Draft Environmental Assessment Pre-Assessment Consultation Waiakea, South Hilo, Island of Hawai‘i

The U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) for a new facility in Hilo, Hawai‘i Island, to support the USGS Hawaiʽi Volcano Observatory (HVO) and Pacific Island Ecosystem Research Center (PIERC). The new facility will be located on a 13-acre site near the north corner of the intersection of Komohana Street and Nowelo Road, near the University of Hawaiʽi at Hilo campus.

This pre-assessment consultation, being conducted in accordance with Chapter 343 HRS, is intended to ensure that interested parties are notified of the forthcoming Draft EA and are given the opportunity to identify relevant issues and concerns to be addressed. The Draft EA will describe the existing physical, biological, and socio-economic environment, and the anticipated impacts of the proposed project. It will include the results of technical studies including civil engineering, archaeology, cultural impacts, traffic, noise, and flora and fauna.