The HEER Office will hold a public hearing for the proposed amendment of Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules Title 11 Chapter 5 (HAR 11-5), entitled “Environmentally-Related Illness and Injury Reporting”. The proposed amendments update requirements for the reporting of designated heavy metal and pesticide laboratory results to include all results as well as improve the quality of ...
Read More Proposed Rule Change: HAR 11-5, “Environmentally-Related Illness and Injury Reporting” (Comments 8/26/2019 – 9/25/2019)
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At the Former Chevron Tanker Truck Loading Rack site located at 356 Pacific Street, Honolulu, Oʻahu (TMK 1-1-5-010-009), soil, groundwater, and soil vapor have been contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and metals, primarily due to former petroleum operations at the site. The HEER Office is soliciting public comment on a Draft Response Action Memorandum (RAM) which ...
Read More Proposed Cleanup: Chevron Tanker Truck Loading Rack (comments 6/3/2019 – 7/3/2019)
Meeting #115 of the Hawaiʻi State Emergency Response Commission will be held on June 21, 2019 from 9 am–12 pm at 830 Punchbowl Street, Room 310, Honolulu HI 96813. Meeting minutes
Electronic document submittal, record request, and Tier II information submittal is now available via the DOH e-Permitting portal. Before submittal, register and confirm your registration in the e-mail that will be sent to you from DOH e-Permitting. Click the appropriate link below to register and submit. Record Requests Report Submittals (e.g. Assessment Reports, Remediation Reports, ...
Read More Upload Your Reports and Record Requests Directly To HEER Office
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). ...
Read More Site Investigation: DOE Hawaiʻi Schools Building Exterior Soils
The HEER Office has prepared an Areawide Environmental Hazard Management Plan for the Waikoloa Maneuver Area on the Island of Hawaiʻi. Explosives Safety Guidance to Help Protect You from Munitions. This document provides guidance to address unexploded ordnance (UXO) hazards and to safely develop properties within the Waikoloa Maneuver Area.
Meeting #114 of the Hawaiʻi State Emergency Response Commission will be held on March 22, 2019 from 9 am–12 pm at 830 Punchbowl Street, Room 310, Honolulu HI 96813. Minutes
The Reporting Year 2018 HEPCRA Tier II Reporting is due by March 1, 2019. Please see the information on our HEPCRA reporting page on how to submit. There is a new method available this year through DOH e-Permitting.
The U.S. Navy has prepared a Record of Decision (ROD) presenting the selected remedy for the Pearl Harbor Sediment site, which is part of the Pearl Harbor Naval Complex NPL (National Priorities List) site, CERCLIS ID No. HI4170090076, located at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. The NPL identifies priorities among known releases or threatened ...
Read More Final Cleanup Decision: Pearl Harbor Sediment
The HEER Office has been developing new technical guidance for the evaluation of chemical exposure hazards to coastal marine wildlife over the last several years and has now posted initial guidance on this topic in the on-line HEER Office Technical Guidance Manual (TGM). See Section 21 in the link to the HEER TGM below. The ...
Read More TGM Update, Section 21: Environmental Risk Assessment Guidance for Marine Coastal Environments
An Areawide EHE/EHMP for the Kahului Harbor Industrial District (Interim Final, dated June 2018, Version 1) is linked below for review and comment. Comments are requested by November 30, 2018 and should be sent to Iris van der Zander via e-mail at [email protected]. Comments received will be considered for revisions or improvements to Version 1 ...
Read More Proposed Areawide EHMP: Kahului Harbor Industrial District
Hawaiʻi News Now video featuring Chris Lee explaining the function of the Environmental Response Revolving Fund (ERRF), describing the ERRF funding crisis, and discussing legislative action needed to avoid losing critical positions at DOH that protect our environment.
A new Draft HEER Office Technical Guidance Manual (TGM) Section on LNAPL/Petroleum Guidance is linked below for review and comment by environmental consultants and other interested individuals. Comments are requested by August 31, 2018. See the Invitation to Comment letter also linked below for details on the ways you may comment and where to send ...
Read More Draft TGM Update, Section 9.3: LNAPL / Petroleum Guide
The HEER Office has approved a final cleanup action plan for a portion of the Old Hilo Canec Plant site near Waiākea Pond in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, TMK 3-2-2-030-017. The soils in parts of this site are known to be contaminated with arsenic that was used at the former canec plant to treat the canec panels ...
Read More Final Cleanup Decision: Old Hilo Canec Plant, 3/23/2018
The HEER Office is inviting public review and comment on the proposed draft Response Action Memorandum (Draft RAM) to address soil and groundwater contamination that has been identified on an approximately 25-acre portion of the former Waialua Sugar Mill in Waialua on Oʻahu, TMK 1-6-7-001-062 (portion). The environmental investigation at this site was carried out ...
Read More Proposed Cleanup: Waialua Sugar Mill (comments 3/4/2018 – 4/6/2018)
The Hawaiʻi Department of Health has conducted biomonitoring pilot studies assessing mercury and arsenic levels in clients of DOH’s WIC Program (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children). Results of these studies are now available. 2018-02 HDOH Biomonitoring Pilot Study Hair Mercury Levels in WIC Program Clients 2018-02 HDOH Biomonitoring Pilot Study Hair ...
Read More Biomonitoring Pilot Studies: Mercury and Arsenic Levels in Hair in WIC Clients
A new draft Section of the HEER Office Technical Guidance Manual (TGM), on Environmental Risk Assessment Guidance for Marine Coastal Environments, is linked below for review and comment by environmental consultants and other interested individuals. **Comments are requested by March 30, 2018**. See the Invitation to Comment letter also linked below for details on the ...
Read More Draft TGM Update, Section 21: Environmental Risk Assessment Guidance for Marine Coastal Environments (February 2018)
Sampling Results: Since beginning sampling on 10/16/2017, no petroleum has been detected at Kaimana Beach nor in the surface water intake of the Waikīkī Aquarium. The grounded fishing boat Pacific Paradise was successfully removed from the reef, towed and disposed of 13 nautical miles south of Pearl Harbor on 12/7/2017.
Act 162, SLH 2017 (Relating to Tier II Filing Fees for Reporting of Hazardous Substances) was signed into law on July 11, 2017. This Act amended the Hawaiʻi Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act to increase the Tier II filing fee from $100 to $200 annually (HRS 128E-9).
The 2011 HEER Office document Guidance for Soil Stockpile Characterization and Evaluation of Imported and Exported Fill Material was updated in October 2017. Updates primarily pertain to regulation of soil as a waste under RCRA. The updated guidance is available on the HEER Technical Guidance web page.
Updates to Section 7 of the HEER Office Technical Guidance Manual for soil vapor sample collection have been posted for public review. The updates primarily address the incorporation of Large Volume Purge (LVP) sampling methods for testing of sub-slab vapors and evaluation of vapor intrusion risk. Significant updates are highlighted in yellow in the text. ...
Read More Draft TGM Update, Section 7: Large-Volume Purge Vapor Sampling
Alert: FDA warns Americans about risk of inaccurate results from certain lead tests. CDC recommends retesting for certain children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers.
The HEER Office is overseeing a lead in soil assessment and response action at Kolekole Gulch Park on Hawaiʻi Island by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Transportation, Highways Division (DOT). The soils under the grass below the Kolekole Stream Bridge and within Kolekole Gulch Park have been impacted by lead. The Hawaiʻi County Department of ...
Read More Cleanup Action: Kolekole Gulch Park Lead Contamination, 4/28/2017
The Hawaiʻi Department of Health and the Western States Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, along with partners U.S. EPA Region 9, the University of Hawaiʻi, School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, and the John A. Burns School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics are sponsoring a free one-day symposium on 3/11/2017 focusing on children’s environmental health ...
Read More Upcoming Event: Children’s Environmental Health Symposium on 3/11/2017
We are pleased to announce our new UXO webpage, including the agenda and PowerPoint presentations from our 11/30/2016 UXO Forum. At the forum, we released our Draft UXO Advisory and Areawide Environmental Hazard Management Plan (EHMP) for public comment. Please visit the site to download the draft EHMP and instructions on providing comments. See more ...
Read More 2016 UXO Forum Presentations, and Draft Areawide EHMP: Waikoloa Maneuver Area (comments 1/1/2017 – 2/1/2017)
Attention: DOH and DOA Announce Statewide Pesticide Initiatives to Address Kauaʻi Community Concerns
Links to Documents Statewide Pesticide Initiatives August 2016 Update December 2016 Update Links to related HEER Web Pages HDOH Pesticide Studies and Coordination with other Agencies 2016 Interagency Pesticide Monitoring Initiative Pesticide and Heavy Metal Poisoning Reporting
Hawaiʻi has the distinction of being home to the single largest site in the nation contaminated with military munitions and unexploded ordnance, the Waikoloa Maneuver Area located on the Big Island. While cleanup is currently underway, completing it is an enormous, expensive, and long-term job. The cost to clean up the former live-fire training area ...
Read More Upcoming Event: 1st Hawaiʻi Forum on Munitions and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) on 11/30/2016
The HEER Office is overseeing a lead assessment and response action being conducted by the State Department of Transportation, Highways Division (DOT) at the Hakalau Stream Bridge site on Hawaiʻi Island. The soils near the base of the bridge columns were found to contain high levels of lead, presumably from lead paint used on the ...
Read More Cleanup Action: Hakalau Bridge & Beach Park Lead Contamination (10/20/2016)
In October 2014, community members from Kauaʻi requested that the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) perform a Public Health Assessment on the west side of Kauaʻi due to environmental health concerns associated with pesticide use by nearby agricultural operations. On August 15, 2016, ATSDR responded to the requestors, stating that: “To ...
Read More ATSDR Response to Kauaʻi Public Health Assessment Request
The HEER Office is pleased to announce that it has awarded RFP-HEER-ER2016 to PENCO (Pacific Environmental Corporation). The HEER Office would like to thank all of the firms that submitted proposals and looks forward to working with them in the future. The Notice of Award is also posted at the State Procurement Office. For further ...
Read More Contract Awarded, DOH Emergency Environmental Response Support Services
We are pleased to announce that we have awarded RFP-HEER-NES2016-1 to Tetra Tech, Inc. for all three scopes of work: HEER Office Program-Specific Knowledge and Experience Ability to Quickly Engage Technical Experts UXO Expertise We would like to thank all of the firms that submitted proposals and look forward to working with them in the ...
Read More Contract Awarded, DOH Non-Emergency Environmental Response Support Services
The Joint Fact Finding Study Group has finalized its report, Pesticide Use by Large Agribusinesses on Kauaʻi. The report is available on the JFF Study Group’s webpage and at the links below. Transmittal Letter Report Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Public Comments
The Joint Fact Finding Study Group released a draft report entitled Pesticide Use by Large Agribusinesses on Kauaʻi. Read DOH’s comments on the technical aspects of and recommendations made in the the draft report. Draft Report Draft Appendix 1 Draft Appendix 2 HDOH’s comments For further information on DOH’s regulatory and research roles on non-target ...
Read More Draft Report: “Pesticide Use by Large Agribusinesses on Kauaʻi”
The Iwilei District encompasses approximately 315 acres of land in Honolulu and includes land owned privately and by the State of Hawaiʻi. The HEER Office is overseeing remediation of potentially hazardous contaminants of concern that are present in soil, groundwater, and soil gas at various locations within the Iwilei District. Widespread, shallow petroleum contamination related ...
Read More New Areawide EHMP: Iwilei District Programmatic EHE/EHMP
Due to inclement weather conditions from Hurricane Ana, the HEER Office’s upcoming UXO Forum will be postponed to a later date. As your attendance is important to us, we will contact you when we re-schedule the event. Thank you for your support in our effort of UXO awareness and education.
The HEER Office has approved a final cleanup action plan for the former Hakalau/Pepeʻekeo pesticide storage/mixing site at Hakalau on Hawaiʻi Island (TMKs 3-2-9-002-079 & 3-2-9-002-081). The soils on a portion of this site are known to be contaminated with arsenic at levels that require action to reduce potential for future exposures. A 2-page fact ...
Read More Final Cleanup Decision: Hakalau Pesticide Mixing Site
The HEER Office has approved a final cleanup action plan for the former Kohala Sugar Company pesticide storage/mixing site located near Hāwī on Hawaiʻi Island, TMK 3-5-5-019-025 (portion). The soils on a portion of this site are known to be contaminated with arsenic and dioxins at levels that require action to reduce potential for future ...
Read More Final Cleanup Decision: Kohala Sugar Pesticide Mixing Site
Given the increased community concerns on Kauaʻi and elsewhere about pesticide drift, the HEER Office has created a web page with documents and links addressing various aspects of pesticide use in Hawaiʻi. Follow this link to go directly to the findings of the 2013-14 State Wide Pesticide Sampling Pilot Project.
Vanadium is naturally occurring in Hawaiʻi’s drinking water and not considered to be harmful at the levels present. 2014-05-29 HDOH Statement regarding vanadium in drinking water
The HEER Office is inviting public review and comment on proposed cleanup actions at the former Kohala pesticide mixing site near Hāwī, North Kohala district, Hawaiʻi Island (TMK 3-5-5-019-025, portion). The soils on a portion of this site are known to be contaminated with arsenic and dioxins at levels that require action to reduce potential ...
Read More Proposed Cleanup: Kohala Sugar Pesticide Mixing Site (comments 12/5/2013 – 1/8/2014)
Information and Updates
The HEER Office would like to thank those who attended our 5/3/2013 public meeting and responded with comments to our draft Iwilei Programmatic Environmental Hazard Evaluation (EHE) and Environmental Hazard Management Plan (EHMP). The purpose of the EHE/EHMP is to provide guidance on the proper management of contaminated soil and groundwater encountered during installation and ...
Read More Draft Areawide EHMP: Iwilei District (Mauka of Nimitz Highway) Draft Programmatic EHE/EHMP
The HEER Office is inviting public review and comment on proposed cleanup actions at the former Hakalau/Pepeʻekeo pesticide storage/mixing site at Hakalau on Hawaiʻi Island (TMKs 3-2-9-002-079 and 3-2-9-002-081). The soils on a portion of this site are known to be contaminated with arsenic at levels that require action to reduce potential for future exposures. ...
Read More Proposed Cleanup: Hakalau Pesticide Storage/Mixing Site (comments 5/15/2013 – 6/20/2013)
Draft Updates to Section 7 of our Technical Guidance Manual (TGM): Soil Vapor and Indoor Air Sampling Guidance are available on the TGM Website.
Kīlauea Removal Action Community Meeting Notice EPA Cleanup of Kīlauea PMA Fact Sheet July 2012 Kīlauea Kekaha Landfill Disposal Fact Sheet News Release: U.S. EPA, Hawaiʻi Department of Health clean up soil in Kīlauea neighborhood
HDOH is making available a report on the human health risks of 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP), a contaminant found in some sources of drinking water in Hawaiʻi. The purpose of the report is to review the available data on the potential human health effects of TCP as a drinking water contaminant and evaluate the adequacy of Hawaiʻi’s ...
Read More New Report: “Human Health Risks of 1,2,3-Trichloropropane in Tap Water”
The HEER Office is soliciting public comment on its Draft Response Action Memorandum for the Hickam Communities Remedial Action site. Soils at the site contain elevated levels of organochlorine pesticides due to past application of termiticides. The HEER Office is proposing a remedy to address this hazard that combines engineering controls (soil caps and geotextile marker layers) ...
Read More Proposed Cleanup: Hickam Communities Remedial Action
The Hawaiian Islands background metals study has been in progress for several years and incorporates soil sample data from several technical and scientific sources. This report presents an evaluation of naturally occurring background concentrations of metals and related elements in the volcanic soils of the seven main Hawaiian islands (Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui, Kahoʻolawe, ...
Read More New Report: “Hawaiian Islands Soil Metal Background Evaluation”
The HEER Office is providing the following information in response to a 4/30/2012 Honolulu Star-Advertiser article (“Biologist: Hanalei river, bay should be tested”): The concentrations of arsenic, barium, chromium and lead reported by Hanalei River Heritage Foundation are within anticipated natural background levels for the volcanic soils and related sediments of the Hawaiian Islands. The ...
Read More HEER Office response to Hanalei River Heritage Foundation concerns
The HEER Office has completed extensive subsurface soil sampling of the former pesticide mixing and storage operation affecting three properties on Aʻalona Place in Kīlauea on the island of Kauaʻi. The final report is now available for public review. The report findings will be used by DOH, the U.S. EPA, and the County of Kauaʻi ...
Read More Site Investigation: Kīlauea Sugar Pesticide Mixing Area