The waterflow will be restored to five streams on Molokai that were diverted in the early 1900s for plantations and ranches.  

Moloka‘i Nō Ka Heke, a community group that advocates for protecting streams, and other community members applauded the Commission on Water Resource Management’s decision on Wednesday to restore the stream flow, according to an Earthjustice press release. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Commission on Water Resource Management decided Wednesday to fully or partially restore the stream flow to five streams on Molokai

  • Moloka‘i Nō Ka Heke, a community group that advocates for protecting streams, originally requested the streams be restored back in 2019

  • The streams that will be restored were diverted for use by plantations and ranches and often dry for more than a century

  • Restoring the flow of these streams will benefit groundwater recharge, near-shore ecosystems, native wetland species, and coastal spring flows critical for native limu growth

The streams that will be fully or partially restored — East Kawela, East Kawela Tributary, West Kawela, Lualohe and Waikolu Streams — were diverted and often dry for more than a century, according to a Department of Land and Natural Resources press release. 

Restoring the flow of these streams will benefit groundwater recharge, near-shore ecosystems, native wetland species and coastal spring flows critical for native limu growth, which only thrive in pristine waters. The restored stream flow will also support Native Hawaiian cultural practices, such as subsistence gathering and fishing. 

“The ahupua‘a of Kawela, during the peak of its time, had some of the best managed and abundant freshwater resources on the island,” said Moloka‘i Nō Ka Heke member Teave Heen of Kawela, according to the Earthjustice press release. “Kawela needs to flow, not just for the health of the fish and limu, but for the health of the people who live the subsistence lifestyle, and the overall health of the ‘āina itself.”

At the dry river mouth for Kawela stream, there used to be an inland fishpond, and the area known as Kakahaʻia, which is now a National Wildlife Refuge for rare wetland birds, has shrunk over time. The return of the stream flow will revitalize this wetland. 

Throughout Hawaii in the early 1900s, streams were diverted to provide water for plantations and ranches. The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled last month in favor of East Maui kalo farmers over the diversion of more than 100 million gallons of water per day by Alexander & Baldwin. 

The streams on Molokai were diverted to provide water resources to the drier west side of the island, which is now owned by a company in Singapore, but still known as Molokai Ranch. The ranch owns 55,000 acres of land — a third of Molokai’s land — and the Water Commission reported that in recent years the ranch has diverted nine times the amount of water it uses.  

“The Molokai community saw that something was wrong here, and as it turns out, it was much more out of balance than we could have ever imagined,” said Earthjustice attorney Mahesh Cleveland in a press release. “Diverting nine times the water you use is egregiously wasteful, and must never be allowed to happen. Now that the Commission has at least partially protected Kawela on paper, it just needs to make sure that the diverter will honor its obligations.”

For now, the Commission established a median flow for the five streams. Within a year, the goal is to fully restore East Kawela Stream, according to a Department of Land and Natural Resources press release. 

In order to fully restore East Kawela Stream, CWRM will follow up with the owners of Molokai Ranch, which owns the Mountain Water System. This water system includes seven diversions on streams in Kawela, Kaunakakai and Waikolu, as well as 50 millions in reservoir storage. 

Molokai Ranch was told to investigate water system loss and whether wastewater reuse is a possible alternative water source to meet its non-potable needs.  

Moloka‘i Nō Ka Heke originally requested stream restoration in 2019. 

“After over a hundred years of Kawela waters being diverted across the island and wasted, we finally said enough is enough,” said Moloka‘i Nō Ka Heke member Walter Ritte in an Earthjustice press release. “The big ranching and ag operations are gone, and we couldn’t just sit and watch this precious water be thrown away.”

The Department of Land and Natural Resources said over 100 pieces of written testimony and hours of oral testimony were heard at its monthly meeting on Tuesday. 

The Commission said it would look at additional modifications to diversions and stream flow in 180 days. 

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii.