Give Kaua'i Back Its Natural Water Supply!

EAST KAUAI WATER USERS' COOPERATIVE
PROSPECTUS

Introduction
On November 17, 2000, Amfac Company ceased farm operations on Kauai. One consequence of this is the closing of the East Kauai Water Company and shutting down of the irrigation system of reservoirs and ditches serving an area of approximately 6,000 acres above Kapaa, as well as the State lands adjacent to the North and South Forks of the Wailua River. At the request of Kauai County Farm Bureau, a community meeting was held November 15, 2000, and attended by approximately 80 residents concerned about the irrigation system. Following the unanimous expressed desire of the residents to preserve the system as integral to the area's rural nature and essential to farmers, a committee was formed to evaluate the system and explore means to take over its operation. The committee conducted meetings for more 700 man hours and undertook 200 man hours of field trips. As well, hundreds of hours went into private meetings, field trips and report preparation. The meetings included the major system users, representatives from the State Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture, the Kauai Farm Bureau and others. This committee incorporated March 5, 2001, as the East Kauai Water Users' Cooperative.

Consequences of a Shut Down
If a complex system like this is not kept hydrated, that is, does not have a certain minimum water flow, then reservoir and ditch embankments can dry up and irreparably crack. The first impact of a shut down would be to loose the system permanently. Second, when the exploration team walked the transmission lines, they discovered, much to their surprise, that several perennial (year-round) streams which flow through the upper Kapaa area from Kuamoo Road to Kawaihau Road were fed directly from the transmission line by gates. Should the system be shut down, each of these streams would dry up and flow only following rain storms‹a dramatic ecological shift for the area, a change equivalent to losing 30 inches of rain a year. Farmers, ranchers and land owners along these streams are mostly unaware that the water originates with the ditch system. The shutting down of the Hanamaulu Ditch has undoubtedly contributed or even been the principle cause of the drying up on the Fern Grotto. When the ditch system was abandoned in Kealia, a dramatic change occurred as the land dried up. There the formerly perennial Kumukumu and Homaikawaa streams dried up. The same could be expected to happen in Kapaa. Vegetation would change and the ground water level would drop. The gardens' and cattlemen's demand would shift to the county's water system in this area, already operating at maximum capacity. In another instance, when the Lihue Plantation in an area near Lihue switched from furrow to drip irrigation, county wells in the area dropped in flow by one-third. Aside from these physical changes, the area would lose the significantly soothing and harmonizing impact of millions of gallons of water flowing through it daily.
(Cited Website: http://eastkauaiwater.org/Prospectus.htm)