A: The amount charged to individual users will be determined by your pipeline association based on the costs the association incurs building, maintaining, and managing its pipeline system.  Currently, Kohala Ditch Company, LLC (the present owner/operator of Kohala Ditch) charges 25-cents per 1,000 gallons for access to Kohala Ditch (as a comparison, county residential water general use rates vary from $1.04 to $5.30 per 1,000 gallons, plus other charges, depending on quantity used).  After Kohala Ditch Company and Kohala Ditch Co-op come to an agreement regarding the turn-over of Kohala Ditch to the co-op, then the co-op’s members, via its board of directors, will determine the rate the co-op will charge it’s members (the pipeline associations).  The pipeline associations will in turn determine the amount to be charged to their members (the individual users of the water).

A: Currently (as of February 2020) the Initial Board of Directors of the Kohala Ditch Coop are: Kirk Eubanks (President), Dwayne Cravalho (Secretary/Treasurer), Tom Mitchell, Rick Evans, Ray Kanehailua.

A: Currently (as of February 2020) there is only one actual, official member of the coop and that is the incorporator of the co-op, Surety Kohala Corporation.  Submittal of membership applications by other organizations is pending (see “Member Service Areas” tab on the co-op’s website for a partial list of potential membership candidate pipelines).

A: Kohala Ditch is throttled back every evening in order to conserve water.  Also, whenever a bad storm is projected to strike, the Ditch is usually shut down for the duration of the storm to mitigate damage.  Kohala Ditch is also subject to sudden, unforeseen shut downs caused by acts of God — unusually heavy flooding, landslides, sudden storms, boulder strikes, and earthquakes.  Shut downs resulting from these acts of a seemingly malevolent deity generally last a few days, however, they can run for years (as in the case of the 2006 earthquake). This is why all users are strongly advised to include adequate storage and/or alternate water sources in all planning for their ag water usage

A: A large landslide near the headwaters of Kohala Ditch in April 2021 destroyed a portion of the ditch system. As a result, Kohala Ditch has been cut-off from its primary water source in Honokane. Kohala Ditch Company, the present operator of Kohala Ditch, has determined it is too dangerous to risk repairs in this isolated location, at least for the foreseeable future. In the near term, Ditch Company is working with nearby landowners to restore other plantation-era water sources that can utilize Kohala Ditch as a water transmission corridor. In the long term, an ad hoc group of concerned community members is exploring the possibility of a complete restoration of the ditch system. These efforts remain underway.

A: Yes.  Mailing address is P.O. Box 190759 Hawi, HI  96719.  Physical address is 55-519 Hawi Road, Suite 101 (which is basically a closet).  There’s also an email contact button on the co-op’s website.

A:  To answer your second question:  No.  It costs money to run a water system and if you want water, you have to pay for it.   To answer your first question:  Sorry about the paperwork, but this is a water system that is over 20 miles long, is made-up of components that would cost millions of dollars to replace, is in need of constant, highly specialized maintenance, crosses multiple properties, is subject to various government jurisdictions, and performs an important, highly regulated function.  As such, it requires a well-structured, well-run, economically viable entity (like this co-op) to run it.  In turn, the co-op requires that its member organizations meet this same standard.  Thus, the co-op requires its members meet (or exceed) the strict requirements placed upon the co-op (i.e., the “red tape.”)

A:  No.  And if we catch you up there without permission, we (or the ditch system operator) will have you charged with trespassing.  As beautiful as the “ditch country” is, it is also very dangerous.  Over the years, there have been multiple fatalities/disappearances and serious injuries in the regions that the Ditch traverses.  It’s a serious place not to be taken lightly.  Don’t believe me and want more info?  Google:  “The Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation.”

A:  There are no such things as stupid questions.  Please send questions to the co-op by email via the “Contact Us” tab on the co-op’s website.  In all seriousness, we will do our best to answer them intelligently.