West Maui Water Management Plan

erc projects

West Maui Water Management Plan

Planning and action to restore the ahupua'a system through resource management and recharge of the watersheds to feed the hydrological system that leads to Mokuhinia including a Wai (Water System) dashboard

Project Description

Planning and action to restore the ahupua‘a system through resource management and recharge of the watersheds to feed the hydrological system that leads to Mokuhinia
Establish public, community-led water infrastructure trust; county ownership with community oversight
Look for water innovations for catchment, recycled water, water recharge, desalination, and other options, including water conservation
Analyze existing regulations and compare and amend them to better conform to the ahupua‘a system
Identify number of jobs to be created

Purpose

A community-led process to develop a West Maui water plan that guides private and public landowners to sustainable decision making; include review of existing water use development plan and other relevant planning documents within a year
Master document incorporating the community’s desires for water uses and management
Ensuring appropriate management of water supply for the myriad uses of water - economic, environmental, agricultural, social, etc.
Outcome: a water management plan that balances water uses, water reuse, ecological water values, watershed function and water source recharge.
Ultimately, implementation of the plan in accordance with the timelines put forward in the plan

Alignment with West Maui Community Plan (WMCP)

Goal 2.1 - Ready and resilient systems.

Policy 2.1.4 - Prioritize projects that provide multiple benefits from resilience actions.

Policy 2.1.10 - Require public water systems, and to the extent legally allowable, private water systems to develop in a manner facilitating potential interconnection or integrated management to optimize pumpage, mitigate saltwater intrusion, prevent adverse impacts to streams, preserve regional resources, and preserve traditional and customary rights protected under the Hawai‘i State Constitution, Article XII, Section 7.

Action 1.31 - Develop contingency agreements between the County and private water purveyors in West Maui.

Interdependencies and Roadblocks

Intersections, if any, does this project have with other projects, resources or activities?)
Review current Water Use Development Plan, West Maui Community Plan, and other relevant planning documents for gaps, needed updates, possible innovations
Intersections with existing projects (e.g., Lahaina Waste Water R-1 project)
Identifying and finding the team - DWS, partners as noted above
Commitment and collaboration from private water system owners and operators.
Identify watershed collaborations that actively manage West Maui mountains:
Mauna Kahalawai Watershed Partnership
Monitoring wells? Streamgages? Access to that data? To manage aquifers. Dashboard.

Potential roadblocks:

Current water code
Precommitted uses to impact the ability to fulfill project goals (identify and understand these uses)
Current infrastructure
Need for land acquisition, easements
Permits, government processes
Lack of information (inventory needed to inform next steps and decisions)

Next Steps

Project Details

Cost Estimate:

$1,500,000+
Date of Estimate: 8/21/2

Potential Funding Sources:

Existing:

County: Hazard Mitigation Fund from FEMA to County
State:

Potential:

Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Relief (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)
Federal: disaster funding, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation; Environmental Protection Agency; Congressionally Directed Spending / Community Project Funding; U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (end of the process if related to economic possibilities and job creation)
Philanthropic Groups: Ulupono, Hawaii Community Foundation Fresh Water Initiative

Project Lead

County of Maui DWS, Kimo Langraf (recommended by Mayor Bissen)

Project Partners

County of Mauisome text
- DEM
- Agriculture
- Public Works
- ʻŌiwi Resources
State of Hawaiisome text
- Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM)
- Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR)
- Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL)
- Department of Health
Community Stakeholderssome text
- Private water companies, landowners
- Water users - businesses, residents
- Watershed Partnerships
- Conservation and Environmental Groups

Other ERC Projects

Designing Permitting Processes for Accelerated West Maui and Kula Recovery: A Project for Rebuilding

Developing and Integrating a Maui Workforce Ecosystem

Expanding R-1 Water System to Lahaina

Lahaina Business Park: Malu Ulu O Lele

Pathways to Prosperity: Health, Housing, and Economic Diversity for All

Regaining Lahaina’s Harbor for Economic Resilience

Story Mapping and Abundance Planning for Economic Recovery

The Healing Journey (Maui Economic Recovery through Community Healing)

Wai Dashboard

Advancing an Agricultural, Natural Resource & Food Systems Workforce Task Force

Back to ERC

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Key Highlights

ERC members share from the ERC process:

The opportunity to get to know and work with others, who they normally would not meet, in meaningful ways
A new way of doing business together for shared goals: Time to build foundations and relationships, to learn, and to think broadly about what Maui needs for long-term recovery has been really appreciated and is crucial for real impact
Witnessing a de-siloing of government (across levels) and experiencing working with agencies and across sectors provides hope
Mayor Bissen announced that there will be private funding to support two years of project management, so relationships, new ways of doing business together, and the projects will continue through implementation, and our administration will continue to support the people of the Maui and the County after this warm hand-off

Maui Nui Strong is a program of the County of Maui Office of Economic Development that connects our residents, businesses, and visitors to useful information about Maui County, our diverse islands, and a variety of resources that help to promote thriving and vibrant communities.

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