Site Investigation: DOE Hawaiʻi Schools Building Exterior Soils

Posted on Mar 31, 2019 in All, Cleanup Highlights

In 2016-2017, the Hawaiʻi Department of Education (DOE) conducted soil investigations at 23 schools in the Hilo-Waiākea and Kaʻū-Keaʻau-Pāhoa Complex Areas in DOE’s Hawaiʻi District. These investigations identified soils in open spaces and along building exteriors at these schools that were contaminated with arsenic, lead, and chlordane at concentrations above DOH environmental action levels (EALs).

DOE has developed and implemented environmental hazard management plans (EHMPs) to address these environmental hazards.

DOE first developed a general “framework” EHMP, to provide a general framework for managing contaminated soils at all schools statewide. As DOE conducts additional soil investigations at other schools, the framework EHMP will evolve to become more comprehensive with respect to the variation of soil contaminants and the range of soil management tools to be employed.

DOE then developed and implemented school-specific EHMPs for schools where contaminated exterior soils have been identified, based on the framework EHMP and incorporating site-specific details. For school-specific questions, please contact the appropriate DOE school administrator.

Fact sheets

Soil Assessment Findings

Framework EHMP

School-specific EHMPs