Kauai County monitors shifting Waimea River mouth

WAIMEA (HawaiiNewsNow) – Kauai officials are closely monitoring the Waimea River’s mouth as they say it slowly shifts toward homes and properties by the beach.

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Officials said Kauai County Public Works is assessing and documenting current conditions.

The river normally exits straight into the ocean, but Kauai Emergency Management Agency Administrator Elton Ushio was notified Sunday morning that the outflow had changed.

“Some of our partners at Public Works and community concerns that the outflow had kind of migrated in a westward direction, pretty much parallel to the ocean, much closer to the direction of nearby homes before cutting out onto the ocean,” he said.

On Sunday, KEMA formally requested assistance from the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency for state-coordinated engineering, regulatory and operational support. The request also includes coordination with federal partners as appropriate to assess the condition and identify a safe and appropriate path forward.

“This situation goes beyond routine clearing of the river mouth, and any action affecting the channel must be guided by appropriate engineering and regulatory expertise to avoid unintentionally worsening erosion or impacts to nearby property,” Ushio said.

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Ushio added a change in flow or course of the river outflow is “challenging for county-level resources,” and emphasized getting the proper support for public safety.

The county said there are no reports of injuries, evacuations or property damage at this time.

Officials said teams are continuing to document conditions at the river mouth. Kauai Police Department’s drone team is assisting with aerial imagery to support assessment, mapping and monitoring efforts. They’ll also be doing periodic checks throughout the evening.

The county is advising the public to use caution and remain clear of the active river channel and immediate river mouth while assessments are underway.

“We manage as best we can at the local level, but we are able to call upon other resources as needed. And so we can leverage state emergency management, feds in some cases, private sector, what have you,” Ushio said. “In this particular case it’s a somewhat unique situation that is not your normal river mouth outflow or opening.”

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