Sand Exports

2006 Report

The Maui Inland Sand Resource Quantification Study prepared for the County of Maui Department of Public Works and Environmental Management is now posted on the County of Maui website athttp://www.mauicounty.gov under “New Additions.”

“The information contained in the study verifies what we have long believed,” said Mayor Alan Arakawa, “that our sand resources are finite and that perhaps we should consider a moratorium on sand exports to preserve this resource a long as possible for the people of Maui County to whom the resource belongs.

According to a report prepared for the county, local sources of sand — the key ingredient in concrete — may run out within five to seven years.

About 5.5 million tons of sand have been mined on Maui between 1986 and 2006, according to the report prepared by consultant Howard Hanzawa for the county Department of Public Works and Environmental Management.

The sand is a precious commodity used in Honolulu’s booming construction industry — more than 70 percent of the 318,000 tons mined annually (2006 number) is shipped to Honolulu. The sand is also the only material now available for local beach restoration projects.

Mayor Arakawa asked the council to review “the option of declaring a moratorium on export of sand mined in Maui County to be explored in order to extend the life of Maui’s remaining sand resources for Maui’s people.”  Council Member Michelle Anderson supported the moritorium saying, “Why should we be exporting sand to Oahu for more development, when we’re going to need that sand to replenish our beaches?”

Ameron Hawaii, is the company mining and exporting sand.