Scientific water studies show no evidence of negative impacts on national park
A recent West Hawaii Today article erroneously suggests the National Park Service “does indeed have the science to back its petition to designate the Keauhou aquifer a state water management area.”
When you read the studies on damsel flies, birds, fish and shrimp, you learn that higher salinity levels may impact certain species. It may well be that these species are sensitive to changes in salinity, but neither the National Park Service, nor anyone else’s field data have shown a likely impact from use of high level water to supply the Kona residents.
For the past 25 years, water has been pumped from high level wells mauka of the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. A cooperative study, “Summary of Scientific Research on the Northern Section of the Keauhou Aquifer System,” by groundwater geologist Steve Bowles, hydrologist Tom Nance, Steve Dollar and Richard Brock show a “no negative impact” result. They note: “The findings of these studies come to a consistent conclusion: no evidence collected to date indicates that withdrawals of groundwater resources from the high-level and basal aquifers in the northern section of the Keauhou Aquifer System have negatively impacted basal groundwater, the ponds and the nearshore marine waters.” In fact, the park’s hydrologist, Paula Cutillo has also stated, they “have no evidence that existing pumping has adversely affected these resources.”
The science strongly suggests that the high level and basal aquifers near the park are not closely interconnected and the only clear evidence of discharge from the high level aquifers is through deeply buried, confined aquifers that are bypassing the coastal aquifers and discharging into the deep ocean.
Contrary to what the national park claims, scientific evidence shows withdrawals of water from the high level aquifer will most likely have a negligible impact on the makai aquifer surrounding the national park and that there is no justification for designation of the Keauhou aquifer as a water management area under Water Commission rules.
Donald Thomas
Hilo