Commission delegates chair to sign USGS joint‑funding agreement to sustain stream gauging

The Commission on Water Resource Management voted Oct. 28 to authorize the chair to enter a joint funding agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey for federal fiscal year 2026 in order to sustain cooperative streamflow monitoring stations that lost federal partner support.

Staff told the commission the request covers continued monitoring at stations the commission already funds in part and that, because other federal partners used to support some gauges, the commission’s share will temporarily rise. "Staff recommends that, the commission authorizes chairperson to enter into a joint funding agreement with the US Geological Survey for federal fiscal year 2026 ... at a cost no greater than $16,340 to the commission," Aaron Scott, Stream Protection and Management Branch, told the commission. He added the agreement is exempt from preparation of an environmental assessment under HRS chapter 343, citing the exemption list used by DLNR.

Commissioners asked whether the cooperative monitoring includes water‑temperature and other water‑quality metrics and whether the branch can attach additional sensors to continuous gauges. Scott said continuous gauges often do not store separate temperature time series, that only a few USGS stations in the state measure continuous temperature, and that the branch collects temperature data during its field assessments but that adding permanent sensors requires staff time and funding.

The motion to delegate authority passed on a recorded voice/roll vote. Staff said the chair’s delegated authority includes the ability to modify the agreement provided the commission’s cost does not increase; staff will report back and file the executed agreement in the commission record.

Why it matters: Cooperative USGS monitoring provides long‑term, comparable streamflow records used to calculate low‑flow statistics and to support in‑stream flow standard analyses and ecological assessments. Several commissioners emphasized that temperature and other water‑quality metrics are important to cultural resources (kalo and subsistence gathering) and to biological assessments; staff flagged capacity and funding limits to expand real‑time water‑quality monitoring at all gauges.

What happens next: The Stream Protection & Management Branch will finalize the agreement under the chair’s delegated signature, file the executed contract with the commission secretary, and continue to identify sensor and staffing needs for future monitoring improvements.