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 and water resource management,” according to the text read into the record by staff. Inaba said the resolution would make it easier to see where commitments and developer agreements have “locked in water credits” for particular parcels instead of requiring project-specific requests.

Keith Okamoto, manager and chief engineer for the Department of Water Supply, told the committee the department supports posting its information online and expects to have a test product within months. “We are hopeful that we can create a product at least for testing, within the next 2 months,” Okamoto said, adding that the department’s GIS staff have the skill set to build a dashboard; he later said a public beta before the end of the year is “very, very doable.”

Committee members pressed staff on what data would be included and how often it would be updated. Councilmember Galimba asked how often the department evaluates output from surface versus groundwater sources; Okamoto replied that groundwater capacity is tied to pump and motor capacity and that surface sources — the department cited a single surface source in Waimea — are more susceptible to year-to-year change. Okamoto said the department would post its own commitments and production figures but does not have comprehensive data on private wells or private pumping.

Members also discussed the department’s authority and fiscal limits. Okamoto explained the Department of Water Supply is semi-autonomous and that rate structure primarily covers operations and maintenance with limited capital for expansion, so extending infrastructure into unserved areas typically requires tens of millions of dollars and is often driven by private development that can recover costs through lot sales.

Committee members raised data-sensitivity and coordination issues. Okamoto said the department would be cautious about publishing exact source locations for homeland-security reasons but could post pumping rates and availability metrics. Several members noted a recent $4,000,000 appropriation from the state legislature for a Keahou Aquifer study and asked that the online system factor in forthcoming regional studies and state Commission on Water Resource Management actions; Okamoto said the county had paused finalizing its Water Use and Development Plan pending changes at the state level.

After discussion, Councilmember Inaba moved and Councilmember Eustace seconded forwarding Resolution 137-25 to full council with a favorable recommendation. The committee voted 9-0 to forward the resolution.

The forward directs the Department of Water Supply to develop a publicly accessible online tool (a GIS dashboard was mentioned repeatedly) that would show water availability, the number of units, active commitments and developer agreements tied to parcels served by county systems. The committee record notes limitations: the system would display county-managed supply data only and would not, per staff, include private well pumping data unless that information becomes available to the department.

Votes at a glance: Resolution 137-25 — Motion to forward to council with a favorable recommendation; mover: Councilmember Tim Inaba; second: Councilmember Eustace; committee vote: 9 ayes, 0 nays.