Hawaii First Water

Hawaii’s resorts say visitors take Waikiki beach closures in stride

(Editor Note:  Much of Waikiki Beach reopened for business on 26 August after water quality tests proved negative.  A few areas off the beaches remain closed on southern Oahu)

By Darin Moriki, Pacific Business News, 26 August 2015

Hawaii may be best known for its balmy weather, warm Pacific Ocean waters and relatively clean beaches, but the stormy weather this week, a sewage spill near Ala Moana Center that closed Waikiki Beach showed visitors a different side of the Aloha State.

“We got a call the minute it happened down by the (Hawaii) Convention Center, so we were very fortunate to have that kind of communication,” Hawaii Tourism Authority President and CEO George Szigeti told reporters during a news conference on Wednesday in the city’s Department of Emergency Management. “The health, safety and welfare of our visitors and locals alike is No. 1, so we immediately informed all of our hotels and they took appropriate safety mechanisms in place to ensure that all visitors were adhering to the (warning) signs.”

See the rest of the article here

Hawaii Community Foundation Releases Fresh Water “Blueprint for Action” for Hawai’i

Hawai‘i has been blessed with consistent rainfall, advantageous geology, and high-quality drinking water stores for centuries. Recent findings, however, have raised concern about long-term fresh water security for our Islands. University of Hawai‘i and other scientists have documented troubling trends including reduced rainfall, higher evaporation rates, and declining stream flows in recent decades. These findings, coupled with the demand of an ever-increasing population, suggest that Hawai‘i is entering an era of fresh water uncertainty.

The Hawai‘i Fresh Water Initiative (Initiative) was launched in 2013 to bring multiple, diverse parties together to develop a forward-thinking and consensus-based strategy to increase water security for the Hawaiian Islands. Organized by the independent, nonprofit Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF), the Initiative relied on a blue ribbon advisory panel of individuals (Hawai‘i Fresh Water Council or Council) with deep knowledge of water and a collaborative spirit to articulate a vision for a more secure and sustainable water future based on shared values, and shared sacrifice. This Blueprint is the result of their work, and provides Hawai‘i policy and decision-makers with a set of solutions that have broad, multi-sector support in the fresh water community that should be adopted over the next three years to put Hawai‘i on a path toward water security. The Blueprint also builds on the good work, findings, and recommendations over the years by preceding stewards of Hawai‘i’s most important resource.

To achieve the ambitious goal of 100 mgd in additional fresh water capacity, the group outlined three aggressive water strategy areas and individual targets that the public and private sectors must work together to achieve by 2030:

 

  • Conservation: Improve the efficiency of our population’s total daily fresh groundwater water use rate by 8% from the current 330 gallons per day/person to 305 gallons per day/person.1 By 2030, this goal will provide 40 mgd in increased water availability.

 

  • Recharge: Increase Hawai‘i’s ability to capture rainwater in key aquifer areas by improving storm water capture and nearly doubling the size of our actively protected watershed areas.2 By 2030, this goal will provide 30 mgd in increased water availability.

 

  • Reuse: More than double the amount of wastewater currently being reused in the Islands to 50 mgd.3 By 2030, this goal will provide an additional 30 mgd in increased water availability.

The Fresh Water Council distilled nearly two years of research and analysis into a single goal: creating 100 million gallons per day (mgd) in additional, reliable fresh water capacity for our islands by 2030.

 

Read the HFC’s  Blueprint for Action here…

 

Severe Drought Cripples Maui Ranch

July 2015, Lisa Kubota, MAUI (HawaiiNewsNow) –

The record-setting heat this summer is taking a toll on two Leeward regions already under severe drought. Kaupo Ranch on Maui is in one of those devastated areas.

A total combined head of 1,500 cattle grazed on the southern slopes of Haleakala five years ago. Due to the dry weather, that number has now fallen to 1,300 and will likely continue dropping.

The paniolo heritage at Kaupo Ranch traces back to 1929. When the rain falls, the remote property is blanketed with lush greenery. These days, however, much of the landscape is barren and brown.

“You just go into survival mode and do what you think you can do, prepare,” explained Kaupo Ranch manager Bobby Ferreira. “What I going get rid of? Lighten up as much as you can.”

See the rest of the article on HNN

(Kona) Residents sound off on water issues

28 March 2015, By Bret Yager, West Hawaii Today

The state Commission on Water Resource Management is chiefly concerned with how much water is available and how those quantities should be managed.

But West Hawaii residents are just as worried about threats to water quality, judging from a scoping meeting held by CWRM in Kailua-Kona on Tuesday evening.

Residents expressed concern about the lack of information on just how much of the precious resource is available under the surface. How to keep pesticides and sewage pollution out of drinking water, and how to make management decisions based on incomplete science — but with significant human impacts — were other issues raised by about 70 people who packed a workshop with CWRM at the West Hawaii Civic Center.

The input was designed to help CWRM draft a Water Resource Protection Plan update that will focus on better assessment of the water available around the state, water shortage planning, water conservation and improved monitoring data. The last update was in 2008.

Water Program Manager Roy Hardy acknowledged that data on water volume is limited and better reporting on well pumping is needed. But statistics already available from stream gauges statewide point to declining flows likely because of climate change, he said.

“All of the stream levels are going down,” he said. “That’s an issue we’re looking at.”

See the rest of the article…

A summary of the Water Resource Protection Plan Update can be found at files.hawaii.gov/dlnr/cwrm/planning/wrpp2014update/WRPP-2014UpdateFactSheet.pdf.

Comments on the water issues important to you can be emailed to: Jeremy Kimura (Jeremy.l.kimura@hawaii.gov) or Sherri Hiraoka (sherihiraoka@townscapeinc.com).

A water workshop will be held in Hilo from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday (30 March) at the Aupuni Center.

Public hearings on the draft water management plan will follow the release of the public draft in late 2015 or 2016.

Heavy rainfall events becoming more frequent on Big Island, Hawaii

5 Feb 2015, Science Digest and University of Hawaii/Manoa

 

A recent study by University of Hawai’i at Mānoa researchers determined that heavy rainfall events have become more frequent over the last 50 years on Hawai’i Island. For instance, a rare storm with daily precipitation of nearly 12 inches, occurring once every 20 years by 1960, has become a rather common storm event on the Big Island of Hawai’i — returning every 3-5 years by 2009.

In a paper published in the International Journal of Climatology, Ying Chen, a UH Mānoa graduate student at the time of the study, and Dr. Pao-Shin Chu, professor of atmospheric sciences at UH Mānoa and head of the Hawai’i State Climate Office, analyzed extreme precipitation events and the frequency with which they occur on three islands in Hawai’i — Oʻahu, Maui and Hawai’i Island.

While heavy rainfall events have become more frequent over the last 50 years on the easternmost island in Hawai’i, the opposite behavior is observed for Oʻahu and Maui to the west. There, rainfall extremes have become less frequent in the last five decades. This study, therefore, also reveals a regional — that is, east to west — difference in how precipitation patterns are responding to a changing climate.

“In the past, the frequency of heavy rainfall events was assumed to be fairly constant. However, because climate is changing, the assumption of stable precipitation climatology is questionable and needs to be reconsidered,” said Chu.

“Changes in the frequency of heavy rain events have repercussions on ecological systems, property, transportation, flood hazards, and engineering design — including sewage systems, reservoirs and buildings.”

This study also provides clues about why and how the frequency of precipitation extremes has changed. Chu and Chen found a greater number of extreme rain events during La Nina years and the opposite during El Nino years.

In this study, the number of rain gauges used was limited — the researchers used information from 24 weather stations on the three islands. For future work, Chu hopes analyzing data from additional stations will provide a more detailed assessment of changing rain patterns across the Hawaiian Islands.

Water as a System

Water as a System

Remarks by Kyle Datta, General Partner, Ulupono.  Presented at “Water Studies at UH: Next Generation Possibilities” – Kapiolani Community College, Oahu, Hawaii – November 13, 2014.

 

Aloha and Good Morning to Everyone.

Water is a system that unites and divides us.  The water system encompassed in the hydrological cycle integrates agriculture, energy, urban development, culture, watersheds, and the environment.  This understanding of managing water as a system goes to the very roots of Hawaiian culture.  The Hawaiian creation chant, “Aia I Hea Ka Wai a Kane”, translated means, “Where are the waters of Kane?”.  This chant is a series of riddles that reveal the hydrological cycle of these islands.

At Ulupono, our mission is to increase the amount of local food and energy while minimizing waste.  Since we take a systems perspective in our investments, we asked the question, “Do we have enough land and water to achieve our societal goals?”  We commissioned a three-year effort by the Energy Institute of University of Texas, Austin using East Maui as an example of the systems approach.  The findings are profound, not only here, but also nationally:

  • We have already reached the age of peak water. We must take the reality of peak water into account in our future water planning.
  • Climate change is and will continue to reduce the amount of water captured in all islands.  Overall, the state has 6 percent less rainfall already, and this will accelerate as the oceans warm and air currents change.
  • Climate change will accelerate species loss as rainfall shifts and temperature rise increases the range of invasive species.
  • Current course is unsustainable — Maui will run out of water.  Indeed, Oahu faces a similar fate, as both counties mine the groundwater aquifers at an unsustainable rate.

What is the Current State of Fresh Water Supplies in Honolulu and Oahu: Will We Have Enough Water for the Future?

By Larry Kobayashi,

Hawaii First Water, LLC,

12 September 2014,

20150306-DSC_2370

Executive Summary;

Within our grandkids’ lifetimes, Hawaii’s fresh water supply will likely not be able to handle the water demands of Hawaii’s increasing population due to decreasing aquifer levels and increased drought conditions due to long term climate changes.

  •  Oahu’s aquifers and streams have already begun to decline over the past decade. Expanding paved urban areas and decreasing agricultural production particularly on the island of Oahu–where a majority of the island’s population resides–will also further reduce fresh water resupply to the aquifers.

 

  •  Despite Hawaii’s growing population, the demand for fresh water to consumers has remained stable or reduced for reasons that are yet unknown to water officials.

Future scarcities can be forestalled by increasing conservation measures, more gray water reuse and eventually ocean water desalination which will come at an increased cost to future Hawaii economic growth and prosperity. Impending fresh water scarcities in Hawaii will favor those businesses and individuals who are taking a proactive approach to providing for their future fresh water needs.

 

 

1.  Where does Honolulu and Oahu gets most of its water?

Much of the population and economy of the islands is centered in Honolulu on the island of Oahu.  Most of Honolulu’s consumers get their fresh water from the island’s extensive aquifer systems.  Despite having the “wettest spot” of the world in the Hawaiian islands in Kauai, streams and other fresh water bodies are not reliable sources for fresh water in Hawaii.  The Honolulu Board of Water Supply uses four shafts, 12 tunnels and 84 well stations around the island of Oahu to tap water from the aquifers.  Water from these dike tunnels and wells is fed into nearly 2,000 miles of transmission pipes to household users.[1]

 

What are Fresh Water Aquifers?Aquifers are permeable rock formations from which fresh water can be drawn.   In some cases–in Hawaii–some of the wells are artesian which means water is naturally under pressure and flows to the surface without pumps.  This water is also sometimes called “fossil water” because it has taken hundreds or millions of years to filter down to the aquifer rock.  This water is not easily replaced if overdrawn.  Additionally in Hawaii, salt water intrusion caused by rising sea levels is also a potential concern for adequate future fresh water supplies.  In the early 90’s, most of the islands’ aquifers had their boundaries defined and their “sustainable yields”  (SY) were characterized to build baselines on their sustainability.

 

2.  What are the population trends for the islands?

The population of the State of Hawaii will continue to grow into the future placing greater demands on the state’s freshwater supplies.  The population of city and county of Honolulu will increase from about 876,000 (in 2000) to about 1,117,000 in 2030 increasing at about .8%, according to the State of Hawaii government.[2] These projections are on the conservative side anticipating that the number of military personnel will probably decrease due to budgetary pressures; however many of the military bases draw their water separately from the municipal systems although from the same aquifers.

 

3.  What are the rainfall trends for the Hawaiian islands?

The best long term climate models for rainfall predict that the Hawaiian islands will generally be get dryer over the next decades, according to a recently released study from the US Government.  For Hawaii, downscaled statistical models predict a 5%-10% reduction for the Hawaii wet season and a 5% increase in the dry season by the end of the century.[3]  The reduction in rain overall will increase the demand for fresh water from current rain fed irrigation systems placing increased strains on the aquifers.  Additionally people using rain fed household water systems such as those on the Big Island of Hawaii may seek alternative water systems such as wells and aquifers.

20140405-DSC_0627

4.  What do the records say about the amount of water in the aquifers feeding Honolulu?

Generally freshwater aquifers on Oahu are in a state of very gradual decline, according figures from the Honolulu Board of Water Supply and US Geological Survey.[4]  This is especially troubling since the Honolulu’s public demand for fresh water also leveled off during this time despite the addition of more consumers.  This suggests that the aquifers are incapable of maintaining this level of draw, a concern with the .8% annual population increase suggested for future Oahu.

Aquifer Chart Snip

 

An examination of US Geological Survey well data on Oahu also suggests fresh water well head declines in about half of the 15 sample USGS wells.  The accuracy of this examination is also significantly hampered by the large reduction of monitored wells due to budgetary constraints in the federal government.  Online records only suggest only two of the 21 wells are currently being monitored, although some records may be held locally according to the USGS.[5]

A similar picture of significant declines in water flow emerges when 20 of the main steams on Oahu are compared.  With the exception of the Manoa stream, all streams have declined by about half from 2004 to 2010.[6]  All together streams on Oahu carried 259 million gallons a day (mgd)  in 2004 and this was reduced to 121 mgd in 2010.  In addition to carrying storm water overflow after storms, the rivers function as a natural outlet for the island’s artesian springs and aquifers.

 

5.  What is the rate of water use in the City and County of Honolulu?

Municipal household water consumption has leveled off over the past decade on the island of Oahu since 2001 despite the nearly 10% increase in water users.[7]  Potable water use from 1990 through 2009 averaged about 155 mgd.[8] Since these figures do not include the large  agricultural users which have reduced over the past decades, most officials are at a loss to explain why per person water use has declined especially because water rates and costs have been stable for most of this period.  One possible answer for the decreased use of consumer water is the prevalent use of low flow showers and toilets.

 

6.  So will Oahu have enough water for its future needs?

The island of Oahu has sufficient fresh water to supply its near term needs but will begin to strain its fresh water supplies within 100 years.  The Hawaii State government estimates that the population on Oahu will increase to about 1,130,000 by 2030 which will demand approximately 206 mgd.  According to the Board of Water Supply, municipal users use about 76% of Oahu’s ground water compared to 24% for agriculture, military and other private users.

 

  • If this 24% of military and private users is added to the future 2030 predictions of 206 mgd for municipal users, the total would be 274 mgd for the island of Oahu. Not including brackish water supplies, the Board of Water Supply estimates that it should be able to sustain 407 mgd from its fresh water aquifers, according to its best data.

 

  • Using the State of Hawaii’s own population “high growth” scenario for Oahu, the island could begin to reach this 407 mgd maximum within a century.[9]

 

The estimate of 100 years is probably on the high side.  There is a large degree of uncertainty about the real sustainability of Oahu’s aquifers.

 

  • Especially since the aquifers have been gradually declining even though consumers are using fresh water at well below max sustainable rates indicating they are not replenishing even at with this moderate rate of use.

 

  • This may be due to the gradual urbanization of the island which is increasing the area of non porous surfaces; such as roads and cityscape and this trend will only increase in the future. The increase of non porous surfaces causes rain to more rapidly run into the oceans instead of seeping into the ground.

Finally the impact of climate changes will almost certainly bring worsening conditions to the aquifers in the form of less rain and higher sea levels which will gradually increase the salinity levels of the aquifers making more of the water unusable without treatment.[10]

 

7.  What if the estimates prove wrong and the aquifers begin to run dry earlier, what can be done to meet the future fresh water needs of Oahu?

Because of the location of the Hawaiian islands in the middle of Pacific Ocean, the islands do not have the backup reserve of water supplies that say Los Angeles or other mainland areas have.  Additionally the supply of water has been deemed a consumer “life” service which no household consumer can be deprived of due to their inability to pay which means that a delicate balance of use and conservation must be maintained.

Conservation measures is the best way to begin to control the use of fresh water by island consumers.  One of primary means is by conducting household water use surveys and ensuring that all households have meters to understand their water use baselines.

 

  • According to a California water saving survey report, metering will generally save about 20-30% overall and residential awareness surveys will generally achieve 32.2 gallons per day (gpd) of savings.[11]

 

  • Low flow toilets will generally save 21.2-27.2 gpd per single family household.

 

  • High efficiency washing machines will save about 85-109 gallons per week per household.

 

  • Low flow shower heads (5.5 gpd), toilet dams (4.2 gpd) and aerators (1.5 gpd) making up the difference.

Water reuse and the use of brackish (somewhat saline) water is another means to increase the “effectiveness” of water.  Hawaii has begun to reuse some of its water on golf courses and for power plant cooling.  Increasing the use of “gray water” from showers and washers will require some minor though not insignificant modifications of households to reuse the water to flush toilets and water gardens.  Some municipalities have begun to filter their gray and even toilet sewer water for reuse, but such uses involve extensive public education programs to overcome the “ick” factor.

Because of Hawaii’s extensive rainfall in some parts of the islands, increased use of stormwater mitigation strategies can effectively control “brown water” run off and potentially become a source of increased fresh water on the islands.  Stormwater run off can be funneled into rain barrels for household use and may be used to help reinvigorate aquifers in some limited circumstances.  Finally, Hawaii might have to increase the historical use of cross island pipes and troughs to move water from the eastern wet sides to the western drier areas of the islands to help with distribution of water when it is present.

Desalination is increasingly becoming more technically and economically viable.  Some municipalities in southern California are using economically viable “reverse osmosis” filtration methods to create fresh drinking water.  Because of its very arid conditions and the wealth of the its government coffers, Middle  Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia have been using desalination technologies for drinking water for a number of years.  On some Hawaii islands wind energy creates power when demand is low, Hawaii could begin to use this surplus energy to desalinate sea water in the future when supplies are scarce.

[1] Honolulu Board of Water Supply one pager on “How Does Water Get To Your Tap?” from BWS website.

[2] Honolulu Board of Water, “Ko’olau Poko Watershed Management Plan,”  19 December 2011.

[3] National Climate Assessment 2014, Chapter 23, Hawaii and US Affiliated Pacific Islands, 2014, page 542.

[4] Minutes for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply from 2005 to 2014.

[5] USGS National Water Information System, USGS Water Resources Database, as of 7/2014.

[6] Honolulu Board of Water Supply, “Ko’olau Poko Watershed Management Plan,” 12/19/2011, pg 1-35.

[7] Honolulu Advertiser, Oahu Drinking Water Use Down 7% since 2001, 9 Aug 2009.

[8] Honolulu Board of Water Supply, 12/19/2011, 1-20

[9] State of Hawaii estimates total aquifer capacity at 407 mgd minus 68 mgd (ag/mil use) minus 212 mgd (2030 est) =127  which is divided by SOH estimate of 1.6 mgd increased use per year gives 80 years from 2030 or 2110 till demand equals projected sustainable yield

[10] National Climate Assessment 2014, Chapter 23, Hawaii and US Affiliated Pacific Islands, 2014, page 542.

[11] A and N Technical Services, Analysis of Urban Water Conservation Best Management Practices prepared for The California Urban Water Conservation Council, March 2005.

National Park service seeks safe margins in Kona water use

By Bret Yager West Hawaii Today (28 Aug 2014)

byager@westhawaiitoday.com

The National Park Service is stressing the importance of a “margin of safety” for its ecosystems, while acknowledging there is no evidence that current water pumping practices pose an immediate threat to the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park.

See article at West Hawaii Today.

no reason: A World on the Verge of Water Bankruptcy

Reaching the Epiphany Moment, Video Makes Water Crisis Clear

Can irony help explain the global fresh water crisis? no reason, a Circle of Blue video, describes in surprising images and unlikely pacing the roles water and water scarcity play in the global economy. It debuted at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland and was shown as United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon introduced the WEF’s water sessions.

“We took a different approach to illuminating the topic,” said Eric Daigh, the film’s producer. “In the video we step sideways and do something that connects with people in new ways. We all know how many people lack access to safe fresh water. We all know how many die each year from dirty water. But we need to have the epiphany moment, to grasp the interaction between water and agriculture, the economy, culture and conflict.”

 

See the Circle of Blue Video

Passage of the new Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) to Increase Financial Resources for Hawai’i Water Projects.

Kobayashi, Hawaii First Water, 29 May 2014:

 

The new Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) is heading for the President’s desk for his signature as of the end of May.   An initial reading of the conference report makes clear that a number of provisions will be financially beneficial to Hawaii’s harbor and water infrastructure.  The bill passed with strong support from both houses of Congress.  A link to the conference version of the bill is here: http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/3080/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22water%22%5D%7D

 

  • On 14 May, Hawaii Senator Schatz said,” This agreement authorizes funding for Hawai’i’s harbors and water projects, which are important to jobs here and will help protect our precious water resources.” According to his office, the new law will allow small projects to avoid a cumbersome approval process in which they had to compete for funding with much bigger ports. Under the agreement, small harbors, such as found in Hawaii, can receive funding up to $15 million per project.

 

  • On 22 May, Hawaii Senator Hirano’s office reported that she had also worked on the bill to assist the Army Corp of Engineers in prioritizing remote and subsistence harbor projects, which include certain small harbors in Hawaii, such as Hana harbor on Maui and Laupahoehoe Harbor on the Big Island.

 

The WRRDA also makes several important changes to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s  Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program, according to Senator Schatz’s office.  The bill allows for more flexible loan terms, including lower interest rates and principle forgiveness.  More relevant for Hawaii, it expands eligible uses to include implementation of watershed plans, water conservation, stormwater recapture, and technical assistance to small and medium treatment works.

 

  • Since 1988, the Hawai’i Department of Health has used funding the CWSRF to issue over $675 million in low interest loans to Hawai’i’s four counties to construct high priority drinking water, wastewater and storm water systems, according to Senator Schutz’s office.