Title: The Waiahole Water Wars

Author: Stephanie K. Soares

Abstract: From the days of old, ancient Hawaiian civilization had a complex system of water rights and water appropriations, which placed emphasis on the water’s value economically, spiritually and culturally. With the evolution of native Hawaiian society ultimately leading up to European contact in 1776, annexation in 1898 and statehood in 1959, the value of freshwater as a respected public resource and commodity transformed into one of private ownership and overuse. This paper maps out the evolution of water rights in Hawaii through a journey from past to present. The controversy of the Waiahole ditch system – a system created to divert approximately 27 million gallons per day of valuable freshwater from the moist to the arid side of the island - works as a model to show both the evolution of water rights and a conflict for the average decision-maker; a conflict between native rights of land and water and the rights to commercial success.

Key References:

1) Franco, Robert (1995). Water: Its Meaning and Management in Pre-contact Hawaii. Honolulu: Water Resources Research Center.

2) Gopalakrishnan, C., P. Malla and G.H. Khaleghi. (1996). "The

Politics of Water in Hawaii: An Institutional Appraisal." International Journal of Water Resources Development 11(3): 233-242

3) Ridgley, M. and Lumpkin, C.A. (2000). “The bi-polar resource-allocation problem under uncertainty and conflict: A general methodology for the public decision-maker.” The Journal of Environmental Management. 59: 89-105.

Return to Water Resources Papers page.

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Date: May 2002
Student: ssoares@willamette.edu
ENVR 327: Water Resources
Instructor: Dr. Karen Arabas
http://www.willamette.edu/~karabas/courses/envr327w