Infrastructure

The state Agribusiness Development Corp. is finalizing the state's acquisition of the Wahiawā Dam on Oʻahu. The ADC board recently approved the final terms of an agreement to purchase part of the Wahiawā Irrigation System from Dole Food Company.

UC Santa Barbara researcher Cat Fong discusses the link between evacuation routes and wildfire deaths and how her research led to the development of the Wildfire Resilience Index.

Hawaiʻi’s top officials held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the transfer of the Wahiawā Dam from Dole Food Co. to state control.

HPR spoke with Melissa Pavlicek, the executive director of the Hawaiʻi Harbor Users Group, about the extended Jones Act waiver and why major shipping carriers support the federal statute.

The board of the Agribusiness Development Corp. voted to acquire the Wahiawā dam and spillway along with authorizing its executive director to negotiate the transfer with the dam’s current owners.

The Trump administration has announced that federal disaster assistance is available to help with recovery efforts following two Kona low storm systems that hit last month.

This upcoming vote will come weeks after the dam came within three feet of overtopping during the back-to-back Kona low storms.

Following the Kona low storms that tested the Wahiawā Dam, the state is taking steps to acquire the structure. The state would be responsible for the maintenance and repair of the 125-year-old dam, which is not up to state standards.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, along with state and local officials, is assessing the damage from the historic floods due to back-to-back Kona Low storms. HPR's Ashley Mizuo reports on how the state budget will need to adjust to accommodate flood recovery efforts.

HECO Vice President Jim Kelly discusses storm-related blackouts and what it's taken to restore power.