Action Alert: Take action now to protect Hawaiʻi’s streams

Take action now to ensure Hawaiʻi’s water is shared fairly with all people, and not hoarded by private corporations. 

• Attend Water Commission Meeting on Tuesday 9/19 at 9am (Honolulu)

• Submit Testimony to the Water Commission 

• Submit written testimony on Agenda Item C-1 to: iwalani.hr.kaaa@hawaii.gov or dlnr.cwrm@hawaii.gov. (in advance of hearing/24 hrs recommended)

• Info on meeting location and how to testify remotely via zoom can be found here

• Sign the petition to stop the theft of Maui water and uphold stream protections

Why is this important?:

False arguments by West Maui Land Co are being used to undermine water rights and decades of community advocacy that helped restore Maui’s streams and protect small farmers from the exploitation of big business. These false arguments have unfairly scapegoated small taro farmers and former Water Commission Deputy Director Kaleo Manuel, leading to his removal. 

These decisions by the DLNR Chairperson, Dawn Chang and the Water Commission will have far reaching impacts on Maui, but also Hawaii-wide. 

Please submit testimony to the Water Commission at the upcoming meeting on Tuesday, September 19th at 9:00am on Agenda Item C-1.  We have provided sample testimony below, but the more you can personalize it, the better.

Sample Testimony: 

Aloha Chair and Commissioners,

My name is (your name), and I reside in (where you live). I am concerned that false arguments by West Maui Land Co. are being used to undermine water rights and decades of community advocacy that helped restore Maui’s streams and protect small farmers from the exploitation of big business. These false arguments have unfairly scapegoated small taro farmers and former Water Commission Deputy Director Kaleo Manuel.

I am testifying in support of the following:

1. The Water Commission should uphold the State Water Code to ensure public trust water resources are shared equally, especially for Native Hawaiian water rights

2. Chair Dawn Chang should reinstate Kaleo Manuel as the Deputy Director of the Commission on Water Resources Management

3. The Water Commission should verify that West Maui Land Co. is complying with instream flow standards and hold corporate interests accountable

4. The Water Commission should respect the existing designation of Maui Komohana Water Management Area 

Mahalo,

(Your Name)

(Where You Reside)

Background & Countering False Narratives:

The reality is that the water reservoirs that West Maui Land Co. asked to fill up could NOT have been used to fight the Lāhainā fires. This is because these reservoirs only serve the luxury estates above Lāhainā, and are not connected to the county water system or any fire hydrants. Plus, the 80-mile-an-hour winds from Hurricane Dora meant no helicopters were allowed to make water drops.

When West Maui Land Company’s request to divert water was not immediately granted, they insinuated that stream protections were to blame for the fire, going so far as to blame a single Hawaiian kalo farmer for the lack of water to fight the fire. This resulted in misleading media articles and ultimately Kaleo Manuel, Deputy Director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Commission on Water Resources Management (Water Commission), being swiftly removed from his position.

Kaleo helped to advance stream restoration throughout the state and served nearly four years on the Water Commission. He is the longest serving Water Commission Deputy Director and the first Native Hawaiian to serve in this position.

West Maui Land Co. is exploiting the tragedy in Lāhainā to further justify increasing water diversions under their corporate control. Not only did they unfairly position Kaleo Manuel as a scapegoat for decades-long debates over their own water misuse, but they are now asking the Water Commission to suspend and change the Water Management Designation Area of West Maui (Maui Komohana), which adds permitting and accountability for privatized commercial water use, now and into the future.

These decisions will have ripple effects across Hawaiʻi. The unfair removal of a Water Commission official who upholds the Water Code under corporate pressure will impact other communities seeking to restore and protect their streams. Undermining the Maui Komohana Water Management Designation Area communities fought for decades to create will set a dangerous precedent that corporate interests can easily leverage false narratives to undermine hard won stream protections. 

Please join us advocating stream protections for Maui and all of Hawaiʻi. Corporations are taking far more than their fair share of water. To stop the government from helping corporations steal our water – whether it is in West Maui or West Kauaʻi or Hawaiʻi Island – we have to stand together. 

Ola i ka wai! Water is life! 

For more in-depth background and information visit: Ola I Ka Wai

Mahalo for taking action.

In solidarity,