{"id":123452,"date":"2020-08-25T14:14:29","date_gmt":"2020-08-26T00:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=123452"},"modified":"2020-08-25T14:17:41","modified_gmt":"2020-08-26T00:17:41","slug":"waikiki-beach-renewal-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/08\/25\/waikiki-beach-renewal-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"<abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> Sea Grant provides critical support in Waik\u012bk\u012b Beach renewal, recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_81766\"  width=\"676\" height=\"676\"  data-origwidth=\"676\" data-origheight=\"676\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1QISFpdbZoE?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Â鶹´«Ã½Sea Grant provides critical support in Waik\u012bk\u012b Beach renewal, recovery\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>The first construction project in Waik&#299;k&#299; Beach in 50 years, which marks the beginning of a new era of renewal and recovery, started with the replacement of the Royal Hawaiian groin. Built in 1927, the original curving cement wall was built to prevent erosion. The new rock groin is replacing the old one with a similar role and function but is much more robust, providing a more stable beach and will be followed by more beach improvement projects including additional beach sand over the next several years.<\/p>\n<p>The replacement groin is designed to maintain the approximate beach width of the 2012 Waik&#299;k&#299; Beach maintenance shoreline nourishment project. No enlargement of the beach or additional sand nourishment is involved in this project.<\/p>\n<p>During this project, the <a href=\"https:\/\/seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu\/\">University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Sea Grant College Program<\/a> <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">(Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Sea Grant) played an essential role in providing technical project management and coastal science and policy support to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wbsida.org\/\">Waik&#299;k&#299; Beach Special Improvement District Association<\/a> (<abbr>WBSIDA<\/abbr>) which serves as a public private partnership with the state paying for 50 percent of the $1.5 million project cost.<\/p>\n<p>The project began in early May and is expected to be completed in late July. Originally scheduled for September 2020 to avoid the busy summer season, it was accelerated after the <abbr title=\"coronavirus\">COVID-19<\/abbr> pandemic shut everything down and presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do heavy construction without interfering with hotel or recreational beach activities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dolan Eversole<\/strong>, the Waik&#299;k&#299; Beach management coordinator with <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Sea Grant, coordinated with stakeholders and agencies involved and conducted regular project oversight and environmental monitoring, while also serving as technical project oversight on behalf of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (<abbr>DLNR<\/abbr>).<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This project improves the resilience of this beach and will stabilize an extremely important and valuable natural resource,&rdquo; said Eversole. &ldquo;Stabilizing the beach system will also reduce the amount of sand migrating offshore which can cause problems for the coral reefs and surf sites if unmanaged.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_125808\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-125808\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/manoa-sea-grant-groin-waikiki-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"aerial shot of waikiki\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-125808\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/manoa-sea-grant-groin-waikiki-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/manoa-sea-grant-groin-waikiki-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/manoa-sea-grant-groin-waikiki.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-125808\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The completed Royal Hawaiian groin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Royal Hawaiian groin was more than 90-years-old and at risk of failure due to deterioration. Structural engineers determined it was leaking sand and contained large voids, cracks, bowing and no apparent internal reinforcement. Its failure would have resulted in the destabilization and eventual loss of more than 1,700 feet of sandy shoreline located east of the groin.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Related <em><abbr>UH<\/abbr> News<\/em> story: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/06\/17\/sea-grant-helping-save-waikiki-beachmanoa-soest-sea-grant-waikiki\/\"><abbr>UH<\/abbr> Sea Grant called on to help save Waik&#299;k&#299; Beach<\/a>, June 17, 2019<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The new structure was built around the remnants of the old vertical wall groin and constructed in an L-shaped design. The replacement groin serves to stabilize the beach in the western end of the Royal Hawaiian and will mitigate the extreme seasonal beach erosion which has become more frequent recently in that area.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Looking ahead, we are actively working with the <abbr>DLNR<\/abbr> on an Environmental Impact Statement (<abbr>EIS<\/abbr>) and master plan for Waik&#299;k&#299; Beach that includes resilient design features that account for future sea-level rise and the acceleration of beach erosion, this type of planning for future conditions is a crucial part of designing and supporting resilient communities and economies and demonstrates the successful partnership that has developed between <abbr>UH<\/abbr>, the <abbr>WBSIDA<\/abbr> and the <abbr>DLNR<\/abbr>,&rdquo; said <abbr>WBSIDA<\/abbr> President Rick Egged.<\/p>\n<h2>A successful partnership<\/h2>\n<p>The important <abbr>UH<\/abbr> partnership with <abbr>WBSIDA<\/abbr> and the <abbr>DLNR<\/abbr> to improve and manage Waik&#299;k&#299; Beach has proved to be successful. <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Sea Grant continues to provide scientific and technical support and outreach to a wide variety of Waik&#299;k&#299; stakeholders and government officials. <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Sea Grant also conducts regular outreach, education and policy review for issues such as climate change, sea-level rise, coastal erosion, beach and reef management and now economic recovery.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> plays a key role in serving as a respected neutral broker of coastal science and beach management policy and practice,&rdquo; said Eversole. &ldquo;The community in Waik&#299;k&#299; can access all kinds of information and ask questions through the extension and outreach provided by the university. It also serves in an important role conducting environmental and economic research, science, engineering and coastal management policy to better observe and provide information that assists decision-makers in improving the management of the area.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Additional details on the Royal Hawaiian Groin project can be found at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wbsida.org\/projects-royalhawaiiangroin\"><abbr>WBSIDA<\/abbr>\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8212;By Sarah Hendrix<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/manoa-sea-grant-groin.jpg\" alt=\"waikiki beach\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-125810\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/manoa-sea-grant-groin.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/manoa-sea-grant-groin-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/manoa-sea-grant-groin-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Replacing the Royal Hawaiian groin is the first of many beach improvement projects planned for the next several years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,12],"tags":[801,92,635,9,438,56],"class_list":["post-123452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-video","tag-coastal-erosion","tag-school-of-ocean-and-earth-science-and-technology","tag-sea-grant-college-program","tag-uh-manoa","tag-uh-sea-grant","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123452"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":125823,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123452\/revisions\/125823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}