After the death of seven people due to a Kauai dam failure during severe rainstorms and flooding in March 2006, the Hawaii State Legislature appropriated emergency funding for dam safety services to the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). Kleinfelder is providing professional dam safety services to the State of Hawaii DLNR on Kauai.

Lack of Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair

Prior to this tragedy, the island’s dams—which range in age from 50 to more than 100 years old—were not inspected on a regular basis. In many cases, the dams had not been maintained or repaired when needed. Additionally, a last-minute change in scope by the client required Kleinfelder to respond to work on Kauai just one month prior to the field inspection portion of the project.

Ensuring Long-Term Dam Safety

After conducting site visits to perform safety inspections of 31 dams, Kleinfelder prepared Phase I inspection reports including summaries of dam condition, deficiency notes, changes in dam condition, and recommendations for repairs and studies. Kleinfelder then reviewed similar reports prepared by other consultants for 20 more dams, as well as permit applications and design and construction documents prepared by the other consultants. In addition, Kleinfelder conducted dam safety training for local dam owners and operators.

Project Results

Despite the last-minute project change, field inspection was completed ahead of schedule.
Kleinfelder managed budgets so efficiently that funds remained for inspecting five additional dams and conducting dam safety training sessions to local dam owners and operators, positioning Kleinfelder as a technical resource for this client.

Project Details

Location:
Kauai, Hawaii

Owner:
State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources