Water Commission
considers user fees
for Waiahole Ditch

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By Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.com

Under a proposal before the state Water Commission, Leeward Oahu landholders could pay the state a fee of 2.5 cents per 1,000 gallons of Waiahole Ditch water they use.

The fee would help pay for scientific studies of Windward streams to determine if interim flows approved by the Waiahole Ditch ruling will be adequate for wildlife they support, the commission was told yesterday.

"The farmers on Leeward side are using public trust resources for private commercial profit," said EarthJustice attorney Kapua Sproat. "So they should have to contribute to Windward studies to determine if intermittent stream flow standards are sufficient to protect the resources."

Sproat said her clients, the Windward parties, want to see the actual cost of water to Leeward farmers before deciding whether they agree with the proposal.

The proposal, developed by a committee as required in the ruling, uses an average of costs for state ditch water.

Based on 2001 water usage, the proposal presented yesterday estimates that the three largest landowners who use Waiahole Ditch water would pay these amounts in fees annually:

>> Castle & Cooke/Dole: $18,606.

>> Robinson Estate: $10,138.

>> Campbell Estate: $14,463.

Combined with other Leeward users of Waiahole Ditch water, the annual total from fees would be about $45,798, according to the proposal.

The proposal would combine these fees from Leeward parties with funding from the U.S. Geological Survey and the water commission to pay for a total of $72,500 to $104,000-worth of studies per year over the next four years, Water Commission staffer Ed Sakoda said in his presentation.

Representatives of the landowners could not be reached for comment on the proposal yesterday.

The 25-mile Waiahole Ditch runs from Kahana Valley to Kunia. With the water no longer needed for sugar crops, Windward interests have battled to restore more flow to natural streams, while Leeward interests have said they need water for diversified agriculture projects.

After Windward interests appealed the Water Commission's 1997 ruling on how Waiahole Ditch water would be allocated, the Hawaii Supreme Court required the commission to revisit its ruling, which resulted in the current decision.

If approved by the Water Commission in May or June, the proposed fees to Leeward parties could take effect July 1.