MAʻALAEA BAY
WATERSHEDS MANAGEMENT PLAN
Maui Environmental Consulting, LLC has just completed a watershed management plan for Waikapū and Waiakao Watersheds.
The goal of this watershed management plan is to address land-based souces of pollution entering into Māʻalaea Bay, and to provide opportunities for stakehoders and community members to combat pollution.
Efforts to protect and restore watersheds have been expanding across the island of Maui. Watershed management plans for Wahikuli and Honokōwai were completed in December 2012, and plans for Kahana, Honokahua and Honolua Watersheds were completed in 2016. More recently, the Southwest Maui Watershed Management Plan was approved in 2019, and the Pōhākea Watershed Plan was approved in 2023. The Waikapu and Waiakoa Watersheds – together referred to as the Māʻalaea Watersheds - converge in Maui's central isthmus, and bridge the gap between the Pōhākea and Southwest Maui Watershed Plans. Collectively these plans can work together to achieve water quality goals for the entirety of southwest Maui.
Reaching elevations of approximately 4,400 feet in the West Maui Mountains, the Waikapu Watershed extends to the southeast and covers an area of 10,393 acres. The Waiakoa Watershed encompasses 35,331 acres, beginning at the summit of Haleakalā at 10,023 feet. It extends northwest unitl its boundaries meet with the Waikapu Watershed. All but one of the streams within the Māʻalaea Watersheds are ephemeral, flowing only during stormwater events. These streams drain into Keālia Pond and the coastal waters of Māʻalaea Bay.
The goal of the Māʻalaea Bay Watersheds Management Plan is to identify the various sources of pollution within the watershed and to provide best management practices that will protect the water resources within the planning area. In considering the environment, economy, and community, this Plan aims to learn from the past and provide solutions that will restore and preserve the watershed into the future.
