Kauai landowner restores wetlands
A Kauai landowner recently restored sensitive wetland near the Hanalei River that he had illegally filled in 2002 and 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency reported.
In 2004, the EPA ordered Ed Ben-Dor of Hanalei to remove all unauthorized wetland fill and restore the disturbed area into a functional wetland habitat, the EPA said in a news release.
As required by the order, Ben-Dor replanted the wetland with native plant species and is required to monitor the success of the restoration for up to five years.
"We are pleased Mr. Ben-Dor has successfully completed the removal of soil and restoration phase in our order," Alexis Strauss, the EPA's director for water programs in the Pacific Southwest region, said in the release.
"The Hanalei Valley is an important wetlands resource in Hawaii. It is the largest taro farming area in the state, a habitat for endangered Hawaiian waterbirds, provides flood water storage, and helps protect water quality."
Ben-Dor's dredging and filling of wetlands in the flood plain of the Hanalei River below Princeville without a permit violated the federal Clean Water Act, the EPA said.
Wetlands provide a valuable habitat for endangered water birds, clean water that flows into the ocean, and reduce flood risks. Any dredge and fill work, realignment of any stream or wetland requires a permit issued by the Army Corps of Engineers, the EPA said.