DLNR staff and partners outline costs, methods and priorities for watershed protection; Maui projects highlighted

Commission staff and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFA) briefed the Commission on Water Resource Management on Feb. 18 about watershed management, why native forest protection matters for recharge, and ongoing projects on Maui.

Katie Roth, planning program manager for the commission, summarized the science linking native forest to groundwater recharge and streamflow: native canopy structure, epiphytes and deep rooting systems increase infiltration and sustain baseflow over long time scales. She reviewed the state’s 30x30 watershed initiative, which aims to protect 30% of priority watershed forested areas by 2030; DOFA and partners currently protect roughly 21% statewide and have protected about 50% of priority areas in Maui Nui, the briefing said.

DOFA–Maui examples: Scott Fretts described recent efforts to create mauka‑to‑makai management connectivity through set‑asides and acquisitions, and actions in Olowalu–Ukumehame to break fire‑and‑grass cycles, restore wetlands and riparian corridors, build firebreaks and dip tanks, and install erosion‑control and sediment‑detention measures to reduce coral‑reef sedimentation. Fretts said DOFA has completed approvals for more than 80 Maui Nui parcels (about 20,000 acres) to bring them under formal conservation management and is pursuing additional acquisitions to prevent subdivision and development that would reduce connected watershed management.

Costs and tools: Presenters emphasized the high cost of effective watershed protection. Typical predator‑exclosure fences cost more than $1 million each; DOFA capital projects recently ranged from about $2 million to $12 million. DOFA and partners rely on federal, state and private grants as well as Board of Water Supply and county contributions. Dip tanks for helicopter fire suppression cost about $60,000 each; DOFA’s Maui plan contemplates multiple dip tanks to improve fire‑fighting efficiency. Staff cited an example where East Maui management runs roughly $2 million per year; a fuller cost share (including fencing replacement) could bring the annual program cost into the $3–4 million range.

Partners and monitoring: Aaron Straub (stream protection branch) said the commission and DOFA have added stream gauges and that USGS gauging and the Mesonet climate stations are important data sources for showing streamflow trends and assessing interactions between surface and groundwater.

Commissioners asked about monitoring baselines (NOAA and other grants were invoked for Olowalu baseline studies), cost effectiveness for fire prevention investments (staff flagged FEMA cost‑benefit grant applications), and options to coordinate funding and permit conditions so water permittees can contribute to watershed management where they benefit from the resource.

The briefing closed with staff and DOFA asking the commission to consider watershed protection a higher priority in water planning, including planning topics such as recharge estimates, funding approaches, and hydrologic monitoring that inform sustainable‑yield calculations and permit decisions.