CULTURAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF THE WAIʻOLI LOʻI KALO IRRIGATION SYSTEM

Waiʻoli Ahupuaʻa, Haleleʻa Moku, Kauaʻi  -  Waiʻoli Taro Hui

At the request of the Waiʻoli Valley Taro Hui (“Hui”), a 501(c)3 non-profit with federal tax exempt status, Nohopapa Hawaiʻi, LLC conducted a Cultural Impact Assessment (“CIA”) for the Waiʻoli Loʻi Kalo Irrigation System. The Hui is applying for a long-term water lease pursuant to Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes (“HRS”) chapter 171; this CIA will be appended to an Environmental Assessment (“EA”) for the continued use of water from this system. The Proposed Action seeks legal approval to continue to use water from Waiʻoli Stream at its source (TMK 5-6-002:001) for the purpose of wetland kalo cultivation, a Native Hawaiian practice that has been a cultural foundation and has shaped the Indigenous landscape of the greater Waiʻoli community since time immemorial. Similar to how the loʻi kalo (wetland taro) irrigation system weaves through the land, the practice of cultivating kalo connects families over generations and is a time-honored part of the community’s history and legacy. This CIA seeks to assess the cultural impacts associated with the proposed long-term water lease for continued wetland kalo cultivation within the traditional Waiʻoli Loʻi Kalo Irrigation System.