captures all of its own drinking water and treats all of its wastewater—one of only five such structures in the world.
THE HAWAI‘I FRESH WATER INITIATIVE
But these examples are not enough on their own. The scale of changing rainfall patterns (especially on the dry, populated sides of our Islands), population growth, plans for increased local food production, and land use changes demand a prudent and proactive approach to water security that protects a sustainable and affordable water supply. The environmental risk factors identified by the Council would cause concern even if Hawai‘i’s agricultural and urban water supply systems were robust and resilient. But for the most part, our agriculture and urban water infrastructure is aging, often sited in areas that are prone to dangerous weather events, and subject to budget cuts that resulted in deferred maintenance.
The Hawai‘i Fresh Water Initiative was launched in 2013 to bring multiple, diverse parties together to develop a forward-thinking and consensusbased strategy for water security for the Hawaiian Islands. Organized by the independent, nonprofit Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF), the effort identified and recruited a blue ribbon panel of individuals with deep knowledge of water and a collaborative spirit to guide the Initiative. The resulting Fresh Water Council represents a robust collaboration of federal, state, county, nonprofit, academic, and private sector stakeholders who
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We are not alone in facing these challenges. According to a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) infrastructure report to Congress, U.S. water utilities will need to spend $384 billion over the next 15 years just to maintain adequate drinking water service. Many of the massive water infrastructure investments of the 1970s are nearing the end of their useful life and will soon require renovation or replacement. With climate change rapidly altering Hawai‘i’s water reality and unprecedented infrastructure challenges on the horizon, a modern and efficient water system for the 21st Century must be realized. The size and scale of looming issues around the predictability of our fresh water supply calls for a strategic and coordinated response. 19
Hawai‘i Fresh Water Council 66 William Aila 66 Stephen Anthony* 66 Michael Buck 66 Suzanne Case 66 Reginald Castanares 66 Meredith Ching 66 Derek Chow 66 Ka‘eo Duarte 66 Sumner Erdman 66 Mark Fox 66 Tom Giambelluca 66 Timothy Johns (Chair) 66 Howard Killian 66 Patrick Kobayashi 66 Ernest Lau 66 Keith Okamoto 66 Jerry Ornellas 66 Monty Richards 66 Kapua Sproat 66 David Taylor 66 Dennis Teranishi 66 Barry Usagawa *United States Geological Survey Liaison/ Science Advisor to HCF
Hawai‘i Community Foundation
A BLUEPRINT FOR HAWAI‘I’S WATER FUTURE | 6
