Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 21, 2021

 Chair Ailā Statement on Increased Water Allocation

(Kapolei, Oʻahu) – Hawaiian Homes Commission Chair William J. Ailā, Jr. has issued a statement on the Commission on Water Resource Management’s unanimous decision to accept the Department of Hawaiian Home Land’s (DHHL) Water Use Permit Application, which increases the Department’s Hoʻolehua Water System pumping allocation to 595,000 gallons per day.

“We are grateful for the Water Commission’s unanimous approval of our permit and their renewed acknowledgment that our water rights are a protected Public Trust use of water. This action will allow us to bring water to existing and new homesteaders while maintaining deliveries to critical island services that benefit all residents. We thank the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the many beneficiaries for their supportive testimony. While long-awaited, this effort clears one of the many barriers the Department has faced in developing new homestead lots on Molokaʻi.”

DHHL is currently a year into a two-year, $37 million capital improvement project to upgrade the 80-year-old Hoʻolehua Water System on Molokaʻi. Enhancements to the system will include the installation of a 200,000-gallon storage tank, upgrades to automation systems, a new warehouse, and a new emergency generator diesel fuel tank. Other improvements involve new paved roads and fencing, along with the repair and replacement of existing tanks, pumps, transmission mains, laterals, valves, and hydrants.

The Hoʻolehua Water System serves over 2,400 customers, including approximately 500 homesteads in Hoʻolehua-Palaʻau, Kalamaʻula, and Moʻomomi. Water from this system also provides service to the post office, schools, and the airport.

The Department maintains four water systems statewide. Those water service areas are in Anahola, Kauaʻi; Hoʻolehua and Kalamaʻula, Molokaʻi; and Kawaihae and Puʻukapu, Hawaiʻi Island.

###

About the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands:
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands carries out Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole’s vision of rehabilitating native Hawaiians by returning them to the land. Established by U.S. Congress in 1921, with the passage of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, the Hawaiian homesteading program run by DHHL includes management of over 200,000 acres of land statewide with the specific purpose of developing and delivering homesteading.

Media Contact:
Cedric Duarte
Information and Community Relations Officer
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
(808) 620-9591
[email protected]

DLNR Media Release: MORE HOMESTEADING OPPORTUNITIES FOR NATIVE HAWAIIANS ON MOLOKA‘I AFTER WATER COMMISSION DECISION