Hawaii’s Board of Land and Natural Resources unanimously rejected a proposal to auction a 30-year license to divert up to 88 million gallons per day from East Maui streams. The board also rejected a separate water license for Maui County and sent the current diversion permit back through a court-ordered contested-case hearing.
- The state board unanimously voted against auctioning a 30-year water diversion license, which opponents feared would go to agricultural landowner Mahi Pono.
- Mahi Pono owns 41,000 acres of former Alexander & Baldwin land and controls the East Maui Irrigation system, but its current diversion permit remains under legal dispute.
- Maui Mayor Richard Bissen opposed the auction, supporting instead public control through the East Maui Water Authority, which 64% of county voters established via charter amendment.
- A court-ordered contested-case hearing on the existing revocable diversion permit was authorized, keeping the water rights question unresolved for now.
- Native Hawaiian water rights and the adequacy of stream flow assessments were central concerns raised by community members and the East Maui Water Authority chair.
Source: Maui News
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