Rapid response protects Maui coast after wildfire

Summary

• In August 2023, a wildfire devastated Lahaina, Maui. It claimed more than 100 lives and destroyed more than 2,200 homes, businesses, and cultural sites.  
• After the fire, toxic debris and heavy metals polluted Lahaina’s soil. Rainwater runoff could carry these pollutants into the ocean, threatening a fragile marine ecosystem that’s already stressed by tourism and population growth.  
• To protect this ecosystem, the County of Maui relied on Haley & Aldrich to quickly engage the community and develop post-fire containment plans delineating stormwater best management practices (BMPs).  
• We collected LiDAR and photogrammetry data via drone, which gave us accurate and up-to-date maps. Informed by the data, we rapidly prepared design plans for BMP implementation. This approach emphasized speed without sacrificing effectiveness.  
• Our team prepared design plans for BMPs to protect stormwater runoff from more than 1,300 wildfire-damaged parcels in under two months so cleanup and community recovery could start as soon as possible. We also pioneered work approaches that can apply to natural hazard mitigation and future disasters. 
• When third-party agencies tested the water two months after the fire, their findings indicated that contaminant levels were below thresholds of concern for human health and marine life.

“Wildfires burned near Haley & Aldrich’s office and our homes. So we know that responding to disasters is more than work. It’s about making communities stronger.”—Mikki Slentz, Senior Project Manager, Civil Engineer

For more information, contact:

Mikki Slentz

Senior Project Manager, Civil Engineer

Justin R. Lindeman 

Technical Expert, Geoscientist