The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be present at a public information booth regarding unexploded ordnance at the Popoki Target Area from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 20, at the Maku‘u Farmer’s Market on Highway 130 near Pahoa.
The booth will be used for a public meeting about the Popoki Target Area, an area adjacent to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands’ Maku‘u Farm Lots, and in close proximity to Hawaiian Paradise Park, Orchidland Estates and Ainaloa Estates.
The Popoki Target Area, approximately 640 acres of land, was acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II through a sublease with Puna landowner W.H. Shipman Ltd. The site reportedly was used by naval aviators as a target practice area until the lease was canceled on Nov. 1, 1945.
After ground reconnaissance revealed deteriorating air-to-ground practice bombs, the site was determined in 1992 to be eligible for the Defense Environmental Restoration Program.
According to Edwyna Brooks, a project manager for Army Corps of Engineers in Honolulu, the Popoki Target Area “is currently in long-term management” because of the potential for the continued presence of unexploded ordnance, or UXO.
“Back in 2008, (the Army Corps of Engineers) investigated the area, and that’s when we found a couple of practice bombs and a hand grenade was found,” Brooks told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald on Wednesday. “After that, we went in, and we did a clean-up in 2011. And this time, we removed 96 UXO and about 9,500 pounds of debris.”
The debris included more practice bombs and a 60 mm mortar round. The potentially deadly debris was concentrated in a relatively small portion of the target area.
“The area of concern that we’re talking about is about 15 acres,” Brooks said. “The area of concern was where the items were found.”
The Popoki Target Area is what those responsible for its management call a “FUDS” — a formerly used defense site.
“At this point, our goal is to keep the community informed that is a formerly used defense site, and to provide annual three-Rs education for the community via our public information sessions to the community members and the lessees in the Maku‘u Farm Lots. And we also outreach in local schools to include Keonepoko and Pahoa elementary schools,” Brooks said.
In this case, the three-Rs stands for “recognize, retreat and report.”
Recognizing when one may have encountered a munition is key to reducing the risk of injury or death. Members of the public are advised that when encountering a munition, it should be considered extremely dangerous.
Munitions are sometimes hard to identify, especially because it’s very likely such a find will be extremely rusty after being in place for 80 years or more. It could still be dangerous, however — even deadly.
There also are specific directions for retreating if one encounters or suspects they may have encountered a munition.
The advice is to not approach, touch, move or disturb it — and to not run, but to immediately and carefully leave the area following the same path of entry. The general area, not the munition, should be marked in some manner — perhaps with a hat, a piece of cloth or by tying a piece of plastic to a tree branch.
And finally, reporting. Anyone who thinks they may have encountered a munition should notify local law enforcement by calling 911.
According to Brooks, there is no signage around either the Popoki Target Area or the smaller 15-acre area of concern.
“We are working with the (Maku‘u Farmers Hawaiian Homestead Association) to have signage put up, but currently, there is not,” she said.
Brooks added that there are “no inhabitants directly in the area of concern, but there are some that surround it.”
“The reason we do the outreach is because if there is any hunting or planting or just kids playing around in that area, we want to make sure that they have the information — the three-Rs of explosives safety: recognize, retreat, report. So that if they are in this area for any reason, recreational or otherwise, they’re aware of what to do in the very small likelihood they encounter any sort of UXO.
“We really welcome the opportunity to engage with the public and to answer any questions they have about the site or the three-Rs.”
The public is welcome to visit the Army Corps of Engineers’ booth while at the Maku‘u Farmer’s Market on July 20.
For more information, call 808-425-8921 or email HonoluluDistrictFUDSinfo@usace.army.mil.
Source: The Garden Island