Repair of Kalaupapa Dock Structures to Ensure Continued Barge Service

The National Park Service (NPS) is making available for public review an Environmental Assessment (EA) for proposed repairs to pier and dock structures at Kalaupapa National Historical Park. The Park, which was once referred to as the "Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement," is in an isolated setting at the base of 2,000-foot cliffs on the north shore of the island of Moloka`i, Hawaii. The Park is home to several surviving Hansen's disease (leprosy) patients, and is currently managed jointly by the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) and the NPS. The vast majority of materials needed to sustain the park and the Kalaupapa Settlement are received one to three times per year via barge. The Kalaupapa pier is a critical link in receiving the barge and the goods it transports. This project is needed because exposure to seawater and wave impact has caused extensive damage to the pier and the bulkhead and breakwater are failing structurally.

The NPS proposes to ensure delivery of supplies essential to operate and maintain the park and the community by improving conditions of the dock structures at the harbor. The preferred alternative includes:
- filling voids in the bulkhead wall toe, low dock toe, and breakwater for structural integrity;
- armoring of the breakwater would be re-established, and displaced armor stones impeding barge draft would be removed from the berthing basin;
- completion of the concrete repairs to the deck pier caps and beams; and
- repair of a void on the north side of the pier.

Contact Information

Steve Prokop, Superintendent
Kalaupapa National Historical Park
P.O. 2222
Kalaupapa, HI 96742

808-567-6802