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OHA trustees hear renewed appeals to protect Kauai salt ponds and Kaneoaluma from flooding, development
Summary
Trustees were briefed on recurring flooding, damaged salt beds and cultural sites on Kauai, and heard calls for hydrological studies, Army Corps assistance and renewed outreach to agencies including DLNR and Bishop Museum.
Trustee Ahuna told the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees on Kauai that salt pond stewards and kūpuna are again facing yearly inundation that is damaging traditional salt-making beds and associated cultural resources.
The appeal, raised during a trustees meeting with administration staff present, described mixed jurisdiction along the coast — county park lands, state land up to the high-water mark and areas adjacent to a state-owned airport — and said county roadbuilding and buried asphalt have blocked historic drainage pathways. Trustee Ahuna said OHA staff have worked with families of the salt-pond stewards for decades and requested continued administrative support for relief and advocacy.
The board heard from Kai Markell, Compliance Enforcement Manager, who described the problem as a mix of jurisdictional control and climate-driven hydrological change. “Like most coastal areas, it’s mixed jurisdiction,” Kai said, and added that a hydrological study has been requested and that some technical options could include moving the beds mauka if the study indicates that is the only way to preserve them.
Rupert Rowe, representing a Kauai nonprofit with an adopt-a-park agreement, reviewed the history of drainage changes at Kaneoaluma and nearby coastal sites and said the county altered natural drains decades ago, buried coastal fishponds and placed fill that prevents historic filtration and drainage. Rowe said a parking lot now occupies a 600-foot historic fishpond and that storm drains installed later cannot handle current runoff from expanded upland development.
Attorney Sherry Bridal, who has reviewed appeals filed by other firms, told trustees that parties led by Lance Collins and Bianca Esaki filed appeals of a Kauai Planning Commission decision on Dec. 12, 2023, and that time windows for filing appeals are short. Bridal said OHA should weigh whether to join litigation and stressed the value of hydrological studies and technical assessment before deciding on legal strategies.
Trustees and staff discussed options including sending a fresh OHA letter to county and state agencies with photographs documenting current inundation, convening affected landowners and agencies, and asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for an assessment of flood-control or drainage remedies. Trustees emphasized the families’ long history of stewardship and asked administrative staff to follow up; Kai said administration has an outreach plan and is already in conversation with families and external partners.
Trustees did not take a board-level vote on litigation or an enforcement action during the meeting. Staff said they would prepare follow-up materials, including letters and the hydrological study findings, and would invite county and state agencies and the Army Corps to site visits and collective discussions.
The trustees’ discussion also raised the question of historic recognition. Bridal and Rupert urged renewed contact with the Bishop Museum to revisit earlier decisions about archaeological assessments and possible National Register consideration for parts of Kaneoaluma; Bridal said National Register status could unlock funding and federal technical assistance.
The board scheduled a site visit and said staff would circulate a follow-up plan with potential next steps, including documentation to send to agencies and possible coordination with ongoing litigation by other community groups.
