BOARD OF WATER SUPPLY
COUNTY OF MAUI
OPERATIONS REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING


Taken at the David Trask Building, Conference Room 207,
Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, commencing at 9:00 a.m. on January 8,
2002 pursuant to Notice.

REPORTED BY: GLORIA T. BEDIAMOL, RMR/RPR/CSR #262
IWADO COURT REPORTERS, INC. 

A P P E A R A N C E S
Members present: 
Jonathan Starr, Chair
Mike Nobriga
Orlando Tagorda
Kent Hiranaga

Staff present: 
David Craddick, Director
George Tengan, Deputy Director
Herb Kogasaka, Engineering
Mike Quinn, Fiscal Officer
Ed Kushi, Corporation Counsel
Fran Nago, Board Secretary

Others present:
Robert Granger

 * * *

CHAIRMAN STARR: It's 9 a.m. Good morning. January
8th. This is the operations review committee and the Maui
Board of Water Supply. I'm Jonathan Starr, chair. Members
Mike Nobriga, Orlando Tagorda, and Kent Hiranaga, also
committee member. We have Director David Craddick. Fran, I'll
let you introduce everyone else.

MS. NAGO: We have George Tengan our deputy
director, Herb Kogasaka our engineer, and Mike Quinn our fiscal
officer, and we have Mr. Robert Granger from Kawela Plantation,
and Ed Kushi from corporation counsel.

CHAIRMAN STARR: I don't believe we have any minutes
today. So the first order of business will be public
testimony, and I see we have one gentleman here, a member of
the public. You can testify now, or we'll be taking up the
matter you're here for in probably a few minutes; so it might
make more sense to wait until we get to that item and then you
would certainly be welcome to talk to us.
 The first item on the agenda is Director's Report
01-58. Request for approval for the department to be a
cooperator in a watershed protection project entitled
"Cyanea/Ochrosia Enclosure Makawao, Maui." I don't see anyone
from the public here, and I don't want to go -- one page from
the main meeting agenda, perhaps director or staff can give us
background on this.

MR. CRADDICK: This is a project that's being, I
think, funded with the EPA funds to do a study regarding this
plant here to enclose an area and see whether it -- they can
actually find any of them in this particular area, and they
also want to protect the area to prevent anything from harming
anything that was in there. And it's been passed through
funding through the water department.
 We won't be doing very much in it, but it's in the
area of our reservoir, Lower Kula reservoir, and the
information would be helpful in that environmental process when
we get to it. So it's beneficial to us.

CHAIRMAN STARR: Committee members, questions? I
have a -- this is unusual; it's the opposite of what we have
been doing. Usually we're trying to kill species that are
invasive, and this is more like a protection of something that
was never found before. Is that correct?

MR. CRADDICK: I believe they know it's in the area;
they just don't know how much are in this particular area.
They are doing more intensive study.

CHAIRMAN STARR: Are we funding? Will this cost us money?

MR. CRADDICK: No. Other than maybe some
administrative stuff, looking at the bill and approving the
bill.

CHAIRMAN STARR: In other words, the EPA pays us,
then we'll pay -- who do we pay?

MR. CRADDICK: I believe it's the DOFA (sic) and --
I'm not sure who the other agency is. I know there are two
cooperating groups. I think University of Hawaii --

MR. TAGORDA: Mr. Chair. David, how long do you
think this study is going to be conducted by the department?
When you say you want to be a cooperator of this watershed
protection, can you elaborate more on what role the department
will play in this?

MR. CRADDICK: It's primarily passed through
funding. But, as I said, if we can get this done, the
information is going to be very valuable to us when we start
doing the environmental work for our Lower Kula reservoir. So
I see it's something beneficial to us that we'll probably have
to do anyways if somebody else doesn't do it.

MR. TAGORDA: So your focus of study is only on
these two plant species?

MR. CRADDICK: That's my understanding.

MR. TAGORDA: If you go beyond that and you add more
plant species, would you be able to get some EPA grants?

MR. CRADDICK: I cannot tell you that right now. I
wouldn't know.

CHAIRMAN STARR: Any other comments? Anyone want to
make a motion for recommendation? I guess the chair recommends
approval. It seems something not harmful to us.

MR. NOBRIGA: I'll go along with that. So moved.

MR. TAGORDA: Second.

CHAIRMAN STARR: Any discussion? All in favor say "aye."

(A chorus of ayes.)

Any opposed?

(No response.)

Okay, it carries. So we'll recommend approval to
the full board.
 And our next item is Communication 01-40 and that's
a communication from Kawela Plantation Homeowners' Association
regarding the dedication of their private water system to the
Board of Water Supply. The letter didn't necessarily say
dedication; I believe it said we're finding a way to work
together.
 Anyway, please give us your name and tell us more
about this.

MR. GRANGER: I'm Robert -- Grangiay (phonetic) is
the way of pronouncing it. It's spelled Granger.
Unfortunately, it's a Cajun name, and I've always heard it that
way. I'm the past president of the Kawela Plantation
Homeowners' Association. I know a great deal about -- four
years I was president, and I know a great deal about the
system.
 At the time that I was president, one of your
members, Adolf Helm, was working for Kawela Plantation. He
knows the system very well. He operated it for us and kept it
in good condition. The system is about 22 years old; it
started operating in early '81. It has 210 lots in its
development. Developed by Kawela Plantation Development
Associates, Ala Wadsworthy (phonetic), former legislature.
And it's three domestic wells, three potable wells
that would deliver and total about 210,000 gallons a day.
There's an ag system that I'm sure you are not interested in.
We're interested in it only because it's in terrible shape.
Each lot has meters -- the whole system was designed to meet
county standards and each lot has county equivalent type meters
with backflow preventers for both systems, the ag system and
the potable system. It's just recently installed a new
telemetry system.
 Today it's managed by Island Utilities of Waimea;
they manage the system for us, and we would like to get out
from under the management aspect of it. As you well know, the
regulations increased each year, and the difficulties that we
have managing the system ourselves, we would like to get out
from under it.
 The letter, I think, is written -- testimony to date
so -- and I think Mr. Craddick's office is putting together a
list of information that they need to -- from us on the
as-built portion of it. We can put that together for you.
 We own 5,000 acres of common land above our
development; it goes all the way up to the forest reserve, and
as you probably are well aware, there's a great deal of water
under that 5,000 acres. Your county well is a part of that
same aquifer, county well at Kawela. We have a twin well right
across the stream from it that we use for ag water. It's a
good system.
 One time it was number one in the state in terms of
water quality, water taste. We won a state contest one time.
That was before we started irrigating with it.
 Anyway, any questions?

CHAIRMAN STARR: Yes, Orlando.

MR. TAGORDA: Yes, I'm glad that you are here,
Mr. -- how do you pronounce your last name?

MR. GRANGER: Grangiay (phonetic).

MR. TAGORDA: My question to you is, those three
domestic wells that produces 210,000 GPD, what's the status
right now, the chlorine content and things like that, that
we're supposed to know?

MR. GRANGER: The three wells are at the 250 foot
elevation, and one of them is very close to the stream and it's
our best well and it's chlorides are in the neighborhood of 30.

MR. TAGORDA: What was that?

MR. GRANGER: About 30. And the second well is a
little worse, which is still good. But the third well is the
one that gets up -- I have that data here somewhere. The third
well is a well that we use the least in terms of this whole
process. It's about maybe 2,000 yards from the stream.

MR. TAGORDA: Since this wells have been put in
production, what are those problems that you folks have in the
past regarding this well operation? Do you have any idea? Can
you share that information to us?

MR. GRANGER: Yes, they are just normal maintenance
problems. All of the wells have been pulled at least once and
replaced. They are line shaft wells with ten horsepower
electric motors. And one of them has been pulled twice. Our
best well which we use the most has been pulled twice and
replaced. That was about two years ago that that well was
pulled out of the ground and a new pump put in place.
 We keep on hand all the time a complete well
assembly for our deep wells as well as the spare meters for the
booster pumps and coordination and so forth.

MR. TAGORDA: Are you expecting some new federal
requirements on this private water system that you are giving
up the maintenance and operation of this well?

MR. GRANGER: No. Maybe I should be, but maybe I'm
not as well-read on that as I should be. No, I'm not expecting
anything new.

MR. TAGORDA: Has the staff or department had a
chance to look at this system?

MR. GRANGER: Not yet.

MR. TAGORDA: Not yet.

MR. GRANGER: We were talking about it before the
meeting about the possibility.

CHAIRMAN STARR: Members, any other questions? David?

MR. CRADDICK: We just prepared a letter to him
asking for as-built drawings, whatever they have, operating
information such as water quality and things that you were
talking about, and five years of operating costs and stuff like
that. When we get all of that stuff, we'll go out to the site
and prepare a report for the committee.

MR. TAGORDA: One more question to Mr. Granger of
the plantation. Is that well in the area where it's on the
state land? Do you know anything of that sort? Is it on
private land or state land designated therein?

MR. GRANGER: The wells are on private land. We
have one ag well that's on Molokai ranchland, but we have
perpetual rights to it. The well referred to in the records as
a breadfruit well.

MR. TAGORDA: I also would like to find out those
transmission lines in that --

MR. GRANGER: The transmission lines are in the
roads; they are 6-inch ductile lines, and the roads now belong
to the county.

MR. TAGORDA: You folks have any pressure problems
as far as the location of the 210 lots served by this private
water system?

MR. GRANGER: No, we have not. There's a small
section in each unit where you have a dual system. One,
there's a tank at the 500 foot level and there's a tank at the
250 foot level; so for the part of the development, there's a
dual system to handle the difference in pressure. You'll see
that.

MR. TAGORDA: Is there any incentive or quid pro quo
between the plantation and the department where you are doing
this?

MR. GRANGER: Say that again.

MR. TAGORDA: Would you get some incentive if the
Board of Water Supply decided to acquire or get that private
water system under our care? Are you requesting something from
the board in lieu of you dedicating that private water system
to us?

MR. GRANGER: No, nothing.

MR. TAGORDA: Nothing.

CHAIRMAN STARR: I have a question. Do you have an
allocation from the water commission?

MR. GRANGER: Yes, but I can't tell you exactly what
that is right now.

CHAIRMAN STARR: But it's in line with what you are
using now?

MR. GRANGER: Yes.

CHAIRMAN STARR: What rates do you charge your --

MR. GRANGER: The rates are included in their
monthly fee, the association fee, so we don't have an overage
charge for delivering beyond their requirements.

CHAIRMAN STARR: Any other questions?

MR. TAGORDA: I know we can get all of this
information when our staff, department staff will visit the
location and all of that; but maybe it will help the staff to
find out what the board, like me, who would like to know about
the private water system. What's the proximity of this private
water system to our county water system? How far --

MR. CRADDICK: They have a transmission line that
passes right down below it that the Kawela well feeds to, that
serves Kaunakakai.

MR. GRANGER: These wells, there's a slight chance
it would impact your county well; but I don't think it -- with
the amount of water that's in the aquifer and what we are
taking out now, it shouldn't be that much an impact.

CHAIRMAN STARR: If I remember right, there's a
cluster of three wells: there's our well, the Kawela well, and
then there's the Hawaiian Homes well up there.

MR. CRADDICK: No. This is Kawela he is talking
about, not Kualapuu. The only other person who has wells in
the area is Grambusch (phonetic), I think, yeah.

CHAIRMAN STARR: So the line that comes past there,
is that coming from Kualapuu?

MR. CRADDICK: I believe the line starts a little
further east, but basically it's what we call the Kaunakakai --
part of the Kaunakakai system.

CHAIRMAN STARR: Okay. It's the chair's belief that
we don't really have enough information to recommend any direct
action. That gives us two choices: one would be to recommend
back to the board that the staff prepare a report and
recommendation. Or we could just hold it as a property of the
committee while the staff does their report.

MR. NOBRIGA: I have a difference of opinion with
the chairman. I think the question before us in committee is
do we want to recommend that the board consider any further
dedications of private water systems? We need to decide that
first, in order for the department to proceed with their
reports. If the board were to decide that we don't want any
part of any more private water systems, then it would make no
sense for the staff to prepare their report.

CHAIRMAN STARR: David?

MR. CRADDICK: I believe one of the sites that we
have identified for the future Kaunakakai well is in this 5,000
acres that they have of land; so we are going to probably have
to be working with them at some point in the future when we
drill a backup well for Kaunakakai. So whether we do it now or
later, we're probably going to have to be working with them.

CHAIRMAN STARR: Kent?

MR. HIRANAGA: My opinion is private systems should
be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

MR. TAGORDA: That's right.

MR. HIRANAGA: I would defer to the staff preparing
a report with a recommendation for or against the system and
the reasons for it.

MR. TAGORDA: I have the same opinion, Mr. Chair, in
that we should let the staff gather some more information.
Since this is only a communication, it's really up to you if
you want to have this communication under your committee, then
we can review it when the staff is ready for all the
information, and then we can do some recommendation to the full
board.

CHAIRMAN STARR: It's my belief that the agenda item
before us is this particular case, so it would require us to
look at it as one case. I would be happy to examine whether
the board wants to make a general rule on these things, but I
don't think that's what's before us right now. And so I would
certainly welcome a motion for action, whether it's to hold it
or to send it as a recommendation to the board.

MR. TAGORDA: I move that we -- members of this
committee let the staff get some specifications and come back
to this committee, and after that we can probably send our
recommendation to the full board about the dedication of public
water systems on a case-by-case basis.

CHAIRMAN STARR: Have you got that, Fran?

MS. NAGO: Yes.

CHAIRMAN STARR: Is there a second?

MR. HIRANAGA: Is it appropriate to request
amendment now or do we second first?

CHAIRMAN STARR: Second first.

MR. HIRANAGA: I second. I would propose --

CHAIRMAN STARR: Did you second it?

MR. HIRANAGA: Yes. -- that the department provide
us a recommendation with a report as to whether to accept or
deny the request.

MR. NOBRIGA: Second.

CHAIRMAN STARR: So we have a motion and an
amendment that's been seconded. Any discussion? Okay, all in
favor of the amendment? And can you restate the amendment,
Fran?

MS. NAGO: That the department provide us a
recommendation with a report as to whether to accept or deny.

CHAIRMAN STARR: All in favor say "aye."

(A chorus of ayes.)

Okay, the amendment carries.
Now on to the main motion. Could you read it back?

MS. NAGO: Move that we let the staff get specific
details and come back to this committee, and after that we can
send a recommendation to the full board about dedication of a
private water system on a case-by-case basis.

CHAIRMAN STARR: Okay. I'll call the question. All
in favor of the main motion say "aye."

(A chorus of ayes.)

Opposed?

(No response.)

So that carries as well.
I thank everyone. Seeing no further business, the
meeting is adjourned.

(The proceedings were concluded at 9:30 a.m.)

IWADO COURT REPORTERS, INC.