The blessing of 60 multi-ton reef structures marked the official launch of the Kalaeloa Hybrid Reef Project. The initiative stations the structures roughly 70 yards out from Kalaeloa Harbor on Oʻahu to reduce wave energy, slow coastal erosion and support a healthier coral reef ecosystem.
This is the first of its kind to incorporate live coral within the structure's nature-based design.
Ben Jones, the director of Ocean Science and Technology at the University of Hawaiʻi's Applied Research Laboratory, said the deployment of these types of structures have been used in several places across the world, but Hawaiʻi is the first to be a “living breakwater.”
“The objective is to reduce the wave energy through what we call flow separation. That’s not a brand new concept, it’s been used, but not as a nature-based solution,” Jones told HPR. “How do you engineer a coastal protection system that is compatible with the environment in terms of the materials they're made out of, and make sure the shapes and surfaces are compatible with the settlement of coral. So this will be the first of its kind for a coral reef-based breakwater.”
The structures will be deployed over the next couple of months, followed by outplanting coral to support its growth.
The state Department of Transportation will assume ownership of the hybrid reef once it is installed, but officials across UH and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will continue to monitor the progress of the project over the next three to five years.
“Success at Kalaeloa could provide a model for protecting vulnerable coastlines throughout Hawaiʻi and beyond,” said HDOT Director Ed Sniffen. “We’re not just defending our shorelines, we’re building a resilient, self-sustaining ecosystem. By partnering with DARPA and UH, we are helping position Hawaiʻi as a global leader in nature-based coastal engineering.”
The first year of the project’s monitoring and maintenance will be funded by the state’s Green Fee Program.
