Beatrice Kekahuna & Marjorie Wallett -Community Advocate of the Year

Award 2010

Lyn Scott – Kālo Farmer and Water Rights Advocate

UH Maui – GIS 150 and GIS 180 (Sarah McLane Bryan)

Maui Brewing Company – Most Excellent Host

Sean Birney –Critic, creative soundboard and PIA

Jill Richards – Title

Honopou Road Association

Moku were large parcels of land encapsulating several smaller areas inhabited by different,

somewhat related families. Ahupua’a (literally ‘pig altar’) defines a triangular division of land that

runs from the mountain (mauka) to the sea (makai) wherein closely related family units utilized

resources for subsistence. Each ahupua’a was home to an extended family (‘ohana) of 30 to 100

people, ruled by chiefs (ali’i nui) and bosses (koho hiki) whose responsibility (kule’ana) was to care

for the Gods, the land, and the community. The upper, rainforest region (waonahele) of the ahupua’a

was where the land pulled water from the sky, providing wood and medicines. The center region (kula

uka) was where fertile lands were used for agriculture. And the region by the shore (kula kai) was for

fishing, and where most of the houses (hale) were located.

Honopou translates to “post harbor” (Pukui et al., 1974) and is a perennial stream with a

total stream length of 10.2 miles (16.5 km) originating from the lower slopes of Hāleakālā at 2,286 feet

elevation.

More than half of the land cover consists of introduced forests, with some native Koa-‘Ohiā

forests that spread throughout the upper slopes as part of the Ko’olau Forest Reserve. Honopou

Stream is inhabited by a mixture of native and introduced freshwater species, with the majority of the

native species residing at higher elevations. The native stream animals have amphidromous life cycles

(Ego, 1956) meaning that they spend their larval stages in the ocean (salt water), then return to fresh

water streams to spend their adult stage and reproduce. Newly hatched fish larvae are carried

downstream to the ocean where they become part of the planktonic pool in the open ocean.

The volume of inhabited and subsistence land as well as the number of resident descendants

has decreased; coupled with the increase in kama’āina residents, dynamics have dramatically changed.

However, a strong sense of relying on natural elements for subsistence presides. Today, each resident

along Honopou Road relies solely on solar power, water catchment systems or streamflow for

electricity and fresh water. One taro farm (kālo lo’i) has been actively pursuing a decrease in the

amount of water that is being diverted for several years in an effort to successfully farm the full

potential of the land.

Honopou Road remains a private road, meaning that each portion of the road transects a

private property and passage is granted by individual land owners. Honopou Road Association is a

non-profit organization wherein the members are property owners or residents of the community and

are responsible for road maintenance, settling disputes, and fundraising. It has long been the

consensus that pursuing amenities such as electricity, phone (landline) access and county road

maintenance would be detrimental to the community overall. Due to the publishing of particular

visitor “guides” that have invited guests to explore and enjoy particular features of the area, there has

been a marked increase in the amount of traffic and undesirable behaviors in the community.

Acknowledgements

Introduction

The State Water Code defines a hydrologic unit as follows:

“A surface drainage area or a ground water basin or a combination of the two.”

The State Water Code (Code), Chapter 174C, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), mandates that the

Water Resource Protection Plan shall include, but not be limited to:

“Hydrologic units and their characteristics, including the quantity and quality of

available resource, requirements for beneficial instream uses and environmental protection,

desirable uses worthy of preservation by permit, and undesirable uses for which permits may be

denied.”

The East Maui Irrigation (EMI) System was built more than a century ago and today

encompasses nearly 75 miles of diversions and reservoirs. Hawai’i Cane & Sugar (HC&S)

requires, on average, approximately 200 million gallons a day (MGD) of water to maintain

36,000 acres of sugarcane. This number does not include the amount of water allocated for

residents and other agriculture in the ʻupcountryʻ area (Kula, Makawao, Pukalani, Pā’ia) as

demand is ever changing. However, restrictions on water use for these purposes has been

prevalent during recent years. Since the early 20th century, about 100 billion gallons of water

(274 MGD) have been diverted each year from Maui streams for irrigation in west and central

Maui. More than half of this diverted water, 59 billion gallons per year (162 MGD), comes from

east Maui (Engott and Vana, 2007).

The ditch diversions in Honopou Stream block upstream migration of native

amphidromous animals with the use of pipes. At high flows, stream diversions are overtopped

and streamflow is continuous from the upper reaches to the sea. When flow returns to normal

level, diversions could quickly remove water from the stream, leaving sections dry. This prevents

the upstream migration of native stream biota, restricts surviving adult animals to the

disconnected deep pools, and causes postlarvae recruits to be stranded at the stream mouth.

The diversions also have significantly reduced baseflows in the stream, limiting overall habitat

for native species.

Following upon the results of an Oahu Ko’olau case study, the paper provides a brief

comparison with the east Maui forests, noting the particular importance of the east Maui

watershed as the single largest source of surface water in the state, home to some of the most

intact and extensive native forests left in Hawai’i, along with having the State’s largest

concentration of endangered forest birds. In both cases, the Oahu Ko’olaus and east Maui, the

most valuable aspects of the forested areas are believed to be ecotourism, aesthetic pleasure,

species habitat, water quality, and water quantity. Both regions are roughly the same size;

however, the east Maui forests may have greater value due to greater species diversity and

native habitat, and the County of Maui’s dependence upon surface water as a drinking water

source (Kaiser, B. et al., n.d.).

Methodology

GIS (Geographic Information System) data for EMI (East Maui Irrigation) diversion systems was not readily available. Therefore, digital representations of diversions in the study area were derived via geospatial reference of existing imagery.

HC&S (Hawai’i Cane and Sugar) irrigation water usage, including diversion flow rates and streamflow gage information were derived from historical records.

The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a field study in June, August and September 2011 regarding seepage losses and gains along specific sections of EMI Diversions, and information was obtained directly from this published report. Seepage losses in this instance include the amount of water that is allowed to bypass the diversions and continue along the natural streamflow.

State of Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) conducted an in-depth study on Instream Flow Standards for Honopou Hydrological Unit 6034 in 2008 and information was obtained directly from this published report.

Rainfall data was extracted from the Hawai’i Rainfall Atlas, and annual rainfall totals calculated from the nearest geographical documented and current RF Atlas Station (Lupi, 442, EMI).

Population information and visitor numbers with regards to County of Maui past, present, and future (extrapolated) were obtained via County of Maui Planning Department and Census records. Graph representing the relative changes over time with respect to annual rainfall and population, both resident and visitor, was derived via ArcMap Excel-to -Table and graphing tools.

Problem Statement

Results & Discussion

Drought is generally defined as a shortage of water supply that usually

results from lower than normal rainfall over an extended period of time, though it

can also result from human activities that increase water demand (Giambelluca et

al., 1991).

In addition to natural variations in rainfall, long-term trends have been

noted that may be caused by climate changes. Over the past 90-100 years, while

the effects of ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) and PDO (Pacific Decadal

Oscillation) caused large ups and downs, rainfall in Hawai'i has slowly declined

overall. This decline has been especially apparent during recent decades, in part,

because it coincides with the low rainfall phase of the PDO. However, the rainfall

record and other evidence point to a downward trend in mean rainfall that may

persist at least through the end of this century. One possible explanation for the

decline has to do with the weather disturbances that regularly disrupt the trade

wind inversion and produce widespread rainfall over the islands. If these

predictions are borne out, we will continue to see ups and downs in rainfall in the

future related to ENSO and PDO, but mean rainfall will decline, and drought will

become more frequent.

The low numbers of native animals that have been observed in

Honopou stream suggest that large sections of the stream are currently not

suitable habitat for native animals. Return of water into the stream would likely

have a beneficial effect on the availability of upstream passages of larval and adult

stream animals. Restoration of streamflow and increased connectivity could lead

to the development of a richer and more native-dominated community in the

stream.

With Hawai’i’s limited water resources and growing water demands,

droughts will continue to adversely affect the environment, economy, and the

residents of the State. Aggressive planning is necessary to make wise decisions

regarding the allocation of water at the present time, and conserving water

resources for generations to come.

Increasing the amount of water that can be reserved for use during

periods of low rainfall (reservoirs) and reducing seepage losses due to aging

diversion infrastructure would likely benefit stream ecosystem health, residential

and small-scale agricultural use and the economy.

In addition to these topical concerns, the continued profitability of

sugarcane production on Maui is uncertain and aggressive steps to arrange for

economic security for residents and overall ecosystem health for Maui should be

considered.

Instream Flow Standard Assessment Report-Island of Maui Hydrologic Unit 6034

Honopou September 2008 PR-2008-01

Commission on Water Resource Management Surface-Water Hydrologic Units

A Management Tool for Instream Flow Standards PR-2005-01 Prepared by the

Commission on Water Resource Management Department of Land and Natural

Resources State of Hawaii June 2005

Hawai’i Division of Aquatic Resources Atlas of Hawaiian Watersheds & Their

Aquatic Resources 4/7/2008

State of Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources, 2010, Staff submittal

for the meeting of the Commission on Water Resource Management on May 25,

2010, Pāia, Maui

UH Mānoa Department of Geography

Maui County Office of Planning: Maui County General Plan 2030

Giambelluca, T.W., Q. Chen, A.G. Frazier, J.P. Price, Y.-L. Chen, P.-S. Chu, J.K. Eischeid,

and D.M. Delparte, 2013: Online Rainfall Atlas of Hawai‘i. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.

94, 313-316, doi: 10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00228.1.

Gingerich, S.B., 1999, Ground-water occurrence and contribution to streamflow,

northeast Maui, Hawaiÿi: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations

Report 99-4090, 69 p

Focus on the FlowGIS 180 – Ecosystem Management

Elisse Deleissegues

References

Figure 2: Four (4) EMI diversions intersect Honopou stream, Wailoa, New Hamakua, Lowrie and Haiku

Figure 1: Ha’ikū , North shore of East Maui (study area)

Figure 4 – Approximately 124 residents of Honopou Rd. and Puniawa Rd. utilize

Honopou Stream for subsistence and recreation.

Figure 3 – Four (4) USGS Gaging Stations on Honopou Stream

1) 16578000-elev. 1,208 ft. active. 2) 16591000- elev. 557 ft. inactive. 3)

16593000-elev. 441 ft., inactive. 4) 16595000-elev. 383 ft. ,inactive.

Photo by: Tony Novak-Clifford

Diversion at Wailoa Ditch reduced flows at station 16591000 by at least

67% (1933). At station 16593000, the diversion at Lowrie Ditch reduced

flows by at least 60% (1933). The diversion at the Haiku Ditch decreased

flows at station 16595000 by as much as 56% (1946). Data for diversion at

station 16587000 Hāmākua is not currently available to the public.

The native damselfly (Megalagrion pacificum) is proposed for listing as

Endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act (2008).