Groups Ask Court to Declare Prohibition On East Maui Water Lease to Private Party.

The article focuses on ongoing legal and regulatory disputes concerning the diversion and management of water resources from East Maui streams. Nonprofit groups Na Moku Aupuni O Ko' olau Hui and the Sierra Club of Hawai'i have filed a complaint seeking a court declaration that the Hawai'i Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) is prohibited from entering into long-term water leases with private parties, citing climate variability and public trust concerns. A partial stay was granted by a circuit judge limiting water diversion by Mahi Pono, LLC, and East Maui Irrigation Company (EMI) to 30 million gallons per day, amid questions about compliance with instream flow standards and sustainable groundwater use. Additionally, the Hawai'i Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on whether the Intermediate Court of Appeals erred in dismissing a Sierra Club case challenging past water diversion permits. Separately, the Wailuku Water Company reported severe storm damage to its irrigation infrastructure, threatening bankruptcy without regulatory relief, as it struggles under a long-standing rate suspension by the Public Utilities Commission.