Pohoiki Boat Ramp is blessed as dredging project begins

Yahoo

a day ago

PUNA, Hawaii (KHON2) — Eight years after a lava flow from Kilauea blocked access to the Pohoiki Boat Ramp, dredging work has finally begun to restore access.
Kīlauea shows signs of new eruption
On Tuesday, June 9, hundreds of people gathered for a celebration and blessing at the top of the ramp, what many call the heart of the community.
'This is a day of celebration to recognize the collaboration of the community, elected officials and DLNR working together to support this project,' DLNR Chair Dawn Chang said before the blessing. 'The Pohoiki Boat Ramp is a piko, or focal point for this community. Fishing is a huge part of the greater Puna community and commercial, recreational and subsistence fishers have been waiting patiently for this work to begin. The million-dollar question is what took so long?'
The ramp is expected to be cleared of an estimated 42,000 cubic yards of black sand and boulders, which is equal to about 22,000 full-sized pickup truck beds.
The state had hoped for more federal support to approve the removal of most of the volcanic debris in Pohoiki Bay, but FEMA was only able to approve restoration of the boat ramp entrance channel.It then took great efforts by state lawmakers from the district to convince the rest of the legislature that opening the Pohoiki boat ramp was the top priority for people in the district.
Chang singled out the efforts of state Senator Joy San Buenaventura and state Representative Greggor Ilagan in getting $5.4 million of state funding for the dredging. The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation is covering the remaining $2.9 million.
'We needed people to understand how much it cost in fuel just to bring all our boats from the Wailoa Small Boat Harbor in Hilo, the nearest boating facility, out to Puna so they could fish to feed and support their families,' said San Buenaventura during the blessing ceremony.
The total project cost came in at $9.28 million.
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The project is expected to be completed by November.
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