Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 13, Number 4, 1 April 1996 — Protecting Hawaiian water rights in Waiāhole [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Protecting Hawaiian water rights in Waiāhole

Water was an important part of the Hawaiian past and will play a key role in its future. Nowhere is that more clear than on O'ahu where traditional windward farmers and OHA have squared off against powerful central O'ahu interests over the future use of water from the Waiāhole Irrigation Ditch system. Since the fall of last year, the state Commission on Water Resource Management has been holding a "consolidated care hearing contested case hearing" decide conflicting water rights and future aIlocations. To represent OHA in this ongoing contested-case hearings, OHA has contracted Hawaiian attorney Walter Heen and the Native Hawaiian Advisory Council (NHAC) - a group actively involved in Hawaiian water rights issues - to

represent the agency. OHA has filed a petition to amend interim instream flow standards for Windward ceded and public lands to restore all O'ahu streamflows affected by the Waiāhole

Ditch System. OHA is also seeking a reservation of 1 1.1 million gallons per day (mgd) for present and future water uses of water in traditional and customary agriculUire.

Waiāhole Stream