A draft environmental impact statement is being prepared for a $12 million Waikiki Beach Improvement and Maintenance Program, proposed by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources in partnership with the Waikiki Beach Special Improvement District Association, that envisions constructing structures makai of the waterline, dredging sand and placing it on the shore; the entire program area extends from the Kapahulu Groin to the Ewa end of Fort DeRussy Beach.
One hotly debated section of the plan is to build three 200-foot-long T-head groins and a 3.8-acre beach out from the seawall fronting the Sheraton Waikiki and Halekulani resorts to help protect against coastal erosion and sea level rise and preserve tourism revenues, which would shrink by $2.2 billion a year if Waikiki Beach were to disappear, according to the state’s environmental impact statement public notice.
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