DRAFT FOR WAG REVIEW

Southwest Maui Watershed Plan

Watershed Advisory Group Meeting April 8, 2010, 2:00 p.m - 4:00 p.m.
Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center
91 Pukalani St., Pukalani, Maui

Summary
This was the second meeting of the Watershed Advisory Group (WAG) in the two-year
Southwest Maui Watershed Planning project, and the first one held upcountry.
Workgroup members introduced themselves; Watershed Coordinator Robin Knox gave
an overview of the project for those who didn’t attend the Kihei meeting, and a summary
of the project’s first quarter activities. There were discussions of guiding principles and
broad goals. There were 17 people present.

Upcoming meetings
There will be a public meeting April 29, 2010 at the Whale Sanctuary, 6-8 pm.
The next Steering Committee meeting will be May 13, location TBD.
The next WAG meeting will be June 10 at the Whale Sanctuary, 3-5 pm (preceded by a
Steering Committee meeting).

Attendees
Michael Brady, Luisa Castro, Dan Clegg, Katie Decker, Liz Foote, Grace Fung, Skippy Hau,
Pamela Kantarova, Maury King, Robin Knox, Teri Leonard, Doug MacCluer, Richard Sylva,
Roxie Sylva, Dave Taylor, Joie Taylor, Bill Watts

Welcome, Pule, and Introductions – Robin Knox, Richard Sylva, all

Robin Knox, the Project Watershed Coordinator, welcomed the group and introduced Richard
Sylva, the Project Manager. Richard is an Associate Director with the project sponsor, Central
Maui Soil and Water Conservation District. We went around the room and each person
introduced themselves and their affiliation.

Presentation – Introduction to the Project – Robin Knox

Narrative and discussion Presentation content
Robin gave a brief review of content from the Goals: Protect water quality and reduce
first WAG meeting for the benefit of those who land-based pollution.
weren’t there. This watershed has diverse uses
and resources, and some challenging
characteristics. It is mostly dry, with sudden
and extreme storm events. This project will
explore what we can all do as stakeholders.
Some water bodies in this watershed are not Southwest Maui Watershed Plan
meeting the goals set in the state water quality • CWA Section 319 Nonpoint Source
standards. Therefore, under federal law, action Control
is required to reduce pollution. This project is • Watershed Advisory Group
• Community Outreach/Projects
funded by a Clean Water Act grant from the
• Watershed Characterization
federal Environmental Protection Agency to
• Pollutant Loading Estimates

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Narrative and discussion
the Hawaii Department of Health, Clean Water
Branch.
The project is based on community stakeholder
involvement to ensure success, because those
living and working in the area are most in
touch with the impacts and sources of the
problems, and are in the best position to take
action. It allows society to decide how to
manage resources and spend scarce resources.
The technical team supports the advisory
group. Their role is to characterize the
watershed and estimate pollution load and
sources. Together, the WAG and technical
team will identify best management practices
to reduce pollutant loading and develop an
implementation plan. Implementing the plan
will be a follow-on project with separate
funding.
What is a watershed? It’s not just the top of the
mountain. It is not separate from humans;
we’re part of the ecological system.
Interconnectedness is a principle of ecological
management. The watershed concept is similar
to the traditional Hawaiian ahupua`a system.
The hydrologic cycle: clouds > rain > streams
> sea. See also the definitions at right.
What is watershed planning? It brings together
all the users and stakeholders to make
decisions. See more at right.
Why are we doing this? As populations grow,
problems develop. Our aquatic resources such
as native fishes and coral reefs are threatened
by our presence and use, things like
agricultural runoff, coastal overdevelopment,
unprocessed sewage, and depleted fish stocks.
There is also a large transfer of water from
other watersheds, Wailuku and upcountry.
WAG #2 4/8/2010
Presentation content
• Best Management Practices
• Pollutant Load Reduction Goals
What is a watershed?
• A watershed is the area of land where
all of the water that is under it or drains
off of it goes into the same place.
• John Wesley Powell, scientist
geographer, put it best when he said that
a watershed is: "that area of land, a
bounded hydrologic system, within which
all living things are inextricably linked by
their common water course and where,
as humans settled, simple logic
demanded that they become part of a
community”
What Is Watershed Planning?
• Brings together all the users of a
watershed to help make decisions.
• Includes government, residents,
landowners and community groups.
• Looks at solutions for the goals the
stakeholders agree upon.
• Based upon community knowledge and
sound science.
• Helps make communities eligible for
grants to accomplish different projects.
The need for planning
• Maui’s aquatic resources, such as
native fishes and corals reefs are
threatened by man’s activities.
• Anthropogenic (man-made) impacts to
water quality are associated with
population and land use patterns.
• Planning can reduce pollution loads and
other impacts from man’s activities
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Narrative and discussion Presentation content

Robin showed watershed characterization maps
of the various ways the land is used, from
forest, scrub, and grasslands to dense coastal
residential and urban areas. There are very few
waterbodies on the land. It is important to
know the current uses and how land use has
changed over time, and to understand the
factors that influence pollutant load, such as
impervious surfaces. Robin will work with
John Astilla to clarify some of the color
choices, and send a PDF of the land use map.
Over the two years of this project, there will be Project Meeting Schedule
12 bimonthly (every two months) meetings of • April 29thPublic Meeting
the Watershed Advisory Group, 24 monthly HIHWNMS “Whale Sanctuary” in Kihei
meetings of the Steering Committee, and 4 6-8 pm
public meetings to report project status and • May 13 -Steering Committee -Location
TBD
seek broad community input.
• June 10 –WAG meeting
The meeting locations will alternate between HIHWNMS “Whale Sanctuary” in Kihei
Kihei and Upcountry, unless WAG members 3-5 pm
request otherwise. Teri noted that South Maui • July 8 –Steering Committee
Sustainability meets at 6 pm in Kihei on the HIHWNMS “Whale Sanctuary” in Kihei
same day (second Thursday of the month). 3-5 pm
Robin said the schedules should be compatible, • Aug 12 –WAG Upcountry Location TBD
because Kihei meetings will be 3-5 pm to fit
the Whale Sanctuary schedule, and Upcountry
meetings will be 2-4 pm.
The education and outreach plan is focused on Education and Outreach Plan
connecting to existing projects so efforts are • Laie Wetland Restoration
complementary and supportive rather than http://www.hear.org/naturalareas/laie/ind
redundant. We gathered ideas for the education ex.html
• Whale Sanctuary Volunteer Monitoring
and outreach plan at the first meeting and sent
Program
out a draft outline for you to review.
• Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
Listed at right are some of the groups and Turbidity Task Force
efforts we are working with. Let us know if • Hawaii Ecotube and Digital Bus
there are others we should connect to. • CORAL Reef Alliance and Project Sealink
Community Word Day has the grant for the 2- http://monitoring.coral.org/
year Laie Wetland Restoration project in South
Kihei and is coordinating volunteers through
the Whale Sanctuary. Robin is writing a
sampling plan. Project volunteers will do
weekly monitoring before, during, and after
native plant restoration. There will also be
quarterly water chemistry and flow
measurements.
We participated in other recent outreach events
where we were able to share details of this
project with the public. These included Whale
Day 2010 and More Fish in the Sea.

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Presentation – Quarterly Status Report – Robin Knox

Robin summarized the work completed in the project’s first quarter, highlighted below.
• Complete contracting of project team
• WAG Mtg#1 2/11/2010
• SC Mtg#1 3/25/2010
• Scheduled Public Mtg#1
• Completed Outline of Education and Outreach Plan
• Participated in Whale Day 2010 Ocean Education Event
• Kicked off La`ie Volunteer Monitoring Program with NOAA, County and NGO
partners
• Met with web site designer
• Met in South Maui with EPA Region 9 Watershed Staff Hudson Slay and Tina
Yin
Questions and comments from Dave Taylor led to a discussion of the composition of the
Steering Committee and how this group can work to ensure its process and results are
considered representative of the community. He works for the County, and had concerns that this
project does not seem neutral since one steering committee member is part of a lawsuit against
the County (regarding injection wells) and Robin is also affiliated with the suit. Robin explained
that she was an advisor to the DIRE group and not a signatory. Injection wells are a point source
of pollution, and the SMWP project is largely about non-point sources. Other participants pointed
out that there might have been glitches in notifying people about the Steering Committee
meeting, and that so far this seems to be an objective process. There will naturally be
disagreements among individuals in planning efforts, but the exchange of ideas will help educate
others. Doug MacCluer brought up his experience on the GPAC, which was composed of
individuals from many competing sectors, and everyone’s ideas contributed to a tempered
outcome. Richard reminded the group to focus on the goals and outcomes, not individuals. We
want to accurately identify where pollutants are coming from and develop better management
practices than we have now. Teri Leonard mentioned that we’re all here because we care, and that
if we didn’t have people with opinions we probably wouldn’t have anyone in the room. Robin
said her role is as facilitator, and invited everyone to review the minutes and make sure they
reflect the meetings accurately. The County has great data, and we’d appreciate your input. The
County is a stakeholder in many ways. Local governments are in a difficult position, managing
and regulating resources and infrastructure – water, wastewater, roads, drainage, and impervious
surfaces. Dave said there is enormous support for this in the County offices. Dave Taylor and
Luisa Castro would like to be added to the Steering Committee.
Dave also asked whether anyone was aware of an Army Corps of Engineers project to measure
flow volumes from upcountry to Kihei. He’d just heard about a meeting that took place April 7.
This data could be helpful for the SMWP project. Contact Mike Miyamoto, Deputy Public Works
Director to find out what’s going on.

Guiding Principles Discussion – Robin Knox

Robin led a discussion seeking the group’s input on guiding principles, defined as “Broad
philosophy that guides an organization throughout its life in all circumstances, irrespective of
changes in its goals, strategies, type of work, or the top management.” We are seeking to
articulate our expectations of how we will participate. She offered as an example: “Be the
solution, it is the kuleana of those who use the resource to malama the resource,” and pointed to
Dave’s concern voiced in the previous discussion as an expectation of an unbiased process.
Here are the group’s suggestions for guiding principles:

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• Be the solution, the essence; think like water; don’t wait for someone else to do it
• Be inclusive / Steering Committee ethnic balance
• WAG members should be someone who can make a difference in the watershed
• Transparency
• Use the best available science
• Accomplish the tasks of the project (fulfill the functions of the WAG)
• Respect and honor the host culture
• Celebrate history – contemporary, multicultural
• Follow the ahupua`a principles and concepts: top of mountain to the sea, including the
reef
• Seek balance in dealing with differences of opinion; we all have choices with impacts
• Optimize solutions to get the most bang for the buck
• Don’t unduly burden one party
• Be adaptive, flexible
Send any additional suggestions to Robin.

Discussion of Broad Goals – Robin Knox

Robin led a discussion seeking the group’s input on broad goals. Some examples are “Meet water
quality standards” and “Restore ecosystems.” Later, we’ll develop indicators, objectives and
targets designed to meet the goals. For example, as part of the goal of meeting water quality
standards, an objective would be “reduce nutrient loading,” for which an indicator is “nitrogen
levels,” and the target is “10 ug/L total nitrogen.”
Here is the group’s input on broad goals:
• Create a rational, logical plan; provide rationale for decisions
• First identify the problems; your goals will be to get rid of the problems
• Be consistent with Community Plans (s/b guiding principle?)
• Get the players at the table (e.g., Kihei Community Association)
• Reefs are dying
• Consider needs and usage: development (demand); water supply; storm water, drainage,
flooding; pollution control
• Pollutants associated
• Silt runoff / sedimentation / pollutant
• Erosion: others’ BMPs; siltation basins, swales etc.
• Turbid water, has tourism ramifications
• Resuspension
• Airborne particles (dust and/or pathogens?)
• Ocean water quality / public health / ocean illness
• Coral disease montifera
• Lack of fish
• Wildland fires: stabilization, invasives, erosion, qw(?) recharge, debris, human health &
safety
• Understand natural processes and function, and man-made components and processes
• Understand critical conditions
• Natural systems are complex; use a light touch / limit footprint
• Flooding
• Algae blooms

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Here is a worksheet with questions which can help identify watershed issues, from page 4-5 of
the EPA’s Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters:

Here is an example linking concerns, causes, goals, and indicators, from page 4-16 of the EPA’s
Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters:

Please send Robin any additional suggestions for broad goals.

Summary of Action Items

Action items
# Description Due date Person
WAG #1, 2/11/2010
Send link for Handbook on protecting and restoring waters to WAG
members
1 CLOSED Robin
Teri sent 3/25/10:
http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/watershed_handbook/pdf/handbook.pdf

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# Description Due date Person

2 Meet with Ellen Kraftsow on coordinating this work and draft WUDP Robin
Send Robin suggestions for other people, programs, or organizations you WAG
3
think should be involved or aware of this effort members
Send Robin links for your group's website, and suggestions for other WAG
4
website links that would be good resources for the group members
Let Robin know whether meeting on the second Thursday of each month
WAG
5 works for your schedule, or if that conflicts for you or other important
members
groups
WAG #2, 4/8/2010
Revise color coding of watershed characterization maps with John Astilla
6 Robin
Send PDF of watershed characterization maps to WAG members
Add Dave Taylor and Luisa Castro to the Steering Committee; make sure
7 Robin
invitees receive meeting notices.
Follow up with Mike Miyamoto, Maui County Deputy Public Works
8 Director, to get details of Army Corps of Engineers project (met 4/7/2010) Robin
which might be complementary to this (measuring flow volumes?)
WAG
9 Send suggestions for additional guiding principles and goals to Robin
members
1 Try to get Kihei Community Association involved in this project
Robin
0 (outreach)
1 Find GPAC’s list of water-related problems (online or from Jeff Hunt or
Robin
1 Doug MacCluer) to guide development of goals

Notes prepared by Karen Bennett.

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