RETURN TO USE INITIATIVE
2012 Demonstration Project
DEL MONTE CORP (OAHU
PLANTATION):
Village of Kunia, Hawaii
HE Sll E: The Del Monte Corp. (Oahu Plantation)
Superfund site (the Site) is located in the Village of
Kunia, on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii. Del Monte Fresh
Produce (Hawaii), Inc. (Del Monte) grew and processed
pineapple on the property from about 1946 to November
2006. As part of plantation operations, Del Monte used
pesticides, such as ethylene dibromide, 1,2-dibromo-
3-chloropropane and 1,2-dichloropropane, to control
worms that attack pineapple roots. In April 1977,
an accidental 500-gallon spill of ethylene dibromide
occurred within about 60 feet of the Kunia drinking water
supply well. The spill led to the discovery of sitewide soil
and ground water contamination from years of improper
pesticide storage and processing, the EPA added the
6,000-acre Site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in
1994.
PICTURED: The carbon filter (left) and the air stripper system
(right) treat contaminated site ground water. (Source: The EPA)
BARRIER: The EPA's selected remedy for the Site included
implementation of institutional controls. The site owner wanted to
market the property for sale, but needed to know what restrictions
were required on which portions of the property in order to support
property reuse that would be compatible with the remedy.
SOLUTION: The EPA issued an institutional controls consent
decree with the site owner. The consent decree clarified roles
and responsibilities for the EPA, the site owner and subsequent
tenants or owners in the remedial process and in the safe and
appropriate reuse of the Site.
The EPA ordered responsible parties to conduct site
investigations, which found that 3,000 acres of the Site,
known as the Puamoho Section, posed no significant
threat to human health and the environment. The EPA
removed the Puamoho Section from NPL in 2004. The
EPA has ordered responsible parties to implement the
selected remedy at the remaining 3,000-acre Kunia
Section. Remedial actions included the removal of
18,000 tons of contaminated soil, phytoremediation of
contaminated ground water, installation of a vegetated
soil cap, a soil vapor extraction system, and installation
of an air stripper and carbon filtration system to address
contaminated drinking water. Soil and ground water
treatment continue on portions of the Site.
THE OPPORTUNITY: Del Monte ended its
pineapple-growing operations at the Oahu Plantation in
2006 and, soon thereafter, returned the leased property
to the property owner, the James Campbell Company
LLC. The James Campbell Company LLC is a nationally
PICTURED: An aerial view of the Schofield Barracks. (Source:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/fecility/schofield-barracks.htm)
BEFORE: A 3,000-acre, vacant, former plantation property
undergoing remediation.
AFTER: Valuable property in commercial, residential and
agricultural reuse. The Site houses manufacturing operations,
agricultural research, military housing and both small- and large-
scale agricultural ventures.
United States
Environmental Protection	Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
1—J § m Agency
kAgency
February 2013 1

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diversified, Hawaii-based real estate company with experience in developments on the island of Oahu.
The company recognized the agricultural and commercial value of the 3,000-acre Kunia Section of
plantation property and was eager to begin looking for new tenants.
BARRIERS: EPA's selected remedy for the Site included implementation of institutional controls,
such as land use or ground water use restrictions. Before the James Campbell Company LLC was
able to market the property, they needed clarification as to what institutional controls were necessary
for which areas of the large site property. This information would be critical for continued work with the
EPA on the ongoing remedial efforts and also to ensure that any subsequent owners or tenants would
use the property in a way that is compatible with the remedy. Successful reuse would require that all
involved parties understand their roles and responsibilities in the Superfund reuse process.
THE SOLUTION: The EPA issued an institutional controls consent decree with James Campbell
Company LLC on March 19, 2007. The document outlined the institutional controls required by the
remedy and clarified the roles and responsibilities of the EPA and the property owner. The owner
would ensure that all new property owners and tenants only undertake development projects that are
compatible with the soil and ground water remedies at the Site, and the EPA would provide oversight
and guidance of site redevelopment projects. The document also clarified the owner's responsibilities
for implementation and enforcement of institutional controls, such as restricting all construction that
would damage or interfere with ground water remediation systems or the ground water monitoring
well network. The consent decree also guarantees that the EPA will have access to monitoring and
treatment equipment and facilities while the cleanup continues. By clearly outlining what institutional
controls are required in which portions of the property, the institutional controls consent decree helped
site stakeholders develop a plan for considering reuse and to prepare for their roles in the reuse process.
THE SITE NOW: After closure of the plantation and implementation of clear institutional controls,
the James Campbell Company LLC began selling the property. They sold a portion of the land to Kunia
Loa Ridge Farmlands, an organization that encourages affordable, small-scale, sustainable farms
that work to reduce soil erosion and improve the quality and quantity of local water. The Kunia Loa
Ridge Farmlands resells small plots to farmers who grow tropical fruits and raise livestock. In 2007,
an agricultural company purchased 2,300 acres of the former Oahu Plantation to produce seed corn.
The institutional controls and continued proactive collaboration between site owners and the EPA help
maintain site safety and keep the property in beneficial reuse.
In addition to the new farming developments on the Kunia Section, the Puamoho Section has also
become home to new reuse. Oils of Aloha moved its headquarters and manufacturing operations to
a pre-existing 10,000-square-foot building at the Site in 2011. The company employs 20 people and
manufactures lotions and beauty products. In addition, an agricultural research center purchased
property on the Site for research in 2008 and 2009, and the United States Army also purchased a
portion of the site property to expand housing for Schofield Barracks.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Judy Huang, Remedial Project Manager,
at huana.iudv@epa.aov or (415) 972-3681; or Gary Riley, Region 9 Superfund Redevelopment
Coordinator, at rilev.aarv@epa.aov or (415) 972-3003.
United States
Environmental Protection
i Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
February 2013 2

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