It's been a roller coaster ride for the Pohoiki Boat Ramp restoration project, and the latest twist has the Big Island community facing another setback. A clear channel at the ramp had been established on October 10, but by October 19, nature had taken its toll again, refilling the area with black sand, cobbles, and larger lava rocks. The blockage, originally caused by the 2018 Kilauea eruption, just can't seem to give the locals a break. "We acknowledge the community's disappointment. We are terribly disappointed too," Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) Chair Dawn N.S. Chang told DLNR. The ramp holds strategic importance for emergency situations and is a vital access point for traditional and subsistence fishers.
After community consultations and study of the Puna coastline, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation decided to work on restoring the Pohoiki Boat Ramp's ocean access. The thought process behind this was clear: Pohoiki Bay's natural protection and calmer waters were too good to pass up, despite the black sand that seemed determined to play gatekeeper. In an environmental assessment, four possible options were lined up, ranging in cost from $4.1 million for a narrow channel dredge, to $46 million for the construction of two large breakwater structures. Option 4, a hefty $40 million job to remove most of the volcanic debris from the bay, was DLNR's favored pick, seeming the less of multiple evils with its faster permit process and quicker construction time.
But, the state's budget cuts threw a wrench in the works. The Legislature could only muster $6.645 million, putting option 4 on the nice to have shelf and pushing the more modest option 2 forward. With the clock ticking and the community eager for a solution, any option seemed better than none. "We realized that if we waited for full funding for our preferred option, it might never come," Chang added in her statement on DLNR. Goodfellow Bros., the contractors, nearly pulled off a minor miracle by nearing completion way ahead of the expected February 2026 deadline. Yet, the ocean had other plans.
The efforts to clear the Pohoiki Boat Ramp may have hit another frustrating pause, but the story's not over. The DLNR is currently reassessing the site to figure out a longer-term solution that might stick. Patience and understanding are the themes as this vital community lifeline hangs in the balance. "The contractor, Goodfellow Bros., have been outstanding partners in this endeavor," Chang praised, despite the recent turn of events.
