HI SR91

Request the Department of Agriculture and Department of Land and Natural Resources to develop a plan to purchase the entire Kohala Ditch system in North Kohala, Hawaii Island.

Direct the Department of Agriculture to serve as lead agency and determine the estimated cost of purchasing the Kohala Ditch, reporting findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the 2016 Regular Session convenes.

Require collaboration between the two departments with private landowners, Kohala Ditch users, and the Kohala Ditch Foundation to develop an optimal management plan for long-term viability and operation of the system.

Reference the 22.5-mile Kohala Ditch, completed in 1906, which is currently owned and operated by Morrison Grove Capital Investment Company and serves as the primary water source for North Kohala agriculture.

Acknowledge recent damage to the ditch from a 2006 earthquake and December 2014 flooding, noting the system is one of the last privately-owned ditches in Hawaii and critical to sustainable agriculture in the region.