As Hawai‘i’s first sustainable community incorporating food production, Ho‘opili has brought many issues to the forefront and generated a healthy discourse. Recently, the state Land Use Commission heard from opponents of Ho‘opili regarding the availability of water and Ho‘opili’s impact on O‘ahu’s water resources. D.R. Horton Schuler Homes takes this issue very seriously, and after thorough review with numerous water and environmental experts, we know that water resources on O‘ahu will not be negatively affected should Ho‘opili be built.

I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight on the following: (1) the availability of water for Ho‘opili; (2) why building Ho‘opili in Kapolei has a water advantage over building a community in other areas on O‘ahu; and (3) what we, as a company, are doing to design our communities to best conserve O‘ahu’s water resources.

Availability of Water

An important fact to keep in mind is that the Ho‘opili community will require 3.9 million gallons per day (“MGD”) of potable water and 2 MGD of non‐potable water at full buildout, according to local hydrology expert Tom Nance. Both the potable and non‐potable water will be drawn from the same source – the Waipahu‐ Waiawa Aquifer. The Commission on Water Resource Management (“CWRM”) has set the current sustainable yield of the Waipahu‐Waiawa aquifer at 104 MGD and it has 85 MGD currently allocated, of which Ho‘opili has an existing 8 MGD allocation. The current actual pumpage of the Waipahu‐Waiawa aquifer is 54 MGD, meaning that 31 MGD are not being used from the allocated amount and over 50 MGD less than the aquifer’s sustainable yield. This difference between the amount being used and the amount allocated shows that water is available for the Ho‘opili community, and that conservation measures employed at various communities have been working and overall conservation of water is being observed.

In addition, once Ho‘opili is fully built out, the community will actually offset some of its required water as agriculture operations wind down on the land. A portion of the 8 MGD that is currently allocated from the Waipahu‐Waiawa aquifer to Ho‘opili for agriculture use will be returned after full build out of Ho‘opili and will therefore, offset some of Ho‘opili’s daily demand.

In terms of water resources, Ho‘opili is unique from all other new developments on O‘ahu, as the land already comes with an allocation of 8MGD. While the 8 MGD is for agriculture, no other project will “return” water to the allotted 85MGD that the Waipahu‐Waiawa aquifer can provide, before first requesting water for development. The fact that Ho‘opili has a water resource for the current land and it will use less than what it is allocated today, it essentially makes the Ho‘opili community a net provider of water in many respects.

In addition, during testimony before the state Land Use Commission, Barry Usagawa, water resources program administer with the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, said, “There should be sufficient water supplies for the entire development, potable and non‐potable.”

Another aspect to keep in mind in regards to the Waipahu‐Waiawa aquifer is that 10 years ago the pumpage from that aquifer was 52 MGD. Today, the pumpage stands at 54 MGD. In that 10 year span, usage raised only 2 MGD in the face of a rising population. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply expected growth of 3 MGD per year, estimating that by today usage would equal the allocated amount of 85 MGD. However, due to conservation methods, awareness, and improved building technologies, the growth in water usage has been a fraction – just 7 percent – of what was expected by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply.

Kapolei’s Water Advantage

The Waipahu‐Waiawa aquifer provides water for a good portion of O‘ahu as water is drawn and pumped to areas as far away as East Honolulu. In fact, 40 MGD is currently allocated to areas outside of West O‘ahu as all of the current aquifers in the Primary Urban Center are at capacity. Water drawn from West O‘ahu will be critical to development not just in Kapolei, but will be relevant to discussions on redevelopment opportunities in downtown Honolulu and other surrounding communities.

In regards to water supply, Kapolei and specifically those projects within the ‘Ewa Development Plan area have an advantage over other areas because of an agreement reached in 1999 between the Estate of James Campbell and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply condemned what is known as the ‘Ewa Shaft EP 15/16 from the Estate of James Campbell and as a part of the condemnation agreement agreed to provide approximately 12 MGD to those projects that fall within the ‘Ewa Development Plan, thereby reserving capacity for Kapolei projects, which Ho‘opili would fall under. Currently, less than half of the 12 MGD has been allocated. Therefore, as we consider which areas should accommodate population growth on O‘ahu, Kapolei makes the most sense for a variety of reasons, but especially with respect to water.

During his testimony, Usagawa said: “The benefit of development in ‘Ewa is that the Development Plan, and I guess the General Plan, directs growth there. And so for decades we’ve been over sizing our water infrastructure in anticipation of that growth. So we’re planning for it. We invested in it.”

Conservation Practices

D.R. Horton Schuler Homes takes the issue of water conservation very seriously. We have strived to develop our communities to ensure the best methods of conservation are used to preserve all of Hawai‘i’s resources, such as water. Creating the community of Ho‘opili will be no different for D.R. Horton Schuler Homes and we will work to ensure that Ho‘opili will be on the cutting edge of conservation. D.R. Horton Schuler Homes has begun utilizing a program called Home Save, which is designed to help homeowners reduce operating costs, provide homes that are adaptable for future technology, and lessen future costs for maintenance and repairs. Homes in Ho‘opili will also be designed
to encourage conservation and utilize current technology which will allow us to continue to do our part in preserving O‘ahu’s precious water resource.

D.R. Horton Schuler Homes is a kama‘āina company that has been a part of Hawai‘i’s history for more than three decades. We care about Hawai‘i and its residents, and we are working to improve the quality of life for everyone that calls Hawai‘i home. Ho‘opili is truly a first‐of‐its‐kind development in Hawai‘i that is planned to offer residents a healthy lifestyle, use fewer natural resources, feature Hawai‘i’s first urban agriculture program, and help complete the vision of making Kapolei a robust “second city.”

About the author: Cameron Nekota is vice president at D.R. Horton – Schuler Division, a role in which he is responsible for overseeing the land use entitlement process for Ho‘opili. Cameron was most recently the development project manager for ‘Aina Nui Corporation and Kapolei Property Development, LLC, where he was responsible for entitlements, infrastructure, and governmental affairs.