Update presentation on the status, goals, and objectives of West Maui and how
it was selected as the US Coral Reef Task Force priority partnership for the
Pacific.
1. West Maui
Watershed:
Regional Scale
Collaborative Planning
In Hawaii
Beth Dieveney & Kathy Chaston
NOAA CRCP & USCRTF
Coastal Zone 2011
July 20, 2011
3. Choosing a Site
NFWF Sponsored Survey of Pacific sites:
•Willingness to Invest
•Non-monetary needs
•Significant barriers to conservation
•Watershed threats
•Capacity to conduct work (local, federal, NGO, other)
•Ability to monitor progress
5. Identified Issues
•Decrease in coral cover
•Invasive algae
•Low abundance of herbivorous fish on reefs
•Injection wells
•Agricultural runoff & land-use change
•Feral ungulates
•Increased tourism
•Freshwater resources
• Lack of coordination
6. West Maui Watershed Vision:
Connecting Land and Sea
Improve the overall quality of the West Maui
Watershed, from the summit of Pu`u Kukui to
the outer reef, incorporating holistic
management aspects of traditional Hawaiian
land and natural resource management (such as
ahupua’a principles) at the watershed level
within a modern context.
7. West Maui Watershed Plan - Goals
Project will be driven by stakeholder participation and will:
• Identify critical threats to reefs and watershed health
• Evaluate solutions to these threats from ridge to reef
• Prioritize actions, and implement restoration or remedial actions
8. West Maui Watershed Plan - Outcomes
• Improvement in the overall quality of the West Maui Watershed,
coral reefs, and water quality.
• Enhanced management and collaboration through greater
interagency communication, improved data sharing, education of
scientists and government officials, and building local technical
capacity.
9. History
• 1997 – West Maui Management Advisory Committee completes
West Maui Watershed Owners Manual
• 2002 – DOFAW requests Corps assistance with wetland/stream
restoration under Corps small projects (funds never received
nationally)
• 2004 - DAR Land Based Pollution Threat to Coral Reefs - Local
Action Strategy sets Honolua as a Priority Area
• 2009 –
– DAR Coral Program identifies Ka‘anapali as 1 of 2 priority areas
– Corps receives line item appropriation for West Maui Project
(reconnaissance phase)
– Interagency collaboration on a joint plan begins via ORMP and Hawaii
Coral Reef Working Group
• 2011- USCRTF Priority Partnership Designation
10. West Maui Watershed Project
“Promoting Collaboration and Stewardship”
• Sponsors:
♦ USACE
♦ DLNR (DAR, DOFAW, CWRM)
♦ DOH
• Funding
♦ Non-federal match mainly in-kind
♦ Approval to use in-kind activities
funded by EPA and NOAA CRCP
Other Partners
♦ NRCS
♦ Hawaiian Humpback National Marine Sanctuary
♦ Hawaii CZM
♦ Maui County
♦ West Maui Mountains Watershed Partnership
♦ West Maui Soil and Water Conservation District
♦ The Nature Conservancy
♦ Maui Land and Pineapple Company
11. Hawaii DLNR: Project management, lead development and implementation
of specific components of West Maui Watershed Plan depending on agency
mandate and expertise
ACOE: Facilitate Development of West Maui Watershed Management Plan
NOAA: Watershed Plan for Ka’anapali to Kahekili, West Maui and
implementation of a stormwater demonstration project.
EPA: Water quality monitoring and permitting to assess and potentially
regulate pollution levels
USDA: Funds for conservation practice implementation in the Kaanapali-
Kahekili watershed.
USGS: Examine source and content of groundwater discharge
12. Partnership Initiative 2012 Plans
•Support hiring of a locally based watershed coordinator
•Implement “low-hanging fruit” in short-term via
collaborative financing/planning
13. What’s Next?
• Coastal User Mapping Process – DAR/NOAA
• Conservation Action Plans – TNC/DAR/NOAA
• Ka‘anapli Watershed Plan – NOAA
– USACE sponsored plan will expand on breadth and detail of this assessment to
meet other requirements
• Lahaina WWTF Groundwater Tracer Study – DOH/EPA/Corps
• Priority EQUIP Funding – NRCS
• Potential Implementation Funds – NFWF
