Geology and ground-water resources of the Honolulu-Pearl Harbor area, Oahu, Hawaii

Abstract

This work was aimed at determining the location and amount of available high-level water in the Honolulu area and the extent and nature of the rocks of the intake area as well as of the caprock responsible for the artesian condition. It was also desired to develop a more complete explanation of the hydrology of the artesian-water body with its several so-called isopiestic areas and of the structural and other conditions responsible for the observed differences in head and amounts of water. On completion of the field studies it became evident that amount of water available from high-level sources will be relatively small. It has therefore become increasingly apparent that the major hydrologic problem of the Honolulu water supply is that of rational, long-term use and development of the basal water, whether in the Honolulu area proper or in the adjacent Pearl Harbor area. Moreover, with increased demands for water and the need for emergency development during the war period, it appears that development, use, and management of the water supply of southern Oahu is a unit problem. Only temporary and local solutions result from operations that fail to take account of the composite needs of the whole area. Such interdependence is indicated both in the lagging relationship of adjacent ground-water bodies and in the similar responses of the juxtaposed agricultural, military, and municipal use.