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Click on the icons below to learn more about the hazards detailed in the 2020 Maui HMP.
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Hazardous materials can be found in many forms and quantities that can potentially cause death; serious injury; long-lasting health effects; and damage to buildings, homes, and other property in varying degrees. Such materials are routinely used and stored in many homes and businesses and are also shipped daily on the nation’s highways, railroads, waterways, and pipelines. This subsection on the hazardous material hazard is intended to provide a general overview of the hazard, and the threshold for identifying fixed and mobile sources of hazardous materials is limited to general information on highways, and local and FEMA-identified fixed HAZMAT sites determined to be of greatest significance as appropriate for the purposes of this plan.
Hazardous material (HAZMAT) incidents can apply to fixed facilities as well as mobile, transportation- related accidents in the air, by rail, on the nation’s highways, and on the water. Approximately 6,774
HAZMAT events occur each year, 5,517 of which are highway incidents, 991 are railroad incidents, and 266 are due to other causes. In essence, HAZMAT incidents consist of solid, liquid, and/or gaseous contaminants that are released from fixed or mobile containers, whether by accident or by design as with an intentional terrorist attack. A HAZMAT incident can last hours to days, while some chemicals can be corrosive or otherwise damaging over longer periods of time. In addition to the primary release, explosions and/or fires can result from a release, and contaminants can be extended beyond the initial area by persons, vehicles, water, wind, and possibly wildlife as well.
HAZMAT incidents can also occur as a result of or in tandem with natural hazard events, such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes, which in addition to causing incidents can also hinder response efforts. In the case of Hurricane Floyd in September 1999, communities along the Eastern United States were faced with flooded junkyards, disturbed cemeteries, deceased livestock, floating propane tanks, uncontrolled fertilizer spills, and a variety of other environmental pollutants that caused widespread toxicological concern.
Hazardous material incidents can include the spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, or disposing into the environment of a hazardous material, but exclude: (1) any release which results in exposure to poisons solely within the workplace with respect to claims which such persons may assert against the employer of such persons; (2) emissions from the engine exhaust of a motor vehicle, rolling stock, aircraft, vessel or pipeline pumping station engine; (3) release of source, byproduct, or special nuclear material from a nuclear incident; and (4) the normal application of fertilizer.
As a result of the 1986 Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA), the Environmental Protection Agency provides public information on hazardous materials. One facet of this program is to collect information from industrial facilities on the releases and transfers of certain toxic agents. This information is then reported in the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). TRI sites indicate where such activity is occurring. There are 12 TRI sites located in Maui County. Seven of these are located in the Wailuku-Kahului community planning area, and Pāʻia-Haʻikū, Kīhei-Mākena, West Maui, Lānaʻi, and Molokaʻi each have one TRI site. In addition to TRI sites, mobile HAZMAT incidents can occur on roadways as hazardous materials are transported. The figures below show the locations of TRI sites on each island in Maui County, along with major transportation routes that may be subject to mobile incidents, such as highways and parkways.
The U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) lists historical occurrences throughout the nation. A “serious incident” is a hazardous materials incident that involves: 1) Fatality or major injury caused by the release of a hazardous material. 2) The evacuation of 25 or more persons as a result of release of a hazardous material or exposure to fire. 3) release or exposure to fire which results in the closure of a major transportation artery. 4) The alteration of an aircraft flight plan or operation. 5) The release of radioactive materials from Type B packaging. 6) The release of over 11.9 galls or 88.2 pounds of a severe marine pollutant. 7) The release of a bulk quantity (over 199 gallons or 882 pounds) of a hazardous material.
However, prior to 2002, a hazardous materials “serious incident” was defined as follows: 1) A fatality or major injury due to a hazardous material. 2)Closure of a major transportation artery or facility or evacuation of six or more persons due to the presence of hazardous material. 3) A vehicle accident or derailment resulting in the release of a hazardous material.
Incidents occurring within Maui County were pulled from the PHSMA database. Two incidents were reported in Maui County between 1990 and May 2020. These events resulted in $262,879 in damages (2019 dollars). These incidents resulted no deaths or injuries, but both of these incidents were considered “serious incidents” as defined by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Descriptions of these incidents are provided below.
July 14, 1999: A truck carrying oil was involved in a vehicular accident on Honoapiilani Highway in Māʻalaea, releasing 200 liquid gallons of oil. This incident resulted in $260,472 (2019 dollars) in damages.
January 28, 2009: A malfunctioning tanker released 1,140 liquid gallons of liquefied petroleum gas on Halama Street in Kīhei. The truck was towed to an isolated area where propane was burned off with the Maui Fire Department on standby. This incident resulted in $2,407 (2019 dollars) in damages.
In addition to the events reported by PHMSA, Maui County officials reported that hazardous materials incidents associated with illegal dumping is a problem in the county. Within the county, these are referred to a “open dumps” and contain hazardous materials.
The extent of hazardous materials incidents can be defined in terms of amount of material released. According to USDOT PHMSA, the largest hazardous materials incident reported in the planning area is a highway incident in 2009 that resulted in the release of 1,140 liquid gallons of oil in the City of Kīhei. However, incidents of greater hazardous materials releases are possible.
Probability of Future Events
The probability of hazardous materials events is difficult to determine given their unpredictability. Based on a reported 2 events in 30 years from PHSMA, Maui County has historically experienced one hazardous materials incident every 15 years. However, it is likely that both mobile and fixed-site incidents occurring within the county have gone unreported. Within Maui County, certain community planning areas are more likely to experience hazardous materials incidents than others. For instance, both reported events occurred in Kīhei, and over half of all the TRI sites in Maui County are located in the Wailuku-Kahului. The table below presents landslide probabilities for each community planning area.
All current and future buildings, infrastructure, and populations in Maui County are considered at risk to hazardous materials incidents. Those located near TRI sites or busy transportation routes may be at a higher risk to hazardous materials incidents.
Although historical evidence, existing Toxic Release Inventory sites, and reports from county officials indicate that Maui County is susceptible to hazardous materials incidents, there are few reports of damage. Most hazardous materials incidents that occur are contained and suppressed before destroying any property or threatening lives. However, they can have a significant negative impact. Such events can cause deaths, completely shut down facilities for 30 days or more, and cause affected properties to be destroyed or suffer major damage. During a hazardous materials incident, solid, liquid, and/or gaseous contaminants may be released from fixed or mobile containers. Weather conditions will directly affect how the hazard develops. Certain chemicals may travel through the air or water, affecting a much larger area than the point of the incident itself. Non-compliance with fire and building codes, as well as failure to maintain existing fire and containment features, can substantially increase the damage from a hazardous materials release. The duration of a hazardous materials incident can range from hours to days. Warning time is minimal to none.
Further, Maui County’s island geography means that any substance that goes into storm drains, whether from an accidental hazardous materials release or illegal dumping, goes directly into the ocean, impacting water quality and marine life.
