Record-deep water level in Maui and Kauai flows

Hydrologists from the State Commission for Water Resource Management say that the drought conditions of this winter will be significantly deteriorated throughout the state if there is no significant precipitation between now and the start of the dry season.

Hydrologists not only see record-low water levels in the Kawaikoi stream, which removes part of the Alakai plateau on Kauai, but also in some East Maui flows, according to the Ministry of Country and Natural Resources.

“Kawakoi Stream flows in record rivers in the last seven to nine months.

Strauch says that in the approximately 109 years of the recorded story for Kawaikoi and 105 years in some streams of East Maui. “But we have never seen so low rivers in this extent in the entire state.”

Some streams are already completely dry, says Strauch, who influences water availability for drinking water supplies, traditional and usual practices and agriculture.

Mike Faye (pronounced “Fi-Yah”), a water manager at Kekaha Agriculture Association in Kauai, will soon be confronted with the distribution of a dwindling water supply to AG users. And if the conditions do not improve, some of them will “stay high and dry”.

“Our task is to take care of the infrastructure, which consists of two trench systems that come from the mountains in Kokee – The Kekaha -Ditch and the Kokee Ditch, ”said Faye.

The association also operates two hydropower plants – Mauka Hydro in Waimea Valley and Waiawa Hydro, which were built in 1908 – together with 30 miles of power lines and 30 miles. If the water flows further sink, the performance generated by the plants could stop together with the water supply to the nine licensees who landed on Mauka via Kekaha Mana Plain. There are a total of 13,000 acres that used to support the sugar industry in the Kauai plantation era. The press release states that agriculture of the Agribusiness Development Corporation licenses the tenants of agriculture.

“One of the advantages of long -term data records is to talk about the severity of the drought conditions that are observed in relation to 100 years of records and explain by explaining that these are unprecedented rivers,” said Strauch.

“In the past nine months, we only have top electricity conditions for 12 days, which is very unusual, and we can compare this with a normal year in which we can have the availability of water for 60 days.

The CWRM team uses sophisticated instruments and data from permanent stations of the flow flow to monitor regular conditions of 80 waterways nationwide. They say that the view in West Kauai and in east and West Maui is particularly bleak.

“Honokohau stream in West Maui, the middle river for this season, is about 20 cubic feet per second (CFS) or about 12 to 13 million gallons a day,” said Strauch. Last week the electricity flowed with eight to nine CFS or five and a half to six million gallons a day, which corresponds to a third or 25% of the normal currents. The recent rains have improved the Honokohau -Stream flow to 11.8 CFS.

The Wailuku River of the IAO Valley also recorded an improved current flow from 15 CFS to 22 CFS last week.

A dry stream bed in Maui. Maui County has already issued indications of water protection to prepare for the summer. (Photo with the kind permission of the Ministry of Country and Natural Resources)

“Normal river is about 25 and again, these currents provide water for drinking water supply,” said Strauch. “They provide water for in-stream values, and it becomes a real challenge to manage water requirements and water availability if we try to protect a number of competing public trust.”

The normally rainy east-Maui also lists record-breaking low stream currents. Maui County has already imposed water protection restrictions due to the current lack of water and the next rainy season.

Strauch came to the conclusion: “Obviously, this has an effect that depends directly on the streams.

Strauch hopes that the late winter rain will improve the water situation nationwide, but if this is not the case, he says that water protection will be decisive.