Recent rains send sugar
workers back to jobs
WAILUKU >> About 90 sugar employees who were laid off earlier this month due to dry conditions have returned to work because of recent rains.
The workers with Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. were laid off from June 3 through 16 because the dry conditions prevented replanting in fields dependent on rain. The workers are not only replanting some of those fields, but are also replanting fields that are irrigated with pumped well water and were recently harvested, said Stephen Holaday, company general manager.
Holaday said it has been dry the past three to four years but that the extreme dry conditions seemed to start a littler earlier this year.
He said he does not know if more layoffs are on the horizon because of the conditions.
"It's hard to say," he said. "We kind of live week to week when it's dry."
The company cultivates about 37,000 acres, including between 6,000 and 7,000 acres that have no access to well water.
In addition to well water, the company relies upon ditch water from East Maui to irrigate fields in Central Maui.
Holaday said the company would like about 160 million gallons a day flowing through the ditch system but was getting only about 20 million gallons a day or less in early June.
County water restrictions remain in effect for Upcountry Maui from Haiku to Kanaio.
George Tengan, county water director, said some reservoirs are rising while others are falling, but East Maui did receive "good rainfall" on Tuesday.
"It's been raining off and on for the past week," he said.