Farmers Healoha Carmichael and Lezley Jacintho and the nonprofit Na Moku Aupuni O Koolau Hui filed a lawsuit Friday naming the state of Hawaii, Maui County and others.

The claim, according to this Courthouse News Service article, is that water diversions are negatively impacting the farming of taro — kalo, in the Hawaiian language.

Also named in the suit are the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Alexander & Baldwin, East Maui Irrigation Co. and A&B subsidiary Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co

Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. on Maui.

Chad Blair/Civil Beat

“The lack of stream flow threatens the survival of Hawaiian traditional and customary practices and is particularly oppressive for wetland taro farmers, who require certain minimum volumes and temperatures of water to ensure the health and vitality of their crops,” the taro farmers argued in the complaint.

The farmers also say a related decline in native species is letting invasive plants takeover. They want a court to void A&B’s permits for the diversions from East Maui streams.

Of note: The title of the Courthouse News article is “Water Problems Even in Hawaii.”

Yep. Disputes between A&B and folks in East Maui have been going on for many years, actually.