Public viewing of the June 27 lava flow will begin Wednesday morning at the Pahoa transfer station, Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said Tuesday.
For the first time since lava reached the Apaa Street area in October, the public will be able to see up close the impact the flow had on the county’s facility and the roadway, Oliveira said. Public access will be limited to the transfer station property and Apaa Street.
The public will not be permitted to access portions of the flow that crossed state and private land, he said. Walking on the lava flow will also be restricted because of safety concerns.
The transfer station area will open to the public at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. seven days a week, with the exception of Christmas Day. Parking will be along Apaa Street and buses will be permitted to drop off riders, however, they must stage at a parking lot at the bottom of Apaa Street.
“We will see how it goes and adjust accordingly, but for now we are looking forward to having public access and a safe viewing venue for the public to see what happened up at the transfer station,” he said. If the current flow activity changes and resources are needed elsewhere, the viewing area will close.
The June 27 lava flow advanced about 275 yards during a 24-hour spanning between Monday and Tuesday as it continued to make its way toward the intersection of Pahoa Village Road and Highway 130, Oliveira said. The lava was 1 mile upslope of the main Pahoa intersection and less than a mile from the rear fenceline of the Pahoa Marketplace where Malama Market is located.
An evacuation advisory has not been issued, however, merchants and residents in the area remain on notice to be prepared for a potential evacuation. Some have already began preparations, including Malama Market, which will close its doors on Thursday.
Civil Defense expects that large businesses in the marketplace would need about seven days to prepare for inundation while some of the smaller businesses would need about three days. The gas station on the grounds of the Pahoa Marketplace would need about three days to sell off and pump out any remaining fuel before filling the tanks with a combination of water and Class B foam to reduce remaining vapor that could ignite.
Workers with Hawaii Electric Light Co. relocated a number of power transformers Tuesday in an effort to maintain electricity for utility customers on the other side of Highway 130 should the flow enter the area, said HELCO spokeswoman Rhea Lee.
“We are preparing for the lava to enter the Malama Market area. It (the lava) is still on course, as far as we know, and we’re preparing for that,” she said.
Upslope of the leading edge, breakouts along both sides of the flow pad remain active in an area about a mile to a 1.5 miles below Kilauea Volcano’s Puu Oo vent. Near the vent, a narrow finger of lava remains active on the northern edge of the flow pad.
Kilauea Volcano remains in the inflation period of the inflation-deflation cycle, said Steve Brantley, acting scientist-in-charge at the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Inflation occurs when magma rises into the summit reservoir.
“Right now, for the past week or so seen, we’ve seen a steady overall inflation of the summit reservoir of Kilauea suggesting there’s an overall pressurization occurring as more magma is moving into the summit reservoir,” he said. “Presumably, (that indicates) there is a steady supply of lava moving into the lava tube from Puu Oo.”
Puu Oo provides lava to the leading edge of the lava flow, which is now about 12 miles downslope of the vent, he said.
Smoke conditions were reported as moderate Tuesday morning. Smoke from burning vegetation is being blown toward the south. Smoke conditions may increase in some areas and residents that may be sensitive or have respiratory problems are advised to take precautions and to remain indoors.
The state Department of Health announced Tuesday it had installed three temporary particulate monitors to measure and inform nearby residents of the air quality levels as a result of the flow. Two monitors are currently located in Pahoa and one in Leilani Estates. They may be relocated, or additional monitors could be installed, as the the lava flow continues or additional breakouts occur. DOH said the data can be monitored online at health.hawaii.gov/cab/hawaii-ambient-air-quality-data/.
Hawaii Tribune-Herald reporter Colin M. Stewart contributed to this report.