A Watershed Achievement: On August 28, the state Commission on Water Resource Management adopted the 2008 Water Resources Protection Plan, which is perhaps the most important of the six plans that collectively make up the Hawai`i Water Plan as it … Continued
At a time when Hawai`i is seeking ways to feed more of its own people, O`ahu’s beef and pork industries are on the verge of disaster. Earlier this year, O`ahu’s only slaughterhouse, which processes both beef and pork, announced that … Continued
When attorney Jim Paul announced that he was going to try to explain, in 15 minutes, how court decisions – the Waiahole ditch decisions, in particular – affect water use, the small crowd before him erupted in giggles. Paul had … Continued
Members of Lanaians for Sensible Growth may be feeling like they’ve been sideswiped. Before they could take their turn arguing whether potable water had been improperly used to irrigate Castle and Cooke Resorts’ Manele golf course, the state Land Use … Continued
Much ado has been made by the parties in the Na Wai `Eha contested case hearing over a study being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey to help the Water Commission gather data needed to establish instream flow standards for … Continued
The contested case over the water flowing in Wailiku Water Company’s ditch system has raised an interesting question: When is an operator of an old sugar plantation ditch system considered a public utility? Under Hawai`i Revised Statutes, anyone who sells … Continued
Judging by arguments made in the contested case hearing over stream-related water sources in West Maui, the fate of the entire island is at stake. Oral arguments in the case begin this month on Maui, and environmental and Hawaiian groups, … Continued
Get out your score cards. Rancorous disputes over long-standing diversions of water from four Central Maui streams are coming to a head, and keeping track of the teams and their plays is becoming complicated. The diversions go back as far … Continued
Could It Happen Here? The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is considering buying out owners of 17,000 houses in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. The Los Angeles Times reported last month that … Continued
Taro farmers in East Maui don’t need any more water right now to grow their crops, according to retired judge E. John McConnell, hearing officer for a contested case on East Maui water licenses. The contested case, which involves the … Continued