Stopping water flow discussed

KILAUEA — Farmers met with officials from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture and Kaua‘i County yesterday afternoon to explore options to the possible closure of the Kaloko ditch diversion.

The diversion is the result of the Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources decision in September to revoke the permit of the Kilauea Irrigation Company. That decision affects more than 20 farmers and residents in the Kilauea area who depend on water from the privately-owned Kaloko Reservoir.

The main source of water comes from the Pu‘u Ka Ele Stream, which flows to the reservoir by way of the Kaloko ditch.

For farmer David Whatmore, the state has let the farmers down with this decision.

“They are really putting us in a bad situation,” Whatmore said. “They’re supposed to help us, not waste resources. Something is very suspicious.”

At the meeting, DLNR representatives from the land, water and engineering departments each gave short presentations on the Kaloko ditch issue. Many had taken a hike up to the reservoir earlier in the day to assess the situation and to start brainstorming possible solutions to the problem.

“Please help us so we can help you,” said Eric Hirano, chief engineer for DLNR. “You need to provide us with information for us to do a better job.”

But farmers did not want to hear about the problem, they wanted to know why the KIC permit was revoked and why the public wasn’t told of the meeting held to revoke the permit.

They wanted to know who owned the land and who owned the water. They wanted to know why it wasn’t as simple as diverting water around the privately-owned reservoir.

Due to ongoing litigation as the result of the Kaloko Reservoir Dam breach in March 2006, DLNR officials were not allowed to comment on many of the issues.

Christiane Lucas, a beneficiary of the Mary Lucas trust, set the record straight as to who owns the land and water at the Kaloko Reservoir.

“The KIC owns 50 percent of the water and the Mary Lucas trust owns 50 percent of the water,” Lucas said. “The land ownership is a different thing altogether.”

Besides the insurance issue with Kilauea Irrigation, the DLNR claims safety is a concern. With the upcoming rainy season, on top of having no insurance, the DLNR feels the water should be shut-off to avoid any possible disasters.

Owner of the land on which the dam is built, James Pflueger, has told the state he wants the diversion to stop to avoid another disaster.

Farmers at the meeting were pretty adamant about reinstating the permit. Whatmore asked Ron Agor, Kaua‘i member of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, what would happen if farmers got together and took over the responsibilities of the KIC.

“Should the farmers take over the responsibilities of the KIC, I will take it back to the board,” Agor said.

Overall, the only viable option agreed upon was possibly diverting the water around the reservoir. But almost everyone in the room wanted to get the insurance so the permit could be reinstated.

“It’s going to take us putting our heads together,” said Sandra Kunimoto, Board of Agriculture chairperson. “There are a lot of options that the various agencies can do.”

For some, the meeting was productive, but there just wasn’t enough time.

“The meeting was very productive,” Hirano said. “But we need another meeting to go over the options, that’s what it’s all about.”

Hirano stressed the importance of having the community present to educate the DLNR.

“Community input in this situations is critical,” Hirano said. “We don’t have knowledge of all the systems in the area.”

For now, the closure of the diversion to the reservoir will happen as soon as the DLNR submits the permits to do so, which should take about three months. Until then, another meeting will be scheduled soon to discuss ideas and options.

• Rachel Gehrlein, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or rgehrlein@kauaipubco.com.