Public Information

Although most of the information on this wiki is aimed at professional observers, the following material may interest a broader audience.

Decommissioning information

Caltech is decommissioning the CSO and restoring the site. The telescope ceased scientific operations in late 2015, after which all astronomical instruments were removed from the facility. Decommissioning of the CSO is being carried out according to the Conservation District Use Permit (CDUP) issued by the State of Hawaiʻi's Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) in January 2022. CSO is the first observatory to be removed under the 2010 Decommissioning Plan for Maunakea Observatories.

If you'd like to receive email updates about the decommissioning, click here.

Facility Deconstruction and Removal

The CSO dome and other structures are being deconstructed and removed from Maunakea. This page chronicles some notable steps in the process, with photos:

Telescope Disassembly and Removal

The Leighton Telescope of the CSO has been disassembled and removed from Maunakea. It was transported to the Kawaihae Harbor and will be shipped to Chile for reuse. This page chronicles some notable steps in the process, with photos:

Contractors

A partial list of consultants, contractors, and subcontractors decommissioning the CSO on behalf of Caltech.
Decomissioning Contractors

Documents

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit

Received from Hawaii Department of Health on May 4, 2022:

Conservation District Use Permit

Approved by BLNR January 14, 2022; issued by DLNR, January 18, 2022; returned by Caltech January 24, 2022.

Final Environmental Assessment

Published December 8, 2021:

  • Body: pdf (16MB)
  • Appendices A, B, and C of the EA: pdf (51MB)
  • Appendices D through J of the EA: pdf (24MB)

Draft Environmental Assessment

The Draft EA was open for public comment September 8, 2021 - November 4, 2021:

  • Body: pdf (19MB)
  • Appendices A, B, and C of the EA: pdf (47MB)
  • Appendices D through J of the EA: pdf (24MB)

The public comment period has closed.
Comments should be submitted to
Planning Solutions, Inc.
Attn: Mākena White, AICP
711 Kapiʻolani Boulevard, Suite 950
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96813
cso-decom@caltech.edu

There were three public workshops, conducted via zoom, presenting the Draft EA with Q&A. Recordings of each meeting can be found below:

Background Information

  • Archive of CSO construction and site plans: link to zip file (111 MB)
  • Historical photos related to Maunakea summit and CSO site: link to zip file (748 MB)

Submitted Documents

  • The Final Environmental Assessment is available above and from the Environmental Review Program
  • The Draft Environmental Assessment is available above and from the Environmental Review Program
  • The Center for Maunakea Stewardship (CMS) maintains a page with other public decommissioning documents: Link
    • Direct link to CSO's Site Decommissioning Plan: pdf
    • Direct link to CSO's Notice of Intent to Decommission on DLNR website: pdf

Announcements

Media Coverage

2024

2023

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General information

Older material

cso/outreach/outreach.txt · Last modified: 2024-02-26 17:30 by sradford
 
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