August
2022: Caltech Submillimeter Observatory
Decommissioning Receives Final Permits and Selects
Contractors
2022 Aug 2
Caltech has received the necessary
permits from the County and State of Hawai'i to begin the
physical deconstruction of the Caltech
Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) from Maunakea.
"Caltech is set to begin the
deconstruction phase of the decommissioning later this
summer, with removal and restoration completed within a
year," said Caltech physics professor and CSO Director
Sunil Golwala. It will be the first observatory removed
under the 2010 Decommissioning Plan for Maunakea
Observatories.
The deconstruction will be in
accordance with the Conservation District Use Permit
(CDUP), which was issued by the state Department of Land
& Natural Resources (DLNR) in January. The CDUP sets
the terms and conditions that Caltech must follow during
the decommissioning. Copies of the CDUP, the Final
Environmental Assessment, the Site Decommissioning Plan,
and other planning documents can be found here: http://www.cso.caltech.edu/wiki/cso/outreach/outreach
Caltech has received a building
permit from the County of Hawai'i and a National Pollution
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit from the Hawai'i Department of
Health. Caltech's grading permit application has received
minor comments from the County of Hawai'i and will be
amended, with approval expected soon.
Caltech has retained a number of
firms to participate in decommissioning. The general
contractor for the deconstruction process will be
Goodfellow Bros., LLC of Washington state. Goodfellow
Bros. has had its Hawaii division for almost 50 years,
with an office on Hawai'i Island for over 30 years.
Pedro Foronda, PE, of the
architectural infrastructure firm AECOM, Honolulu, will
serve as the independent decommissioning construction
monitor (IDCM). The IDCM will oversee the decommissioning
on-site on a daily basis with the authority to stop work
in the event of a potential or actual violation of the
CDUP, the 2009 Comprehensive Management Plan for Maunakea
Observatories (CMP), or the Decommissioning Plan. In
accordance with the CMP, the Center for Maunakea
Stewardship and the DLNR concurred with the
selection.
Caltech also has selected M3
Engineering and Technology of Tucson, Arizona, as
construction services administrator, to provide technical
advice to the general contractor. Foronda and M3
will act as Caltech's "owner representative." ASM
Affiliates of Hilo has been selected as the archeological
monitor. Sustainable Resources Group Intn'l, Inc. (SRGII)
of Kailua will do a pre-deconstruction biological survey
and restoration monitoring. Unitek Insulation of Pearl
City will undertake abatement of lead paint and mold, with
monitoring and analysis of their work provided by Lehua
Environmental of Kamuela. Danielle
Frohlich of SWCA (Honolulu) will monitor for invasive
species. A cultural monitor is still being sought.
The creation of the new Mauna Kea
Stewardship and Oversight Authority, recently signed into
law by Governor David Ige, will not impact the
decommissioning.
"CSO will continue the
deconstruction as planned, working closely with the new
management authority and the Center for Maunakea
Stewardship during this period of transition," says
Golwala. Caltech's work to restore the site is expected to
be complete in 2023, before the transition in management
is fully in effect, and Caltech will continue to report
results of restoration monitoring through 2026.
The cost of deconstruction and
restoration is expected to be approximately $4M.
The CSO came online in 1987 and
was used by scientists at Caltech and other institutions,
including almost 200 student and postdoctoral researchers,
to open a new submillimeter window on the universe. A
summary of CSO's contributions to astronomy and
astronomical instrumentation are available here: http://www.cso.caltech.edu/wiki/cso/science/overview.
All the astronomical instruments were removed from the
facility in 2015 except the telescope. Prior to
deconstruction of the observatory buildings, the CSO's
10.4-meter submillimeter telescope will be removed for
shipment to Chile, where it will continue its role as one
of the world's premier facilities for astronomical
research and instrumentation development at submillimeter
wavelengths.
About Caltech: Caltech is a world-renowned private science and engineering Institute located in Pasadena, California that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions and pressing societal challenges.
Media Contact: Dana E. Butler, Hastings & Pleadwell, deb@hastingsandpleadwell.com, (808) 959-0797