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Commission staff outlines staffing shortfalls, Lahaina permit prioritization and public‑notice timeline
Summary
Staff told the commission on March 24 that CWRM has 33 positions (18 filled), a FY26 operating budget of about $5.7M and is prioritizing Lahaina water‑use permit processing (148 applications in two tranches); public notices and redacted application posts are planned in April with a 10‑working‑day objection window after notice publication.
Commission staff presented an organizational and workload update on March 24, reporting 33 total positions with 18 currently filled (15 vacancies), an FY26 operating budget of about $5.7 million and active recruitments for key technical and administrative posts.
Staff said the commission directed prioritizing Lahaina water‑use permit work as the top near‑term focus. The Lahaina tranche consists of 148 total applications divided into two groups of 74; the first group is heavy on traditional/customary/pertinent‑rights surface‑water applications and the second group is more groundwater‑focused. Staff said redacted application packages will be posted on the commission website, notices will run in newspapers for at least two consecutive weeks, and the objection period is 10 working days after the last publication. County consistency reviews may trigger contested‑case requests from affected parties.
The presenter said groundwater permit applications are generally more complex and will take additional staff time for review and redaction. Given vacancies, staff noted they cannot advance all priorities simultaneously; emergency authorizations (e.g., emergency stream work) and matters that affect public health and safety will be handled at comparable priority to Lahaina processing.
Members of the public and a private‑practice attorney asked for more transparency about budget allocation, vacancy timelines, the basis for prioritization and an ongoing cadence of briefings. Staff said the commission’s monthly water‑resource bulletin and the commission website will include postings and status updates, and they proposed quarterly briefings to update commissioners and the public on progress.
During public comment a Wai'anae resident described recent emergency stream work that protected homes; staff explained the emergency authorization process, including that emergency work may begin and then be followed by retroactive emergency authorization and subsequent stream‑alteration permitting.
