LIHU‘E — When one of the wettest spots in the world receives only around three-fourths the rainfall it normally receives, Kaua‘i like the rest of the state finds itself in drought conditions. Granted, Kaua‘i is in the least-severe drought category,
LIHU‘E — When one of the wettest spots in the world receives only around three-fourths the rainfall it normally receives, Kaua‘i like the rest of the state finds itself in drought conditions.
Granted, Kaua‘i is in the least-severe drought category, D1, or moderate drought, with impacts mainly affecting the livestock sector especially on the South Shore, states National Weather Service data.
Wai‘ale‘ale, which normally receives nearly 246 inches of rain over the first seven months of an average year, this year was at 151.26 inches, or 62 percent of normal.
Much of the rest of the island is experiencing similar shortages.
The state has been experiencing an increasing drought in the last year.
Kaua‘i, despite being the least affected of all major Hawaiian Islands, is having an “abnormally dry” year, as rated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The year-to-date rate of rainfall on Kaua‘i has reached anywhere between 40 and 70 percent of normal rainfall. In July, the rain has been even scarcer, and places notorious for being wet, such as Wainiha and Hanalei, have had rainfall levels below 60 percent of what they usually get.
Roy Oyama, president of the Kaua‘i Farm Bureau, said because Kaua‘i is in one of the wettest spots on earth, crops that depend on irrigation haven’t been affected as bad as other islands.
The cattle ranchers, however, have been badly affected, he said. The Westside is suffering the most with the drought; Waimea received only 8 percent of its normal rainfall last month (and 38 percent of its normal average of around 15 inches of rain for the first seven months, or 5.69 inches). But pastures all over the island have also been affected.
“The concern is supplementing the cattle to stay alive,” Oyama said.
Some ranchers are trying to sell as much cattle as possible, which is not bringing much profit at this stage, according to Oyama.
“It’s better to sell than to take a loss with the death of the animal,” he said.
Tropical-fruit farmer Jerry Ornellas said his crops haven’t been affected as much by the drought. His farm is located between Kapahi and Wailua Homesteads.
Last winter was a bit dry in that area, and now the summer has been unusually rainy there, which made for a good lychee production last month, he said. “All the trees were loaded.”
Others in the Eastside haven’t been as fortunate as Ornellas.
“It’s very site-specific, if you look at the (Kapa‘a) bypass road, it’s really dry in there,” said Ornellas, referring to the pastures in the plains along the Kapa‘a bypass road.
Moloa‘a farmers Tim and Hope Kallai rely on rain and a well that services five landowners, and have been experiencing severe water-shortage problems. The pump on the bottom of their well has been “sucking air,” they said.
Most of Moloa‘a farmers are in the same situation as them, the Kallais said, because there’s no county water service to Moloa‘a.
The Kallais said their and everyone else’s problem in Moloa‘a has been aggravated further because the water sources up in the mountains, which ultimately feed several Moloa‘a wells, have allegedly been diverted to the Kaloko Dam.
Andrea Brower, deputy director of Malama Kaua‘i, a nonprofit organization that promotes food-sustainability, said the drought is going to increasingly impact farmers, food security, ecosystem health and freshwater availability.
Brower said all need to be more attentive to how global climate changes impact water resources, and it’s critical to respond and adapt to those uncertainties.
The USDA announced last week that farmers on Kaua‘i can apply for benefits under the provisions of the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) for crop-year 2010 with the Kaua‘i County Farm Service Agency.
The U.S. Drought Monitor, produced by several federal entities including the USDA, reported last week that all of Kaua‘i is suffering from drought. The National Weather Service said the drought mainly affected the livestock sector due to degraded pasture conditions.
The last time the state was considered to be drought-free was on April 15, 2008. The ongoing extreme drought has lasted over a year, according to the National Weather Service.
Oyama said he has seen a drought worse than the current one, in the 1960s. He remains optimistic for now.
“The clouds are getting heavier as we get closer to the fall,” said Oyama, adding that although he believes the showers will come back, it all depends on “Mother Nature.”
“We’re lucky that Wai‘ale‘ale is our savior,” Oyama said.
•Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@kauaipubco.com.
