Ola I Ka Wai - The Barriers of Implementing a One Water Approach on O'ahu

Abstract

The Hawaiian Islands are on course for a water crisis. Currently, water supplies face challenges deriving from overconsumption of water and a growing world population increasing the demand. Furthermore, climate change causes detrimental impacts to water resources by reducing water quality and quantity, urging planning efforts to integrate climate science within water management practices. In 2020, the City and County of Honolulu stated their intention to adopt a One Water (OW) approach, which aims to manage water resources in Hawai'i in a holistic and collaborative way. Through this research, we will identify the barriers of implementing the OW framework on O'ahu to encourage strategies in effectively integrating the framework to O'ahu's water management practices. The research follows a qualitative research design collecting data through conducting interviews with key stakeholders and professionals in the field of water resources management. We found the main barriers posing the implementation of the One Water framework to be; (1) siloed systems (2) funding and budget constraints, (3) political and social-buy in, and (4) socio-cultural understanding. Strategic action to overcome the addressed barriers will be key towards effectively implementing a One Water approach in the process of preserving Hawai'i's waters for the benefit of the people.