LIHU‘E — The East Kaua‘i irrigation system can serve more than 1,000 acres of agricultural land from Lihu‘e to Kapa‘a, about 300 of which are in active crop production by local farmers.
Between 2001 and 2019, the East Kauai Water Users’ Cooperative managed the state-owned reservoir and ditch system formerly operated by the Lihu‘e Plantation Company.
When the cooperative’s renewable lease option with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources ended in 2019, management of the irrigation system reverted to DLNR despite the cooperative’s request that the state Department of Agriculture take it over amid concerns about DLNR’s ability to manage the water system.
Now, with state support, legislation has been proposed that would give the DOA management duties,
On Monday, the state Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment passed and recommended on second reading Senate Bill No. 179, which would assign management of the irrigation system to DOA, which previously listed the system as one of the most important and viable systems for the state’s agricultural industry.
Jerry Ornellas, president of the East Kaua‘i Water Users’ Cooperative, said the decision to not renew the lease with DLNR was made “with great regrets,” as the “ever-increasing list of legal requirements to be met by the coop were impossible to fulfill despite the need for water by the area farmers and ranchers.”
Ornellas recounted that, over the last few years, the state-imposed “completely unrealistic” requirements for a small organization to operate state-owned infrastructure.
In 2001, when the cooperative was first starting out, the state evaluated the system and estimated the worth of the system at $200 million, Ornellas wrote.
Strong support drifted in for the bill, including from Suzanne Case, chair of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources, who indicated the DLNR does not have the resources to manage the water system and is willingly proposing as an interim measure $500,000 per year for the next two fiscal years to ensure it does not get shut down.
“Moving forward, the department’s primary objective is to work collaboratively with Kaua‘i legislators to find an appropriate public or private entity that can assume management and operation of the system as had previously been done by EKWUC,” Case said.
“The department believes this measure would satisfy that objective by ensuring the ongoing operation of the irrigation system by DOA in support of local agriculture.”
But if the bill isn’t passed, DLNR would not be able to sustain the water system.
“However, if this measure were to not pass and the primary objective cannot be met, the department will pursue shutdown of the irrigation system, including breaching the reservoirs, as a last resort,” Case wrote.
Board of Agriculture Chair Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser, in support of the bill, recognized the work done by the cooperative over nearly two decades.
“The bill provides much-needed support for a system that has been operated and maintained by volunteer farmers in East Kauai for many years,” Shimabukuro-Geiser said. “The need for continued irrigation access for farmers in the region is of utmost importance for their farming viability and directly supports the state’s goal to increase local food production.”
The county, too, voiced “strong support” for transferring the operational authority.
“Transferring the operational authority to the Department of Agriculture and allowing them to contract with those who can best manage the system is of utmost concern for the agricultural welfare of Kaua‘i,” County of Kaua‘i Managing Director Michael Dahilig wrote in testimony.
The East Kaua‘i Water Irrigation System has the potential to service 1,000 acres, said farmer Leslie Milnes, vice president of the Kalepa Koalition. The system also services hundreds of acres of state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands property, which fills Reservoir 21, which is “essential to the health” of Fern Grotto’s ferns, he said.
“If the system is shut off, not only will farmers be put out of business, Fern Grotto will suffer greatly as the ferns die off (as they did when the reservoir dried up in 2001) and the DHHL lands will need to find another source of water,” Milnes said.
The Senate bill was referred to the Ways and Means Committee.
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Sabrina Bodon, public safety and government reporter, can be reached at 245-0441 or sbodon@thegardenisland.com.
