Water Resilience in Hawai‘i
A UH Conference
October 28, 2022
Thank you to all who joined us for the University of Hawai‘i’s innovation conference, Water Resilience in Hawai‘i, that highlighted some of the initiatives and efforts around the state to protect our most precious resource–water.
Through a renewed understanding of the cultural and historical significance of water in the Hawai‘i, combined with a growing renaissance of indigenous values, knowledge and innovation, we look forward to the development of more resilient and sustainable practices of water management. Multidisciplinary collaborations like this, involving UH and its industry and community partners, are vital to ensuring that our future generations can safely live, work and play in the islands.
For your convenience, we have posted the keynote and panel discussions on the conference recap page.
The University of Hawai‘i
We would like to acknowledge the following for their generous support:
Water Resilience in Hawai‘i was presented by the
University of Hawaiʻi Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation.
A UH Innovation Conference
Water has always been our most precious resource and recent events have highlighted how fragile this lifeline can be. Combined with Hawai‘i’s geographic isolation, it is especially important to develop resilient and sustainable practices to ensure that future generations can safely live, work and play in the islands. As the state’s largest research institution, the University of Hawai‘i (UH) has an obligation to help improve the quality of life for our residents and to those around the world though innovative research and education. Water Resilience in Hawai‘i creates an opportunity for further collaboration between UH and its industry and community partners to engage in meaningful partnerships to solve these challenges, while promoting economic stability and viability in Hawai‘i.
Session Topics
- A Look at the Cultural and Historical Significance of Water in Hawai‘i
- Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s Wai Maoli: Hawai‘i Fresh Water Initiative
- Water Policy and Strategy in Hawai‘i
- Challenges, Opportunities, Strategies and Tactics to Address Water Quality Issues in Hawai‘i
- Red Hill…Moving Forward
Sponsored by the University of Hawai‘i Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation and:
Date And Time
10-28-2022, 7:30 AM – 5:45 PM
Location
Hawai‘i Convention Center, 1801 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815
$100/per person*
Limited to the first 200 registrants
*includes continental breakfast, lunch and networking reception
Schedule/Agenda
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Kiana Frank is an Assistant Professor in the Pacific Biosciences Research Center at the University of Hawaii, Mānoa.
Brian Emanuel Schatz is an American educator and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Hawaii, a seat he has held since 2012.
Panelists/Speakers
- Roger Babcock
Director, Department of Environmental Services, City and County of Honolulu - Kamanamaikalani Beamer
Professor, Hui ʻĀina Momona Program, UH Mānoa - Kamuela Enos
Director, Office of Indigenous Innovation, UH System - Thomas Giambelluca
Director, Water Resources Research Center, UH Mānoa - Major General Mark A. Hashimoto
Mobilization Assistant to the Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command - Aurora Kagawa-Viviani
Asst. Professor, Water Resources Research Center, UH Mānoa; Commission on Water Resource Management, State of Hawai‘i - Kaleo Manuel
Deputy Director, Commission on Water Resource Management, State of Hawai‘i - Dana Okano
Program Director, Hawai‘i Community Foundation - Joseph Pickard
President, Community Planning & Engineering, Inc - Kapuaʻala Sproat
Professor/Director, Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law, William S. Richardson School of Law, UH Mānoa - Tara Sutton
Undergraduate Student/Member, University of Hawai‘i Red Hill Task Force - Vassilis L. Syrmos
Vice President for Research and Innovation, UH System - Donald Thomas
Sr. Researcher/Co-Founder, Hawai‘i Groundwater & Geothermal Research Center, UH Mānoa - Lauren Roth Venu
Principal, Roth Ecological Design Int. LLC - Tao Yan
Professor, Civil Engineering, UH Mānoa - George Yarbrough
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programs Director, UH Office of Innovation and Commercialization - And more…
Emcee: Moanike‘ala Nabarro, Spokesperson, UH Office of Communications
Speakers, content, dates and times are subject to change
Registration & Cost
$100/per person*
Limited to the first 200 registrants
*includes continental breakfast, lunch and networking reception
UH and Navy establish water resilience collaboration
August 16, 2022 UH News
The U.S. Department of the Navy and the University of Hawaiʻi have agreed to formally collaborate on water and energy resilience in the State of Hawaiʻi, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in March 2022. The MOU formalizes the Navy’s support of UH conducting and coordinating independent scientific and engineering research on the state’s water and energy resilience. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) will be providing funding for the effort and Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NAVFAC EXWC) is providing support and services.
“UH shares a mutual vision with the Navy for education, practice, and research to promote water resilience and safety, and health and environmental mitigation, as well as climate resilience and coastal adaptation,” said UH Vice President for Research and Innovation Vassilis Syrmos. “UH has assembled a team of hydrologists, engineers, chemists, ecologists, geographers, political scientists, economists, and social scientists. The interdisciplinary team in collaboration with ONR and NAVFAC EXWC spearheads efforts aimed at enhancing water security and resilience in the Pacific region by developing planning models and tools that will enable proactive decision-making. The end result: more effective water management, stronger water security, and enhanced protection of national security.”
An ONR grant was awarded to UH for science and technology development, including hydrology research in August 2022, and UH efforts are underway to initiate research and support field work. Future efforts will expand on water and energy resilience.
The Navy is working with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) as DOH collaborates with the UH Red Hill Task Force on tap water sampling to ensure water testing is based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-certified methods.
“We are glad to see academics at UH and the regulators at DOH come together to ensure that the UH screening tool matches up with DOH and EPA approved testing protocols to provide clear, reliable water quality information to the community,” said Meredith Berger, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment. “Clear information and safe drinking water are important for everyone.”
Drinking Water Emergency at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Honolulu, Hawaii (November 2021-March 2022)
n late November, 2021, hundreds of families, living on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) and the Army’s Aliamanu Military Reservation and Red Hill Housing, reported petroleum odors coming from residential tap water supplied by the U.S. Navy water system; there were also reports of health issues arising from the contaminated drinking water. Approximately 93,000 U.S. Navy water system users are impacted, many of whom remain in temporary housing due to the drinking water crisis.
The source of the petroleum was the nearby Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, which contaminated the Red Hill Well, the Navy’s primary source for its water system.
EPA partnered with the Navy, Army and the Hawaii Department of Health in an Interagency Drinking Water System Team (IDWST) to restore safe drinking water to the affected residents and workers. The team, which launched in December, 2021, completed drinking water restoration in March 2022.
Over the next two years, the Navy is required to continue testing the affected drinking water area and continue work to cleanup the Red Hill drinking water well and impacted groundwater.
Click here for more information from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Additional Websites
For the latest updates, news releases, and resources for residents, please visit the U.S. Navy’s Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) Water UpdatesExit Exit EPA website website.
View the latest post system flushing status and drinking water sampling data at the Interagency Drinking Water System Team (IDWST) Flushing and Sampling Data website.
For additional information please visit the U.S. ArmyExit Exit EPA website and Hawaii Department of HealthExit Exit EPA website websites.