Posted on June 20, 2019
Hawaii has just allotted $13 million in its newest budget to help restore Waikiki Beach. The new budget would allow restoration projects to begin as soon as this fall. Waikiki Beach is the most famous beach in Hawaii, and visitors to this beach area generate a lot of income for the state.
The $13 million will be dedicated to the restoration of the Royal Hawaiian seawall, the Kuhio Beach seawall, and four smaller projects for Waikiki Beach. One of the smaller projects will include bringing in fresh sand to the beach area because, at high tide, the loss of beach has become critical.
Representatives of the state have said that rising sea levels are causing the high tide to move further up the beach. Due to this, they need to extend the beach area out so that when high tide comes in, beachgoers can continue enjoying Waikiki Beach.
Bringing in new sand to Waikiki Beach is not something new. The beach itself is a man-made structure that was first created in the 1930’s. Since then, the beach has been expanded and ‘refilled’ to keep it a beautiful place for locals and tourists to visit.
This is the largest amount the state has ever dedicated to a beach restoration project. Some people believe that the state is overreacting because Waikiki looks perfect and visitors are still coming from around the world. The state, however, wants to make sure that Waikiki stays a popular destination and believes that improvements must be done proactively before the unseen issues become problematic. Usually, once an area loses its title as being ‘the best’, it is very difficult to reclaim that reputation.
Source: news.get.com
