This project will increase the County’s capacity to handle floodwaters, making it more resilient to flood risk. It includes current projects like the Lahaina Town Drainage Master Plan Update (to address localized flooding in urbanized areas of Lahaina Town) and preliminary design for the flood control project (retention basins and diversion channels mauka of Lahaina Town). This project is supported through USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations Program. The County DPW is the local sponsor with Stantec as contractor. The project is currently working on a supplementary environmental impact study since the original Environmental Impact Statement was written in the 1980s, and a hydrologic and hydraulic study. Once studies are completed, USDA NRCS and DPW will discuss the data, needs and how the Lahaina Watershed can address the needs through feasible conservation practices, either structural or non-structural.

This project aligns with the current effort to develop a watershed management plan for Kahoma and Kaua’ula watersheds. Currently there is a lack of sponsorship for NRCS projects. The current contract NRCS has is for roughly $1.4 million, but with the additional scoping going on because of the fires there are going to be more funds needed. This project will have to compete nationally for design funding.

This project will increase the County’s capacity to handle floodwaters, making it more resilient to flood risk. It includes current projects like the Lahaina Town Drainage Master Plan Update (to address localized flooding in urbanized areas of Lahaina Town) and preliminary design for the flood control project (retention basins and diversion channels mauka of Lahaina Town). This project is supported through USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations Program. The County DPW is the local sponsor with Stantec as contractor. The project is currently working on a supplementary environmental impact study since the original Environmental Impact Statement was written in the 1980s, and a hydrologic and hydraulic study. Once studies are completed, USDA NRCS and DPW will discuss the data, needs and how the Lahaina Watershed can address the needs through feasible conservation practices, either structural or non-structural.

This project aligns with the current effort to develop a watershed management plan for Kahoma and Kaua’ula watersheds. Currently there is a lack of sponsorship for NRCS projects. The current contract NRCS has is for roughly $1.4 million, but with the additional scoping going on because of the fires there are going to be more funds needed. This project will have to compete nationally for design funding.