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Water commission approves minutes, USGS joint‑funding agreement and Heʻeia site visit
Summary
The Commission on Water Resource Management approved draft minutes, delegated authority to the chair to sign a modest cooperative monitoring agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey, and authorized a limited site visit to portions of Heʻeia.
The Commission on Water Resource Management took three formal actions during its Oct. 28 hybrid meeting in Honolulu.
The commission approved the draft meeting minutes from April 28, 2025, after a roll‑call vote. Commissioners recorded their votes and the motion passed.
The commission authorized the chairperson to enter a joint funding agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey to maintain cooperative stream gauging and monitoring for federal fiscal year 2026. Staff said the requested delegation covers additional cooperative support at a cost “no greater than $16,340 to the commission,” an amount that would be in addition to an agreement the commission approved in August 2025. The motion to delegate signature authority to the chair was moved and seconded and passed on the voice vote recorded at the meeting.
The commission also voted 5–0 to find, under HRS §92‑3.1, that a limited site visit to portions of the Heʻeia Ahupuaʻa is necessary and that public attendance for the full itinerary is impracticable for safety and access reasons. The approved limited meeting is scheduled for Nov. 10, 2025, and the draft itinerary provided to the commission includes stops at wells, stream restoration locations, loʻi kalo and fishponds. Staff said community stakeholders asked to accompany the commission to those sites and the commission authorized the limited meeting with a narrowly worded finding.
All three of the above items were on the posted agenda and the meeting record includes public comment submitted for some items. No other formal votes or ordinances were adopted at the session.
Votes at a glance - A1: Approve minutes of 04/28/2025 — Outcome: approved (roll‑call; motion passed). - B1: Delegate authority to Chair to enter joint funding agreement (USGS) — Outcome: approved; commission authorized chair to sign agreement with a cost cap to the commission of $16,340. - B2: Find and authorize a limited meeting (site visit) to portions of Heʻeia (11/10/2025) — Outcome: approved (5‑0); motion included a wording amendment clarifying the finding.
