The Haiku Stairs has been closed to the public for various reasons for more than three decades now. But that hasn’t stopped trespassing hikers — an estimated 4,000 annually — from climbing its 3,922 steel steps to a ridgeline perch in the Koolau Range to enjoy spectacular views.

The Board of Water Supply, which owns most of the watershed land under the structure that stretches through a portion of the Waiahole Forest Reserve, has released a final environmental impact statement (EIS) report, which includes the semi-autonomous city agency’s proposal to tear down the stairs.

While other possible alternatives are noted in the report — a partial tear-down, turning the stairs over to another government entity or even selling the 224-acre parcel to a private-sector buyer — inaction should no longer serve as a default option.

The BWS currently pays about $250,000 annually for security services to deter trespassers — incongruously tapping funds that would otherwise be applied toward delivery of drinking water to Oahu residents. For decades, the BWS has been saddled with responsibility for the stairs and the land beneath them, even though the agency doesn’t need the property for water source development.

In a written statement, Ernest Lau, BWS manager and chief engineer, said managing Haiku Stairs “draws BWS staff, financial, and other resources away from our core mission to efficiently and effectively meet the water demand of our customers.” Agreed. For the BWS, the stairs are an unnecessary burden that should be unloaded.

In response to a draft EIS issued in June — in which the board estimated that dismantling the stairs would cost up to $1 million, and proposed taking that action as soon as mid-2022 — Mayor Kirk Caldwell said he’d like the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation to take possession, and was looking at private-sector proposals for managing access.

In an interview last week with Honolulu Star-Advertiser reporter Gordon Y.K. Pang, Caldwell said, “This is a great asset to the people of Oahu, and it should be managed in a much better way.” While the city has yet to present a plan for better management to the public, Caldwell said he wants to begin the process of discussing a transfer.

Granted, the site has its attractions: glimpses of micro-climates, geological layers and bits of Hawaii history, in addition to the aerobic climb to panoramic views. However, as City Council Chairman Ikaika Anderson, who represents the Windward area, has rightly pointed out, the stairs matter is long overdue for a hard-and-fast decision deadline.

The city intends to soon issue a request for information to solicit ideas from third parties interested and able to renovate the stairs and manage access.

But if a robust and financially viable plan for upgrades and maintenance, along with establishing reasonable access away from homes, fails to take shape within the next two or three months, the BWS should get the go-ahead to begin pulling out the steps. Holding the status quo is unfair to BWS customers and the site’s residential neighbors.

The EIS report relays that some neighbors situated near unauthorized accesses to Haiku Stairs have endured years of property damage, some property theft and other problems tied to trespassers crossing through their properties.

Caldwell has suggested that the stairs could be managed by a third party or possibly by the city with vendors, as is the case at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. Success, it seems, would hinge on the operation’s ability to avoid intruding on residential areas while addressing hiking-related safety concerns.

Still, unless the city quickly pieces together a feasible transfer plan, the regrettable but sensible course of action is to pull to pieces access to the deteriorating Haiku Stairs.