PAHOA, Hawaii – Work is underway to remove the unique lava protection that shielded power utility poles when the June 27th lava flow entered Pahoa this time last year.

On Saturday, the heavy machines of Earth Karvers Hawaii were digging the poles out of layers of cinder, and taking off the concrete dry well pipe and wire. Earth Karvers is the same company that in October 2014 helped the Hawaii Electric Light Company to install the experimental protection before the lava crossed Apa’a Street.

Earth Karvers owner Leslie Wilson said his company is doing the work on the weekend in order to stay out of the way of another project to remove the hardened lava from the road at the same location. Hawaii County has contracted with Ludwig Construction for that job.

Wilson also said HELCO plans to return all the utility poles in Puna to their former states. That includes the insulated poles on Pahoa Village Road, which still stand as monuments to Puna’s 2014 brush with Pele.