10/23/23-A HYDROLOGISTS PRIMER ON INTERIM INSTREAM FLOW STANDARDS

JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR DAWN CHANG CHAIRPERSON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 23, 2023 A HYDROLOGISTS PRIMER ON INTERIM INSTREAM FLOW STANDARDS To view video please click on photo (OLOWALU, MAUI) – From the banks of Ukumehame Stream, looking to the top of the West Maui Mountains, you’d imagine you’re taking in a view of the desert Southwest. The barren landscape provides a dramatic example of how climate change and drought are impacting lands and how limited water resources are allocated. Over the past seven years, staff with the Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) have brought interim instream flow standards (IIFS) before the commission for review and approval. Dozens of streams on Maui, Moloka‘i, Kaua‘i, and Hawai‘i Island now have IIFS, which allows for adaptive management in an ever-changing environment. “IIFS require collection and analysis of data, engagement with community and water users, and a balance of needs before any commission action,” explained CWRM Hydrologist Dr. Ayron Strauch. He spends a great deal of time standing in streams to gather measurements and data that help inform recommendations and compliance for waterways that already have standards in effect. “We’d like to have the resources to monitor every stream in the state
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