The U.S. Coast Guard has determined that the best course of action for a lighthouse sitting on a rapidly eroding site on the Big Island is its removal.

The Coast Guard said Monday that the decision to remove Kauhola Lighthouse was made after consultation with state historic preservation officials.
Kauhola Lighthouse sits on 3.5-acres of federal government property north of Hawi in the Kohala area. It is in danger of falling down a steep cliff face if no action is taken. Last month, the Coast Guard and a contractor erected a monopole light to aid mariners in their navigation of the coastline.
Kauhola Lighthouse is no longer operational.
"Obviously, our first choice would be to find a way to help preserve this lighthouse," Lt. Cmdr. Cesar Acosta, commanding officer of the Coast Guard's Civil Engineering Unit in Honolulu, said in a statement. "However, after detailed analysis and close coordination with the state of Hawaii, it has been determined that the most reasonable course of action is removal."
The lighthouse — built in 1933 — will be removed from the site by a second contractor by the end of the year. An initial contractor completed work on the monopole light, which is farther back from the cliff face than is the lighthouse but provides the same illumination for mariners off shore.
The Coast Guard said a detailed study of the soil and supporting sub-grade area around the lighthouse was completed in 2007 and showed significant risks if nothing was done. A decision was made jointly with the state's Historical Preservation Office to keep two similar structures — the lighthouses at Barbers Point and Nawiliwili — as examples of lighthouse construction of that era. It was decided at that time that it would be unsafe to restore or move the lighthouse at Kauhola.
The Coast Guard said the 2007 engineering report estimated the Kauhola lighthouse would experience structural damage or catastrophic collapse within two to five years from the date of the report. In 1933, the lighthouse was approximately 85 feet away from the edge of the cliff; today it is 20 feet.
Between 2003 and 2007, the cliff retreated approximately 15 feet, partly exacerbated by an October 2006 earthquake, when an additional 6 feet sheared off of the cliff face.
The 86-foot Kauhola Lighthouse was constructed in 1933 and is located on a relatively isolated peninsula that forms the eastern shoulder of Keawaeli Bay in North Kohala. On July 1, 1939, the Bureau of Lighthouses was transferred from the Department of Commerce to the U.S. Coast Guard. Since that time, navigational aids have remained the Coast Guard's jurisdiction.