Beneficiaries press DHHL to prioritize waterline to upcountry Maui farms; staff cites Parker Ranch collaboration

Public testimony at the Hawaiian Homes Commission meeting on May 19 centered on water access for upcountry Maui farmers and homesteads.

Koa Enamoto, speaking for Pauennea Community Development Corporation, detailed a decades‑old request for a 4.2‑mile extension of a non‑potable agricultural water line from Naalai Road to Koka farm lots that would provide gravity‑fed irrigation to roughly 127 acres licensed for farming and ranching. "These Koka farmers have been waiting decades for their agricultural non‑potable waterline extension," Enamoto said, noting an LDD interim administrator identified potential funding.

Another public commenter, Luana Kyani, described widely varying water availability across homestead lots and relayed reports that major reservoirs and storage lie on DHHL lands. She asked whether DHHL would have a role if Parker Ranch migrates water to serve nearby areas. "If they're going to pull the water over, that's wonderful, but it has to traverse through DHHL land — should DHHL have a hand in that?" she asked.

DHHL staff acknowledged prior discussions with Parker Ranch and said the department has been exploring ways to migrate Parker Ranch potable water off livestock supply and acquire water credits for DHHL projects. Acting LDD staff and others noted the department is pursuing infrastructure improvements and storage solutions and has held preliminary discussions with state and legislative partners. "We're accelerating — especially with the $600 million and new developments — water is a real big issue," a DHHL official said, describing work to convey Parker Ranch water credits to DHHL and to expand systems that would activate unused DHHL lands.

Speakers emphasized cost differences between a gravity fed spike from a highway extension and a county proposal that would meter water at lot bottoms and require beneficiaries to pump uphill. Commenters called the gravity‑fed option more economical for pastoral/agricultural homesteads.

Commissioners and staff said more site‑level work and interagency coordination is needed; staff noted preliminary MOAs are in place with partners and that follow‑up engineering and planning will determine feasibility and timelines.