Boiling It Down
Water is profoundly simple and complex at the same time. In Hawaii, the statewide Commission on Water Resource Management (CRWM) has oversight. It’s pretty clear to cover subject, Peter Young, newly in charge of water as the director of the state department of land and natural resources, and chairman of the water commission. “Water is life,” he emphasizes a number of times.
To use a water metaphor, synthesizing information for this story was like boiling down a vast body of water into a drinkable, full glass. Several water experts were kind enough to sit for lengthy interviews, some of which ran more than a couple of hours, to educate and enlighten this water novice: William Tam, an environmental attorney, wrote the 1987 Hawaii Water Code as a state deputy attorney general; Manabu Togomori, water resources manager for Kamehameha Schools, is an engineer and former state deputy director who headed the staff of the water commission and has presided over the state’s first comprehensive survey of water issues; James Moncur, economist, directs the Water Research Council at the University of Hawaii and has been studying water policy for decades; Barry Usagawa is in charge of water planning for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, which is a new mission and strategy.
While opinions about the efficacy of Hawaii’s current water policy can differ sharply, all stressed a common message. We need to do a better job of conserving NOW. The state water commission already estimates that the island of Oahu will be pumping 98 percent of its capacity by the year 2020.
The implications for businesses are the same, as for the general consumer. Invest in water solutions now. It will be better for business (read: cheaper in the long run) as well as better for all of us collectively in our island state. Water, after all, besides being something we all have to drink, is a natural asset in a state that relies heavily on tourism. As Young notes, there’s much more to water than what you see in the glass. Time will tell whether or not Hawaii’s water policy glass is half-full or half-empty.
Do you like what you read? Subscribe to Hawaii Business Magazine »
Hawaii Business magazine invites you to comment on our articles and the issues they raise. Comments are moderated for offensive language, commercial messages and off-topic posts and may be deleted. Some comments may be chosen for inclusion in the magazine on the Feedback page.