IAVCEI 2013 Scientific Assembly - July 20 - 24, Kagoshima, Japan
Forecasting Volcanic Activity - Reading and translating the messages of nature for society

3P1_4G-O2

Room A4

Date/Time: July 23 15:15-15:30

Thirty years of eruption at Kilauea Volcano Hawai‘i: a review of impacts and mitigation
strategies
Tamar Elias, Jeff Sutton, Tim Orr, Lopaka Lee
USGS, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, USA
E-mail: telias@usgs.gov

As Kilauea Volcano surpasses 30 years of nearly continuous activity, impacts from simultaneous summit and rifteruptions continue to challenge the Island of Hawaii’s communities and environment. On one front, lava flows fromthe east rift eruption have inundated communities, destroying 214 primary structures between 1983 and 2012. On
another front, elevated levels of acid gases and aerosols from the persistent east rift eruption have leached metals
into domestic water supplies, affected human and livestock health, and damaged agricultural crops, native forests,and farming and ranching infrastructure. Health and environmental impacts were amplified by the onset of thesummit eruption in 2008, which was accompanied by an order of magnitude increase in summit SO2 emissions
and a factor-of-three increase in ambient SO2 in nearby communities. Hawai’i County was declared a federal
disaster area due to agricultural losses from the effects of volcanic emissions for the period 2008-2011.

Federal and local land and emergency managers, environmental and public health agencies, scientists, andhealth researchers have addressed the ongoing challenges of living with Kilauea’s long lived eruptions using
a variety of approaches. To address hazards associated with volcanic air pollution, multi-agency web-based
tools provide real-time and forecast data of SO2 gas and particle concentrations to help people minimize theirexposures. Downwind facilities including a health clinic, a hospital, and a new gymnasium are planning to install
air handling systems to improve indoor air quality during periods of high exposure. Ongoing health studies arequantifying asthma and lung growth rates, and respiratory symptomology in exposed populations. Federal low
interest loans and grants have helped farmers and ranchers compensate for crop and livestock losses, and replace
metal fencing and infrastructure deteriorated by exposure to acid gases and aerosol. Early in the east rift eruption,
it was recognized that lead-bearing roofing and plumbing materials were contributing to contamination of rainwater
catchment systems due to leaching by acid rain. These construction materials have largely been removed orisolated and alternate sources of water have been made more available.
As Kilauea enters its fourth decade of nearly continuous activity, the ongoing eruptions present a good opportunity
to review and enhance efforts to minimize the negative impacts of volcanic eruption in Hawai’i and similar settings
worldwide. An evaluation of best management practices for long-term volcanic activity can help physical scientists
and multi-agency partners in Hawai’i improve their response to community impacts caused by Kilauea’s ongoingactivity.

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