Hawaii County committee backs online water-availability map, asks Department of Water Supply to build public dashboard

The Hawaii County Policy Committee on Environmental and Natural Resource Management voted unanimously to forward Resolution 137-25, which asks the Department of Water Supply to develop and maintain an online system showing countywide water availability, committed units and developer agreements.

Committee Chair Rebecca Villegas convened the May 6 meeting at the West Hawaii Civic Center and called for public testimony on the resolution. Chuck Flaherty, speaking by Zoom for the Hawaii Island Group of the Sierra Club, urged the committee to consider whether the tool could include well locations, numbers of backup pumps and updated water analyses for wells, and whether private well reporting would be addressed. “There have been indications of increased salinity in certain wells such as the Kahaluu system,” Flaherty said.

The measure, introduced by Councilmember Tim Inaba, is intended to provide “reliable, transparent and up-to-date information about water availability for informed decision making and to support the county’s long-term goals for sustainable developments…