County wise to support back-passing sand build-up

Back-passing efforts around Maui are generally joint projects between state and county, and frequently include community involvement.

When excessive buildup of sand in coastal waters creates a hazard or problem, Maui County follows scientific bestpractices and regularly back-passes that sand to the source where it originated. If the sand were not back-passed to its origin, that sand would be lost from the system forever.

Over the past 15-plus years, the backpassing sand process in Kihei involves dredging excess sand from the boat ramp and trucking it to the Kamaole Beach parks, its original source. As a result, hundreds of truckloads of sand have been returned to the beach parks, restocking local sand dunes.

The large deposits of sand at the Kihei Boat Ramp accumulate over the years from sand that has drifted offshore from the Kamaole beaches. Eventually, the accumulation becomes a hazard to navigation obstructing boat traffic. The sand is dredged and transported back to the Kamaole back-dune areas where nature will use it on the beach when needed.

After a storm, when the beach is low in sand, that stockpiled dune sand is utilized in a natural process and becomes a part of the beach sand supply. These healthy, stocked dune areas are the supply-line for sand on our beaches.

Maui County works with nature to resupply our sand dunes. Nature takes the sand from the dunes when needed. It’s a perfect cycle ensuring a strong sand base for our beaches.

Bob and Lis Richardson

Kihei

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