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Two weeks until the city budget is due, and officials say they still don’t know how much the ongoing cleanup at the Waimanalo Gulch landfill will cost. Rail planners prep for a groundbreaking, and wait for good news on federal funding. Civil Beat is tracking all of it, and reporting from the inside.

City Council Members in Haleiwa for Special Meeting

11:43 a.m.
The majority of Honolulu’s City Council members headed up to Haleiwa this morning for a special planning meeting called to discuss an amendment to the

Civil Beat’s Michael Levine is there, and reports eight City Council members are at the meeting, including Nestor Garcia, Breene Harimoto, Ernie Martin, Ann Kobayashi, Stanley Chang, Tom Berg and Ikaika Anderson.

No sign of Romy Cachola or Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo yet.

Landfill Hits Key EPA Deadline

9:02 a.m.
The stormwater diversion channel that city officials say could have prevented the recent mess at Waimanalo Gulch is functional, Honolulu Environmental Services Department Spokesman Markus Owens says. It’s a key step forward for the landfill operator, Waste Management, which has a series of federally mandated deadlines to meet in the aftermath of a storm that caused near-catastrophic damage to the site.

To prevent structural failure, Waste Management chose to release an unknown amount of contaminated stormwater containing medical waste and other debris into the ocean. It later washed up on Leeward beaches. While completion of the channel is significant, there’s still more work to be done. The landfill remains closed to the public — it’s been closed to the public for more than a month now — while clean-up continues.

Check out Civil Beat’s timeline of what happened at Waimanalo Gulch, and what deadlines Waste Management still needs to meet.

For even more detail, delve into the daily progress reports Waste Management submits to the EPA.

Catch Up on Inside Honolulu

Feb. 14, 2011: Power outage at Honolulu court; Duke Kahanamoku statue to undergo maintenance; Still “no telling” what Congress will do about rail.

Feb. 11, 2011: Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle sends out invitation to rail groundbreaking.

Feb. 9, 2011: Rail critics turn out for Wayne Yoshioka nomination hearing; Mayor Peter Carlisle pushes back his inaugural ball to April.

Feb. 8, 2011: Council committee moves forward Gary Cabato and Sam Moku nominations; Bill to ban Segways from city parks put on hold; Oahu residents could see water bills spike.

Feb. 7, 2011: Council clashes over response to Rush Limbaugh comment; Bryan Mick withdraws nomination to Neighborhood Commission; Carrie Okinaga says mayor has “phenomenal” pick for city’s next top lawyer.

Feb. 4, 2011: City zoo could get giant bats; State wants city’s rail funds; Homeless assistance programs get a boost from the feds.

Feb. 3, 2011: Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa ratchets up fight against landfill; FTA to announce New Starts funding any day.

Feb. 2, 2011: Landfill hearing gets heated; Tom Berg wants to meet fellow tea partier Michele Bachmann; City Council asks Rush Limbaugh to apologize; Rail lawsuits start trickling in.

Feb. 1, 2011: Bulky item pick-up to start again; Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz introduces bill that would create development exceptions for rail; Tom Berg invites anti-rail groups into his office to discuss next steps in rail opposition.