05-31-2022 Agency Comments from State Dept. of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL)

Home

geometrician ASSOC IATES , LLC integrating geographic science and planning phone: (808) 969-7090 PO Box 396 Hilo Hawaii 96721 rterry@hawaii.rr.com April 18, 2019 Dear Neighboring Property Owner or Agency/Organization Official: Subject: Early Consultation for Environmental Assessment for Yamada and Sons, Inc. License on State Land for Quarrying Purposes,South Hilo District, Island of Hawaii,TMK 2-1-013:002 (por.) I have been contracted by Yamada and Sons, Inc. (Yamada & Sons),to prepare an Environmental Assessment(EA) in compliance with Chapter 343, Hawaii Revised Statutes. Yamada& Sons proposes to acquire a license to develop a 14.99-acre portion of a State property for use as a rock quarry. The project site is adjacent to existing quarries and is presently vacant and undeveloped. Yamada& Sons requires a new quarry because their existing quarry will soon exhaust its supply of adequate quality material. The quarry would allow the manufacture of engineered products, including base course and components of hot mix asphalt and concrete,that are necessary for the construction of a wide variety of Hawaii County.projects, both public and private. Yamada& Sons would acquire a license with the Department of Land and Natural Resources for use of the site and would pay royalties to the State for materials extracted from the quarry. The proposed quarrying activities would be identical in nature to the ongoing quarrying activities located on adjacent parcels; rock would be excavated with heavy equipment when possible,and when impenetrable rock is encountered, drilling and blasting would be performed. Excavated rock would either be stockpiled on-site or removed and trucked off-site to Yamada& Sons* quarry baseyard located off of Railroad Avenue for crushing/processing and sale. No crushing or sales will be done at the new rock quarry. They anticipate that about 25,000 tons of material would be extracted per month, and with the excavation reaching a maximum depth of about 80 feet,the quarry is expected to have an active lifetime of roughly ten years or more. An EA is necessary because the property is State land and a license for quarrying purposes is not an exempt action under the State's EIS rules at Hawaii Administrative Rules 11-200-8. Once complete, the EA will accompany the application for the quarry license. The areas of investigation in the EA will include but not be limited to the following: water quality assurance;wastewater treatment; flora, fauna, and ecosystems; traffic impacts; geology, soils, and hazards; flooding and drainage impacts; social, cultural and community impacts; and historic sites. This letter is to share information about the project and request your input on site conditions, issues that you wish to be addressed in the EA, and any other concerns you may have. Please contact me at 808-969-7090 or by email at rterrvahawaii.rncorn if you have any questions or require clarification. Kindly indicate whether you wish to receive notice of the availability of the Draft EA when it is completed.