(BIVN) – The effort to restore the Pohoiki Boat Ramp has failed, after the recently dredged entrance channel filled in with volcanic material.

The boat ramp – vital for local fishermen – was cut off from the ocean in 2018 after the eruption of Kīlauea volcano transformed Pohoiki Bay into a sprawling black sand beach. The effort to remove 42,000 cubic yards of volcanic material was said to be the largest dredging job ever for the State of Hawaiʻi.

Last month, the Puna community celebrated as contractor Goodfellow Bros., LLC opened the landlocked boat ramp to the ocean once more. However, the achievement was short-lived.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources on Monday said in a written statement that it “is aware that the recently dredged Pohoiki Boat Ramp entrance channel has filled in with volcanic debris due to unusually heavy tidal conditions during the past week.”

“We acknowledge the community’s disappointment,” the DLNR wrote. “We are terribly disappointed too.”

“While DLNR knew we had limited options with the volume of volcanic debris that filled Pohoiki, the state, county, and community members all believed it was important to do something rather than nothing,” the department stated.

The DLNR also pointed towards the information contained in the Final Environmental Assessment for the dredging project, explaining:

Project Options 3 and 4 provided long-term solutions to reopen the Pohoiki Boat Ramp. Option 3 involved the construction of two large breakwater structures to protect the entrance channel (estimated $46-million). Option 4 involved removing a majority of the volcanic debris from Pohoiki Bay (estimated $40-million). Option 4 was DLNR’s preferred alternative because it was less costly than Option 3 and involved less time to obtain the required project permits and less time for construction.

The funding available from various government sources was only enough for Option 2, which involved dredging of a wide channel (estimated $5.4-million). Unfortunately, nature proved more than a match for this solution.

“The Department is currently examining the site conditions and evaluating options to address the situation and long-term solutions,” the DLNR wrote. “We thank the community for their patience and understanding.”

The public has also expressed concerns about the impacts the failed dredging project has had on marine wildlife; in particular, spotted eagle rays that swam into the basin and have since become trapped in the shallow water.