Anaehoomalu Bay Tsunami Damage Repair

On March 11, 2011, a tsunami generated by a massive earthquake in Japan struck the Hawaiian Islands and caused significant damage along portions of the State’s shoreline. Waikoloa Beach on the island of Hawaii was directly impacted, with inundation reaching the backshore historical fishpond, subsequently destroying the pond wall and creating a 200-foot wide breach through the beach fronting the pond.

Sea Engineering, Inc. was contracted to obtain permits and do emergency repair work to close the breach, and this work was completed in July of 2011. A sand-filled geotextile tube barrier was installed to close the gap in the beach. The emergency repair work was accomplished as an intermediate step to protect the fishpond while a long-term, permanent repair/restoration plan for the pond and beach can be developed. Permanent repairs would include rebuilding the fishpond wall and restoration of the beach to its pre-tsunami condition.