{"id":10654,"date":"2018-10-01T18:32:31","date_gmt":"2018-10-01T18:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.environment-hawaii.org\/?p=10654"},"modified":"2019-04-06T02:18:18","modified_gmt":"2019-04-06T02:18:18","slug":"water-commission-roundup-dhhl-water-reservations-west-maui-iifs-kawa-stream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/?p=10654","title":{"rendered":"Water Commission Roundup: DHHL Water Reservations, West Maui IIFS, Kawa Stream"},"content":{"rendered":"

On September 18, the state Commission on Water Resource Management approved groundwater reservations for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) totaling more than 13 million gallons a day (mgd) and spanning 20 aquifers across the islands of Lana`i, Kaua`i, Maui, and Hawai`i. The action brought the total amount of water reserved for the department statewide to about 27 mgd.<\/p>\n

The additional reservations reflect the agency\u2019s mid-range water need projections through 2031 that were identified last year in the State Water Projects Plan. Due to funding constraints, the plan focused solely on the DHHL, the largest landowner among the various state agencies whose needs were inventoried in the plan. The agency was singled out also because its water needs \u201care an identified public trust purpose and have priority under the State Constitution and Water Code,\u201d a Water Commission staff report states.<\/p>\n

In his testimony supporting the additional reservations, DHHL acting planning program manager Kaleo Manuel told the commission that the agency\u2019s requirements would increase once its projects are fully built out. He added that while he appreciated the commission\u2019s work in helping establish the reservations, he lamented the fact that they don\u2019t necessarily result in the actual delivery of water.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things we struggle with is, we have this reservation, but it\u2019s paper water. How do you get into wet water [and] ensuring that counties honor reservations? \u2026 That\u2019s where the rubber hits the road,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Some county water departments, \u201cthey treat us like a developer, which we\u2019re not. \u2026 We\u2019re training them to treat us like a customer,\u201d he said, adding that often times, counties will resist developing a well to meet the agency\u2019s needs because they believe it\u2019s not their responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be on the backs of DHHL,\u201d he said. DHHL water reservations are considered by the Water Commission and by counties in their calculation of authorized planned use. And according to the Water Commission report, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply has verbally committed to providing water service to DHHL tracts in the Wai`anae, Waipahu-Waiawa and Waimanalo areas.<\/p>\n

<\/b>But in some cases, Manuel said, counties aren\u2019t rejecting their obligations outright, but they simply don\u2019t share the DHHL\u2019s priorities. A clear example is Ka\u2019u on the island of Hawai`i, he said. <\/b>\u201cIt\u2019s not a priority for them, but it\u2019s a priority for us. We\u2019ve been trying to get them to make it a priority CIP [capital improvement project] \u2026 We\u2019ve been trying to get them to partner with us. Historically, the [DHHL] pays for everything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

With the DHHL\u2019s outreach to the counties, Manuel said, \u201cthe climate is changing. It is better, but there are still historic issues we\u2019re trying to fix.\u201d<\/p>\n

He recommended that when the Water Commission reviews the Water Use and Development Plans (WUDPs) developed by each county as part of the state Water Plan, it should make sure that the DHHL\u2019s needs are reflected in them.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t forget about us, basically,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said that the DHHL spends about $1.3 million a year maintaining its existing water use systems. The largest system, on Moloka`i, has 600 customers; the smallest has 49. With regard to the latter, Manuel said developing a water system for such a small number of people is not fiscally responsible, \u201cbut it\u2019s an obligation, so we do it at an extreme cost.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to ensuring the DHHL\u2019s needs are reflected in county WUDPs, Manuel said he has asked commission staff to consider including a condition in well construction permits (in aquifers not designated as water management areas) that would require some of the well water to be used to meet the DHHL\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

To this, commission geologist Roy Hardy said he thought adding such a condition would probably need approval from the full commission. \u201cI\u2019m sure we would get a lot of pushback if we did it ministerially,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

(For background on the DHHL\u2019s recent water struggles, see, \u201cBoard Directs Land Division To Help Permittees, DHHL Meet Water Needs<\/a>,\u201d in our February 2018 issue.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***<\/b><\/p>\n

Water Meters Critical In<\/b><\/p>\n

Implementing West Maui IIFS <\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite worries from the Launiupoko Irrigation Company, Inc. (LIC) and its customers that interim instream flow standards set (IIFS) on March 20 by the Water Commission for streams in West Maui would leave them wanting, stream and ditch flow data collected over the past several months suggest otherwise, according to a presentation last month by Ayron Strauch of the commission\u2019s stream protection and management branch.<\/p>\n

The IIFS of 3.36 million gallons a day (mgd) for Kaua`ula Stream concerned the LIC and its customers the most, as that is their main source of water. (The company also has the ability to divert water from Launiupoko Stream). To allay some of those concerns, the commission decided to implement the IIFS incrementally, initially restoring only 1 mgd to the stream at LIC\u2019s diversion and 0.8 mgd at a siphon.<\/p>\n

LIC started the controlled release of 1 mgd on March 28 and immediately claimed it left insufficient water in the ditch system. LIC project manager Heidi Bigelow wrote in emails to commission staff shortly after the release that the reservoir level had dropped by two feet.<\/p>\n

In an April 4 letter to its customers, the LIC stated that the release should have left the company with 2.6 mgd to distribute, but, in fact, left it with \u201csubstantially less than 1 mgd.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the new IIFS are implemented before alternative solutions are put in place, LIC will be allowed to divert an insufficient supply of water, and must invoke its PUC Tariff no. 1, RULE III Conservation Measures and Interruption of Water Supply requiring ALL customers of LIC within its service area to immediately reduce their water usage by 80 percent<\/b>,\u201d it warned.<\/p>\n

The company then appealed to commission staff to hold off fully implementing the IIFS for six months.<\/p>\n

Initially, Strauch balked, arguing in an April 12 email to Bigelow that even if only 3.5 mgd flowed in Kaua`ula Stream above the initial diversion \u2014 a conservative estimate, he wrote \u2014 there should be more than enough water to meet the needs reported by LIC.<\/p>\n

After returning 1 mgd to the stream and sending 1 mgd to users who aren\u2019t LIC customers, LIC would still have access to 1.5 mgd, \u201cplus water diverted from Launiupoko Stream (0.4 mgd),\u201d he wrote. Given that, he continued, the LIC should be able to meet the 1.3 mgd in distribution needs identified in its Public Utilities Commission (PUC) permit, even with a system loss of 20 percent. \u201c[T]here should be plenty of water. Where is the problem?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

The commission ultimately agreed to wait until late September to increase the amount of water released to the stream to 2 mgd. The delay would provide for \u201ca reasonable time period for both LIC and the Water Commission to measure and assess added flows in the stream, allowing us to work together for both good stream health and adequate water for LIC needs,\u201d wrote commission depute director Jeffrey Pearson in a May 7 letter to LIC.<\/p>\n

At the Water Commission\u2019s September 18 meeting, Strauch reported that measurements taken over the past several months at LIC\u2019s ditch intake and the stream below the diversion showed that an average of 2.44 mgd would be available from Kaua`ula Stream for offstream use if the 3.36 mgd IIFS was fully implemented and 0.47 mgd would be available from Launiupoko Stream, for a total of 2.91 mgd.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is definitely meeting their stated needs,\u201d Strauch said. Even so, he reported that nearly 100 LIC customers have sought to connect their non-potable water systems to the area\u2019s potable water system to ensure their water needs are met.<\/p>\n

In June, the Mahanalua Nui Homeowners Association, Inc., Makila Plantations Homeowners Association, Inc., and Pu\u2018unoa Homeowners Association, Inc., Steve Strombeck and the Strombeck Family Revocable Trust sought a contested case hearing on the IIFS, claiming that they would be left without sufficient water. The commission rejected those requests at its June 19 meeting, but not before the Office of Hawaiian Affairs\u2019 Wayne Tanaka questioned the petitioners\u2019 claim that they needed 1.8 mgd for small farms spanning 88 acres.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Launiupoko Irrigation Company petitioned the Public Utilities Commission to become a public utility, they said they would need 1.3 mgd for a fully developed 6,000-acre service area. Somehow this 88-acre area of agriculture is exceeding by 500,000 gpd what Launiupoko said they would need for 6,000 acres for fully developed ag lots,\u201d he said, adding that if 1.8 mgd really was being used, \u201cthe Commission should look into potential water waste that is going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maui resident Tiare Lawrence also testified that Launiupoko was filled with \u201cgentleman estates, million dollar mansions, fancy pools.\u201d \u201cBarely any real, sustainable, diversified farming takes place in Launiupoko,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

At the commission\u2019s September meeting, Strauch said that of the 98 LIC customers seeking crossover connections, 50 were ready to have theirs installed and the rest were at various stages in the inspection process. One application was not processed because the customer lacked access to a potable connection.<\/p>\n

He also reported that the U.S. Geological Survey is expected to install its own gages in the stream and ditch, which will provide the commission with real-time data.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kaua`ula Stream, West Maui<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe operator of the system has accepted this as the way forward. They\u2019re still evaluating non-potable needs. It\u2019s clear there was a lot of use that wasn\u2019t in compliance with the PUC permit,\u201d he said, adding that he understood the company was in discussions with the county regarding its development plans and zoning requirements.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***<\/b><\/p>\n

Kawa Stream<\/b><\/p>\n

Awaits Healing<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kawa Ditch, Kane`ohe, Oahu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Last month, the Water Commission granted the City and County of Honolulu a stream channel alteration permit (SCAP) for maintenance and erosion control work along Kawa Stream in Windward O`ahu to protect private properties along the stream banks.<\/p>\n

About 88 cubic yards of material will be excavated from several sections of the stream\/ditch. Concrete and rubble will be used to repair and patch weak spots.<\/p>\n

While he didn\u2019t object to the permit, the fact that the city wasn\u2019t doing more to protect the stream itself seemed to rankle David Penn, a former Department of Health (DOH) official who years ago was tasked with establishing the total maximum daily loads (TMDL) of contaminants in Hawai`i streams. Now he is head of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources\u2019 Legacy Land conservation program. Penn, testifying as a private citizen, expressed his impatience with the pace of the city\u2019s efforts to remedy some of the harm done to the stream over the decades.<\/p>\n

A perennial stream that empties into Kane`ohe Bay, Kawa was heavily channelized with concrete in the 1960s and 70s and is considered impaired by the DOH and the Environmental Protection Agency with regard to its water quality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started as TMDL coordinator for DOH, this was my first assignment, Kawa Stream. It was meant to be a drainage superhighway. Unfortunately, back in those days, we didn\u2019t have the foresight to put conservation districting around the state\u2019s 365 perennial streams,\u201d Penn said. The result: People were allowed to build their homes right up to the bank of the stream.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time I went up there, I thought the best approach would be to rip everything out and start over,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

<\/b>A few years ago, the city developed a plan to rehabilitate the stream that included \u201cstabilizing, repairing, and\/or reconstructing the stream bed and stream banks along most sections of the Kawa Ditch and Kawa Stream for the purpose of flood control, minimizing erosion, as well as enhancing the natural functions of the watercourse,\u201d a 2015 environmental assessment states. Completion of all phases of the plan depended on the funding available.<\/p>\n

At the commission meeting, Penn asked when the latter phases were going to occur. The work in those phases would alleviate pollutant impacts by \u201cinstalling concrete and rock features along the channel bottom, replacing some concrete side slopes with permeable alternatives, and installing native vegetation mats on side slopes. Respectively, these installations would serve to reduce flow velocity, allow for percolation of ground water, and retain water within vegetation. All serve to limit the transfer of pollutants into the local fresh water and ocean systems while at the same time reducing the erosion of the stream bed and surrounding land,\u201d the EA states.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really wanna know, when is the good stuff coming for stream health? Stream health is kinda like human health,\u201d Penn said, adding, \u201cThis poor little stream has been hammered.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the major \u201csurgeries\u201d Kawa stream has undergone is the burying of the spring at its headwaters, he said.<\/p>\n

Water Commissioner Neil Hannahs asked Penn if there might be a condition the commission could include in the SCAP the city was requesting that would help.<\/p>\n

Penn replied that it could try to set a deadline for the city to do the rest of the work in the plan, \u201cbut I don’t think you can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Teresa Dawson<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On September 18, the state Commission on Water Resource Management approved groundwater reservations for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) totaling more than 13 million gallons a day (mgd) and spanning 20 aquifers across the islands of Lana`i, Kaua`i, … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[3],"class_list":["post-10654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-october-2018","tag-teresa-dawson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}