Mar 11, 2021
Mark Vaught of East Maui Irrigation Co. (from right), Shan Tsutsui of Mahi Pono and Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino visit the Kaupakalua Dam in Haiku on Tuesday following massive flooding. DLNR photos
The Maui News
State engineers and the owners of the Kaupakalua Dam won’t be able to fully assess the damage to the structure until flooding subsides and the reservoir empties out, the Department of Land and Natural Resources said Wednesday.
Officials visited the dam on Tuesday, a day after torrential rains overflowed the dam, flooded roads and washed away bridges and homes.
“This dam is old, and we require it to stay dry, so that any water coming down the stream normally just washes through,” DLNR Chairwoman Suzanne Case said. “With more than 14 inches of rain in a very short period of time, the reservoir just filled up, and overtopped the dam and sent water rushing down the spillway. It will take awhile for all of that water to flow out.”
kcerizo@mauinews.com
Mahi Ponoâs fields in Central Maui. Multiple crops are being grown on lands formerly used for sugar cane. â The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
PUUNENE Wind. Drought. Pests. Farming in Central Maui already holds a unique set of challenges. Add a global pandemic and agriculture operations are tested in a whole new way.
So Mahi Pono, the largest agriculture company on Maui, has made key changes to its operations in light of coronavirus.
The pandemic affected everything from shipping costs a 46 percent increase in Young Brothers rates took effect last year to in-field work that needed COVID-19 safety protocols. Restaurants and hotels major markets for local produce closed, causing the company to look at the type and scale of its crops.