A West Maui Watershed Plan aims to improve coral reef ecosystem health throughout the region's five watersheds.

LAHAINA – The state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host a workshop in Lahaina on Thursday, Nov. 20, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to share results of the Draft Watershed Characterization Study for the West Maui watersheds of Kahana, Honokahua, and Honolua.

The workshop will be held at the Kaunoa Senior Center at 788 Pauoa St. along Lahainaluna Road.

This study is the first volume of a two-volume plan sponsored by DLNR and USACE that will propose management measures to assist in mitigating land-based sources of pollutants that adversely affect water quality and the health of the coral reef ecosystem in all three watersheds.

The workshop will include a presentation on study findings and information booths set up to gather public input and answer questions on the study findings. Recently implemented projects from the previously completed Wahikuli-Honokowai Watershed Management Plan will also be shared at the workshop.

The Kahana, Honokahua and Honolua Watershed Management Plan and the previously published Wahikuli-Honokowai Watershed Management Plan are part of the larger West Maui Ridge 2 Reef Initiative focusing management efforts across all five watersheds.

These watershed management plans focus on short-term solutions to address land-based sources of pollution. They will be incorporated into a USACE- and DLNR-sponsored West Maui Watershed Plan that proposes a recommended strategy to address long-term impacts to the coral reef ecosystem health throughout the five watersheds.

Contact Tova Callender, West Maui Watershed coordinator, at tova@westmauir2r.com or (808) 214-4239 for further information.