.5 ton tribars to repair the armor layer section of each structure.