November 2011 PDF
November 2011
Kaua`i Hydropower Company Seeks Accord with Agribusiness Development Corporation
The Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative has lost its “priority position” to generate hydropower using irrigation systems and land in west Kaua`i managed by the state Agribusiness Development Corporation. Last month, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued an order dismissing the … Continued
Cost of Corrective Actions Could Drive Owners to Tear Down Dams
Some of them leak like sieves, losing (or wasting, some might say) millions of gallons a day of diverted stream water into the ground. But achieving greater food security without the 130 or so earthen reservoirs throughout the state would, … Continued
Kaloko-Honokohau Park Voices Concern Over Update to Hawai`i County Water Plan
The National Park Service is worried about water. More specifically, it fears that the underground flows that feed the fishponds and anchialine pools at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park will be interrupted or polluted if areas mauka of the park are … Continued
New & Noteworthy: Albatrosses, Ants, and an Agricultural Liaison
Black-footed Albatross Not Endangered: That’s the final determination of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in response to a petition to list the species Phoebastria nigripes as endangered. The petition was filed seven years ago by Turtle Island Restoration Network … Continued
Flooding Forecasts, Climate Research Among Casualties of Stream Gage Losses
The cost to operate a stream gage is roughly $22,500 a year. The potential cost, in lives and property, of not operating it is incalculable. So, when the U.S. Geological Survey announced recently that it would be ceasing operations of … Continued
Water Commission Inaction Frustrates Legal Appeal of East Maui Stream Decision
Na Moku `Aupuni o Ko`olau Hui’s decade-long fight to get more water released into East Maui streams has hit a snag. On September 15, the Hawai`i Intermediate Court of Appeals affirmed its August 31 decision to dismiss Na Moku’s appeal … Continued