Water

The state Department of Health is leading a series of webinars this month on Hawaiʻi’s groundwater resources. Water contaminants will be a focus of the series.

The Hawaiʻi County Council advanced a resolution on Tuesday that called on the county Department of Water Supply to create an online system that shows the amount of available water islandwide.

Want to know more about the future of drinking water on Maui and share your manaʻo? A series of island-wide meetings will be held over the next week.

The shortage is in effect for Makawao, Upper and Lower Kula, Haiʻkū, Hāliʻimaile, Pukalani, Kokomo, Kaupakalua, Ulumalu, Kēōkea, ʻUlupalakua and Kanaio.

The Honolulu Department of Environmental Services is proposing to bump up residents' sewer fees by more than 100% over the next decade to pay for wastewater upgrades. But on Tuesday the council suggested a modest 4% that applies only to next year.

Gov. Josh Green appointed him to serve on the commission last October. However, the decision drew criticism and legal action from water rights activists, who accused the governor of not properly following the process to select a new commissioner.

Partnering with the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, Shellie Habel monitors groundwater wells in Waikīkī to study the hidden threat of rising sea levels. She said that her research over the years has tracked high levels of fecal bacteria correlating to high visitor counts in Waikīkī hotels.

Changes could be coming to the state Commission on Water Resource Management, including some meant to address political conflicts of interest in managing and protecting Hawaiʻi’s water.

The Red Hill Community Representation Initiative was formed in the aftermath of the 2021 Red Hill fuel spill in an attempt to give a voice to residents with a vested interest in the review of the fuel storage facility. However, the group has had a rough go of it from the beginning — and its involvement in the process recently took a new contentious turn.

Earthjustice is suing Gov. Josh Green over appointing V.R. Hinano Rodrigues to the state Commission on Water Resource Management. Earthjustice said that since Green restarted the selection process, Rodrigues has been holding his position unlawfully.