Beaches in Oahu, Hawaii suffered a major setback when waste from the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill was washed away by floor waters following heavy rains on the January 12 and 13. Waste contamination caused beaches along Hawaii's southwest shores to close down pending cleanup.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered Waste Management Inc. (WMI) to oversee cleanup. WMI is the sole operator of Honolulu's municipal landfill project, thus it was given the task of getting rid of the contaminated flood waters and making sure that it will not happen again in case of another storm.

EPA Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest Jared Blumenfield explains that his agency ordered WMI to executive immediate cleanup of the floodwaters, as well as long-term monitoring of the beaches and improvements in floodwater control. Contamination affected Oahu beaches fronting timeshare condos, the Ko Olino Resort and Spa, the Marriot Ko Olina Beach Club and the JW Marriot Ihilani Resort and Spa.