I was surprised by the Sept. 22 article on the Board of Water Supply meeting Sept. 23.
Considerable heartfelt testimony was presented to the board by members of the public who have suffered adverse health effects from use of the Upcountry water system – effects substantially diminished by either not using this water, or, in more extreme instances, moving from the area. Their concerns seemed in all senses to be genuine and should be of concern to the public at large, especially all residents of Upcountry.Certainly, the board is concerned that we were nearing drought conditions, but were not prepared to issue a drought declaration, which in turn would allow, with Gov. Lingle’s consent, the use of water from the Hamakuapoko wells.
There are very real and persistent concerns about numerous contaminants present in that water, and whether water for human consumption should be drawn from such wells.
What seems to be lacking in these discussions is any sense of long-range planning. Reservoirs for Upcountry use are inadequate and the immense amount of water taken from the East Maui watershed – 60 billion gallons per year by some estimates – for growing sugar cane in areas otherwise unsuited for cane production, and the extraordinarily small amount paid for it – less than a penny per thousand gallons – leaves this person wondering why such an amount of public water is in the hands of one corporate entity whose usage is adversarial to the public interest.
Michael S. Howden
Member, Board of Water Supply
Kula
