Agenda Item D-10 and the Future of East Maui Water: What’s Really Going On, and Why Locals Should Care

For more than a century, East Maui’s streams have fed something bigger than ecosystems or fields — they’ve fed identity, tradition, and survival. Yet the authority over that water has rarely been in the hands of the people who live closest to it. That tension didn’t begin yesterday, and it hasn’t ended today.

Now, Agenda Item D-10 has brought it all back into the spotlight.

This proposal, before Hawaiʻi’s Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR), isn’t just another procedural document. It represents a fork in the road: who controls East Maui’s diverted surface water going forward, under what terms, and for how long.

If you live on Maui — or care about how public resources are managed — this matters.

What Exactly Is Agenda Item D-10?

In short, BLNR is deciding what to do with the water diversions currently authorized through short-term revocable permits. Instead of renewing those year after year, the state is considering a long-term arrangement that could last several decades.

At the moment, two main paths are being discussed:

1. A long-term water license was auctioned to private bidders, including corporations and large agricultural entities.
   
   

2. A state “set-aside” transferring authority to a public entity, such as the East Maui Community Water Authority (created by Maui voters in 2022).
   
   

Because of the legal, cultural, environmental, and historical complexities surrounding East Maui water, BLNR staff recommended a contested case hearing, which requires a more thorough evidentiary process before any decision is finalized.

That recommendation alone tells you the stakes are high.

Why This Decision Matters

This isn’t just about irrigation. The outcome affects:

• stream health and native species
• taro cultivation and cultural practices
• local food production
• residential and community water access
• wildfire risk and drought response
• climate adaptation planning
• local economic resilience
• generational trust in public institutions

Water is a public trust resource under Hawaiʻi’s Constitution. It was never meant to be controlled indefinitely by private industry. Yet history tells a different story — especially on Maui, where corporate influence, land ownership, and water rights have long been intertwined.

Agenda Item D-10 brings that unresolved history to the present.

The Power Imbalance Behind the Debate

Many Maui residents feel a familiar pattern unfolding:

Decisions are made far from the communities most affected.
Those with money and political reach get the most say.
Public testimony is heard, but not necessarily implemented.

There’s a reason people don’t trust the process. For generations, diverted water supported plantations, profits, and outside shareholders while East Maui streams ran low, ecosystems were damaged, and cultural practices became harder to sustain.

When people raise concerns about a 30-year water lease to a private corporation, they’re not being dramatic. They’re remembering what already happened.

So What Would an Ethical, Community-Centered Solution Look Like?

Not a vague mission statement. Not symbolic inclusion. Not another generation-long contract that communities can’t revisit.

A responsible solution would include:

• community-based governance with real authority
• full transparency on water data, maintenance, and financials
• enforceable performance requirements, not suggestions
• priority for ecological, cultural, and residential needs
• regular review periods rather than automatic renewal
• consequences for noncompliance
• a shorter initial term (for example, 5–10 years) before expanding to decades
• guaranteed public access to information and meetings

In other words: decisions that assume responsibility before entitlement.

What Residents Can Actually Do

A lot of people care about this issue, but not everyone knows how to engage. Here are realistic, effective steps:

1. Read the BLNR documents yourself. They’re public. Don’t rely solely on headlines or secondhand summaries.
   
   

2. Submit written testimony before meetings, even if it’s only a few sentences. Personal stories carry weight.
   
   

3. Attend BLNR meetings, in person or virtually. Presence shifts outcomes.
   
   

4. Share information with neighbors, not just online. Conversations change communities.
   
   

5. Support or join coalitions already working on East Maui water rights.
   
   

6. Track what happens after decisions are made. Accountability doesn’t end on meeting day.
   
   

You don’t need a law degree, a nonprofit affiliation, or a political connection to participate. You just have to show up.

Why Staying Informed is a Strategic Advantage

Government agencies and corporations have always benefitted from public disengagement. The less the community knows, the easier it is to pass policies that quietly reshape entire landscapes.

Understanding the process — contested case hearings, public trust doctrine, license terms, instream flow standards — turns residents from passive observers into active decision-makers.

That shift is decisive. And it’s overdue.

Where Things Stand Now

After recent testimony and community pushback, the BLNR chose not to rush into a long-term lease. Instead, the board delayed the decision to allow further review and negotiation.

That delay isn’t a victory, but it’s an opening — and what happens next depends on whether the public pays attention.

The Larger Story

Water debates like this aren’t unique to Maui, but Maui’s response could set a statewide — even national — example. A model where stewardship outweighs profit. Where community involvement isn’t an afterthought. Where cultural and ecological responsibilities come before convenience.

That future is possible. But it won’t happen automatically.

Final Thoughts

Agenda Item D-10 is more than an agenda item. It’s a test:

Do we repeat the past, or learn from it?

Do we hand over a public resource for decades at a time, or do we build structures that protect future generations?

Do we continue assuming someone else will fight for Maui, or do we recognize that Maui is strongest when its people are informed, organized, and vocal?

The answer will shape Maui’s landscape — literally.

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