Photo of the Gianulias property site in North Kona from the Draft EA.

(BIVN) – A Department of Hawaiian Home Lands plan to create two new water
wells in North Kona is moving forward.

A draft environmental assessment has been published for the project, planned for the Gianulias property, in the latest issue of The Environmental Notice. 

The wells would be developed on a portion of the privately owned Gianulias parcel, which sits on the western slope of Hualālai Volcano at an elevation of 1,500 to 1,600 feet above mean sea level. The property is owned by the Cannery Commercial, LLC and AKT Kona Investors, LLC. Much of the area is active coffee farms and coffee retail shops, which will continue to operate after the installation of the wells, the draft EA states.

From the “Purpose and Need” section of the Draft EA:

The purpose of the Proposed Action is to develop additional potable water supply sources from within the North Kona region to allow for the continued development of Laʻi ʻŌpua. By securing additional supply sources, DHHL can then secure the water credits needed for future residential, community and commercial uses. These uses would provide more homes for DHHL beneficiaries, as well as parks, recreation spaces and create economic opportunities supporting the Laʻi ʻŌpua community’s vision for their homestead’s future in the decades to come.

The need for the Proposed Action is based on limited water resources in and around the Laʻi ʻŌpua area. Limited water resources stem from the region’s arid climate, limiting potable water supply available from the County of Hawaiʻi, Department of Water Supply (DWS). This limited supply has led DWS to require water entitlements through developer agreements, where the developer can install a well and/or other necessary infrastructure to be dedicated to DWS in exchange for a set allocation of water for the future development (the “water credits”) (Department of Water Supply, County of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Water Use and Development Plan, 2017). One water credit is equivalent to 600 gallons per day or one housing unit (Kealakehe-Laʻi ʻŌpua Regional Plan Update, 2020).

The result of these limitations is that following the completion of Laʻi ʻŌpua Village 4 Phase I ‘Ākau and Phase II Hema, DHHL will not have enough water credits available from DWS for future homestead or commercial development at Laʻi ʻŌpua from now into the foreseeable future (Kealakehe-Laʻi ʻŌpua Regional Plan Update, 2020). Therefore, DHHL needs to establish an additional water source to receive water credits from DWS for future development.

Developing additional water sources for the continued development of Laʻi ʻŌpua has been identified as a priority project for DHHL and stakeholders in both the 2009 and 2019 Kealakehe – Laʻi ʻŌpua Regional Plans as the North Kona Water Source Development Project(Kealakehe-Laʻi ʻŌpua Regional Plan Update, 2020). In November 2014, DHHL submitted a water reservation request to the Commission on Water Resources Management (CWRM) (Department of Water Supply, County of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Water Use and Development Plan, 2017). In August 2015, CWRM approved the water reservation for 3.398 mgd in the Keauhou Aquifer System Area (ASYA) that services the North Kona region. The water request amount should meet the water demands needed for the full buildout of Laʻi ʻŌpua.

While a water reservation credit safeguards DHHL’s access to potable water, it neither identifies a location of the water source nor includes how the water will be transmitted. DHHL owned lands in North Kona are not suitable for potable water wells. Therefore, they must partner with other landowners to develop water sources in more suitable locations.

In establishing a suitable location to install the wells, DHHL had to locate areas at high enough elevations a minimum of 0.25 miles away from existing DWS well sites to reduce pressure on groundwater resources and interference between wells. Further, the DWS prefers areas containing “high-level” groundwater that meets federal and state drinking water standards and is not subject to saltwater intrusion. The areas must then have sufficient capacity to support a production well. Upon finding a suitable location, DHHL then needs to secure a water source development agreement with the landowner.

The Project Site is one of four potential well sites where DHHL could establish a water credit agreement with a landowner and DWS, while meeting the location and groundwater quality needs. A water credit agreement and source development partnership between the Landowners, DHHL and DWS will need to be finalized prior to well site development. Because of the costs associated with the proposed developments in Phase II, DHHL is seeking financial assistance from the USDA RD RUS.

A statutory 30-day public review and comment period on the Draft EA is underway. Comments are due by February 24, 2025. Comments can be sent to Bowers + Kubota Consulting, Inc. at mkrishok@bowersandkubota.com.