Honokohau valley communities say stream is 'dying' as state data show record low flows; residents press commission for enforcement

State hydrologists on Tuesday told the Commission on Water Resource Management that Honokohau Valley in West Maui is experiencing record‑low streamflows this year and that groundwater contributions to baseflow are declining rapidly, a trend they blamed on an extended drought.

Aaron Strauss, Stream Protection and Management Branch, said real‑time monitoring at the U.S. Geological Survey station that feeds the valley shows 2025 mean daily flows far below the long‑term average. "On a long term annual basis there is a lot of rainfall," Strauss said, "but for the last 12 months we are at 46% of normal." He added that the IIFS monitored at McDonald’s Dam is 13.3 cfs (about 8.6 million gallons per day) and warned that violations occur after sustained periods below that value.

The drought, presenters and residents said, is having concrete consequences for people and culture downstream. Karen Kanekwa, a Honokohau resident representing Namamo Aloha ʻIʻo Honokohau, described failing loʻi (kalo patches), outbreaks of invasive limu that trap organic matter and higher stream temperatures that…