Maui Double Whammy: Irrigation is down, rainfall is down – and West Maui is drier than ever. That’s the conclusion of a recent report by the U.S. Geological Survey on rainfall and the impact of changing land-use patterns in the area over the last eight decades.
Yet even as the aquifer recharge rates have decreased with reductions in plantation irrigation and the current drought, population growth has led to increased groundwater withdrawal, especially in the `Iao aquifer.
“Increasing rates of withdrawal have coincided with decreasing rates of agricultural irrigation and a recent drought,” write study authors John Engott and Thoma Vana, noting that annual withdrawal rates from `Iao aquifer nearly doubled from 1970 to 2005. “As a result, water levels in the `Iao aquifer system have declined, while the chloride concentration of water pumped from wells has increased. These conditions have raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of withdrawals from existing wells in the aquifer system.”
The authors have quantified the difference in recharge rates over the years. From 1926 to 1969, some 700 million gallons a day entered the groundwater systems of West and Central Maui. By 2004, that figure was just shy of 400 mgd, reflecting a 44 percent decrease.
There is some good news: New modeling of recharge rates shows they are somewhat higher than previous estimates included in the 1990 Hawai`i Water Plan. But if all agricultural irrigation ceases and if the drought conditions of 1998 to 2002 recur, the current recharge rates could be reduced by nearly half (46 percent), the authors say.
Observer Harassment: The Hawai`i-based longline fleet carries observers to monitor its interactions with protected species – and, although the presence of the observers is a condition of the fleet’s operation, not every vessel owner or crew member is happy to have them aboard. The organization Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) reports that the National Marine Fisheries Service received 73 reports of observers being harassed, attacked, or intimidated in 2006 (including five reports from Hawai`i-based observers). The number is a substantial jump over the incidents reported in 2005 (50, including seven from Hawai`i) and 2004 (26, including three from Hawai`i).
“In only one case was a violation prosecuted,” PEER said. “In the vast majority of cases, [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] took no enforcement action, and when it did, a warning was the most frequent sanction.”
Of the five cases reported from Hawai`i, one was closed with a “verbal warning” to the vessel operator, one was dismissed as unfounded, and three were referred to the NOAA general council’s office, where they remain.
“More than one in 10 observers is reporting a sexual assault or other intimidation on the high seas,” PEER executive Jeff Ruch said, noting that many observers are women who must be at sea on long voyages with foreign crews that may not welcome them
“Being a fishing observer is a tough job, but it is a lot tougher if no one is watching your back,” Ruch said.
Slowing Down: You’ve heard of the Slow Food movement, of course. Its members push for healthy, locally grown produce and rail against fast food and everything it stands for. Now from the same Italian folks who brought you Slow Food comes the Slow Cities movement, Cittàslow (think of a slow cheetah when you pronounce it).
According to its website, the movement, founded about two years ago, has the goal of preserving and cherishing those “experiences, values, wisdom, arts, and skills still present” in small towns, villages, and provinces throughout the world.
Member cities are scattered throughout Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, and New Zealand, but no U.S. town has enrolled yet. Information is available on their website (www.cittaslow.net) or by email query to [email]info@cittaslow.net[/email]
Volume 18, Number 6 — December 2007