WRRCTR No.188 Five-year review of state land use districts: Protection of watershed and water resources in Hawaii

Abstract

This study investigated the possible inclusion of additional areas of high rainfall and high recharge watersheds into the conservation district as a means of protecting the state's water resources. The charge for this review was restricted to hydrological considerations. The areas proposed for inclusion in conservation possess certain hydrological, geological, and natural attributes favoring reception, retention, and infiltration of precipitation. High-priority areas selected for this review and examined by this study were the leeward Koolau Range on Oahu with 3,909 acres (1 582 ha) proposed for addition to the existing conservation district; the Kona area of Hawaii with 113,112 acres (45 776 ha); the Kohala Mountain area of Hawaii with 21,611 acres (8 746 ha); and the Maliko, Opana, and Honopou gulches on Maui with 11,309 acres (4 577 ha). This study is part of a five-year review of all land use district boundaries, as required by state law and administered by the Office of State Planning.