AUGUST 2013


"Adopt the pace of nature:
her secret is patience."

Ralph Waldo Emerson
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KRCA Homeowners
Board of Directors Meeting
September 18, 2013
7:00 PM Kilauea Neighborhood Center

Kalihiwai Ridge homeowners can find official minutes to KRCA Board of Directors meetings by setting up their own Account Log In at www.associaonline.com.  They can assist you in getting your 7 digit homeowner number.  After you have that you will then need to set up a User Name and Password.  You can also set up having the Agenda to these meetings sent to you by e-mail the day before the meetings are held every other month.




My Impressions

What can I say.  We are down to dried up inlets and a few feet of water in most of the lake, but for the area by the dam.  The fish are jumping in and out of their breeding holes as the lake warms up and loses oxygen, meaning they will start to die off soon.  I have parked Moe Moku at Tony and Uschi's beach for the duration as the 'lake' goes lower with daily EH use and little measurable rain.  It will be just as bad or worse
year round now as we won't hold any water we get coming in until all the issues are resolved with the outlet gate and spillway.  More time waiting after two years now having only five months of a less than full lake to enjoy.

The second island has appeared mid lake which is a series of spawning holes for the fish, dried up now with no babies in sight.  Interesting how they dig these circular nests to lay their eggs.  Might be good to consider removing all the pipes from the shoreline as they are doing little good sitting on the beach now far above the water line and just become an eye sore instead.  All I can hope for now is the powers that be take advantage of this low lake and no rain to finish the H&H study, followed by remediation of the spillway/outlet gate situation in order to be in compliance with DLNR standards of water removal capability during a severe storm.  Seeing these crisis wildlife habitat conditions repeat themselves year after year can also be averted if the lake level can be kept to a consistent 15 or more on the stick, as per our agreement with the water use easement holders.

Correcting information on the National and Hawaii State Registry of Dams seems a monumental task of more engineering studies required by DLNR we can't afford, so I will just list the corrected and more complete information here as it relates to our Kalihiwai Reservoir:
Full Pool Capacity:  46MG
Owners:  KRCA, Porter Irrigation & Bridgewater Irrigation
Uses:  Ag Water, Recreation, Fire Protection, Fish & Wildlife Pond, Storm Water Management
Hazard Potential:  High, due to potential loss of life with older residences downstream built at ground level; all newer construction has been built on stilts.  (This designation is based in part on a grossly incorrect 139MG storage capacity.)

Until we meet again.
Aloha, 
Maggie Lea

Suggested Readings:
Water Resources and Climate Change Adaptation in Hawai`i: 2012
Reference:  Commission on Water Resource Management
Click here to download PDF file

Koamalu Volumes 1&2
by Ethel M Damon, 1931
A story of pioneers on Kauai and of what they built in that island garden

Sugar Water by Carol Wilcox 1996
Hawaiian & English definitions from the book:
wai - water, blood, passion, life
wai wai - wealth
pani wai - dam
water - transparent, odorless, tasteless, liquid, H2O

Wetland habitat non-invasive plant suggestions:
bacopa, makaloa, carex, aka 'akai, neke
kupukupu, laua'e


Links:

Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge
www.fws.gov/hanalei

Kauai Forest Birds Recovery Project
www.kauaiforestbirds.org 

Sounds Hawaiian
www.soundshawaiian.com/birds

National Wildlife Federation
www.nwf.org

Kalihiwai Reservoir is a
Certified Wildlife Habitat

Ducks Unlimited
www.ducksunlimited.com

Fishing Notes
www.fishingnotes.com

Hawaii Audubon Society
www.hawaiiaudubon.com

Sierra Club Hawaii
www.sierraclubhawaii.com




Sufi at the helm of Moe Moku