The June 27 lava flow front has not advanced toward Pahoa during the past seven days, Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said shortly after 11:30 a.m. Friday. ADVERTISING The June 27 lava flow front has not advanced toward
The June 27 lava flow front has not advanced toward Pahoa during the past seven days, Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said shortly after 11:30 a.m. Friday.
“Again, (it’s) very quiet out on the flow once again today,” he said.
Breakouts located upslope of the flow front remain about 0.5 miles and 1.5 miles above the Apaa Street area, he said Friday. They are located on the northern edge of the flow. The breakout located 1.5 miles above the roadway advanced 100 yards toward the northwest during the past 24 hours.
Despite the decrease in flow activity, Civil Defense iterated that residents in the flow path remain on an evacuation advisory and possible need for evacuation.
Smoke conditions continue to be light to moderate with moderate trade winds from the northeast pushing the smoke in a south-southwest direction. Civil Defense said active burning along the flow edges in the area of the cemetery and above the Pahoa Transfer Station is limited to vegetation in direct contact with the flow.
With the ongoing lull in activity, officials are looking at other issues related to the flow. That includes mitigation and contingency plans should the flow reach and cross either Pahoa Village Road or Highway 130. Officials were to begin testing application of materials that could allow the highway to be used thereafter on Friday.
“State Highways, this Friday, will be conducting some tests of application of aggregate materials on the flow that crossed Apaa street and monitoring to see what kind of temperatures they see through (various) thickness of aggregate,” he said, later noting that the concept has been used previously for access in Kalapana, but not on the scale of a highway. “Research and development will be going on over the next week with the use of the Apaa Street area to evaluate possible solutions for the re-establishment of Pahoa Village Road, or possibly Highway 130.”
Aggregate material would be used on top of an active flow that has a “fairly well-formed crust and solid layer,” however there may be lava underneath. “It’s a very hardened supported shell that can sustain the weights of pedestrian traffic and maybe event work its way up to traffic,” Oliveira explained on Thursday.
The flow front is currently 480 feet from Pahoa Village Road and 0.47 miles from Highway 130.
Oliveira also noted that the test is among different ideas being explored.
“The re-establishment of the highway would be a definite benefit to returning the community to some form of normalcy. It is being considered, along with some protective measures that would minimize any potential concern for collapse.”
As of 11:30 a.m. Friday, Oliveira said he had yet to hear any details on how the process was going.
Pahoa Village Road, between Apaa Street and Post Office Road, remains closed with access limited to area residents only. Civil Defense and public safety personnel will be operating in the area round the clock to maintain close observations of flow activity.
Oliveira said that because the flow front remains active, though it is not advancing, Pahoa Village Road has yet to be reopened. He also said that the insulation placed on utility poles along the roadway has blocked about one lane. Officials will continue to monitor the situation and when it is deemed safe, the road could be reopened.
Highway 130 remains open. Officials are discussing options in regard to the roadway should the lava come closer. He said the highway could be closed for safety concerns if the flow crosses Pahoa Village Road and continues its advance toward Highway 130 becoming visible to traffic and creating the threat of fire.
Beach Road is open to traffic. Railroad Avenue remains closed as it traditionally has been.
Work on re-establishing Chain of Craters Road, which would be the only means of accessing Lower Puna should the flow cross Highway 130, continues.
About 7.74 miles of the roadway, of which 5 miles falls within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, was covered by previous lava flows and has not been used in 28 years. The route, costing between $12 million and $15.5 million, should be complete in early December. Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando said Thursday that bulldozer met near the middle on Wednesday, a video of which can be found here.
“It’s quite a significant engineering feat,” she said.
Orlando said that the park — when and if the road is opened — will issue decals to allow residents of Lower Puna to use the road because the park, by law, is required to assess fees. The only way to waive those fees is by offering a decal for access in and out of the park, she said.
The park has already assessed the impact such operations will cost at $1.7 million annually. The park will have to request additional funding to cover the cost, she added.
On Tuesday, the park service announced it will receive comments on an environmental review of the project until Dec. 5. Among the concerns highlighted in the review were the introduction of invasive species, impact to endangered bird species and an increase in vehicular traffic within the park. Currently, an average of 342 vehicles visit the end of the road within the park where lava flows had cut off access.
