Water

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.

The new head of the state Commission on Water Resource Management could be looking for steeper penalties for water code violations and quicker responses to water emergencies.

The state Commission on Water Resource Management just approved an Oʻahu-specific plan to guide water use until 2040. It's part of an ongoing update to the larger, statewide Hawaiʻi Water Plan that hasn’t been changed in about 25 years.

A second round of meetings is underway to discuss a proposal that would raise Oʻahu wastewater fees by 115% over the next decade. The Conversation talked to Roger Babcock, director of the Honolulu Department of Environmental Services, about the reaction to the price hikes at recent town hall meetings.