State opposing county plan for East Maui water system

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Maui County effort to take control of the island’s largest water system has stalled after the state land department moved to block it, drawing criticism from environmentalists and traditional farmers.

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The East Maui Irrigation company draws water from streams on the slopes of Haleakala and delivers most of it to Mahi Pono, a large farming operation on former sugar land in central Maui.

The county has been seeking state approval to negotiate a takeover of that system and create a unified county water distribution system. The state is now opposing that move.

County and state at odds

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen spoke at a meeting of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs board of trustees, which supports county control of the system.

“We’re on the ground here on Maui. We understand our use, our needs, and our water system — I think better than the state does,” Bissen said.

Mahi Pono, which operates the East Maui Irrigation system through a subsidiary, used the same OHA meeting to defend its position that the state should retain oversight of the ditch system.

Mahi Pono general manager Grant Nakama said the state is better positioned to manage it.

“I think where we disagree is that we feel that that’s the state’s purview — they have the experience and resources to continue to do that job,” Nakama said.

OHA Trustee Carmen Hulu Lindsey pressed Nakama on Mahi Pono’s resistance to county ownership.

“Why are you folks in Mahi Pono so adamant that in ownership by you folks instead of the county of Maui, because the water resources are the people’s resources,” Lindsey said.

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Water priority and licensing proposal

During his presentation, Nakama said Mahi Pono would not receive water until other users are satisfied first.

“Mahi Pono doesn’t get any water until every other use is satisfied, and I think that is important to remember,” Nakama said.

Mahi Pono is farming more than 50,000 acres, sustained by water from the East Maui Irrigation system. Rejecting county control, state land managers are proposing — for the fourth time — that the state retain control of the system and auction Mahi Pono a 30-year license with access to up to 89 million gallons of water per day.

Criticism from traditional water users

Kyle Nakanelua, a taro farmer and chair of the East Maui Water Authority, said he does not trust the partnership between the state and Mahi Pono.

“We feel betrayed,” Nakanelua said. “They haven’t looked out for our interests 145 years. There seems to be a great relationship they have with Mahi Pono because they keep turning the answers over to support Mahi Pono.”

Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi Director Wayne Tanaka, reached by video call, raised the prospect of further litigation if the state moves forward with its proposal.

“The state’s lost eight times in eight cases in the last 10 years regarding East Maui,” Tanaka said.

The state has not responded publicly to complaints about the proposal, reserving its comments for a land board meeting scheduled for this Friday.

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