Stream flows in Honokohau Stream have been recorded for 104 years. The median flow for March 8 is 15.5 million gallons per day (gpd). The current flow is 5.6 mgd, only 37 percent of the typical median flow. PHOTO COURTESY OF DLNR.

HONOLULU — Most of Hawaii is beginning to experience drought conditions during the time of year when rain is normally plentiful and regular.

The state Commission of Water Resource Management (CWRM) is advising people to take immediate actions to reduce water use in Maui County, describing current drought conditions as historic.

CWRM Deputy Kaleo Manuel said, “A significant lack of rainfall across the island has resulted in a lack of groundwater recharge and surface flow. Normal wet season rainfall has not materialized, and streams that are normally gushing with water are barely flowing. This is deepening our already grave concerns about the effects of seasonal drought on water supplies.”

The County of Maui’s municipal water supply is heavily reliant on surface flow to meet the potable water demands of the Upcountry, Central Valley and West Maui regions, and the lack of streamflow will directly affect water supply for these areas.

Additionally, many communities on Maui are reliant on surface flow for domestic water supply, agricultural irrigation and for growing kalo.

A lack of wet season rainfall will also signal potential consequences for water supplies in the traditional, upcoming dry season.

Continuously monitored stream flow stations across the state are flowing at record low rates, with some approaching the lowest flows ever recorded.

Drought conditions, as reported by the U.S. Drought Monitor, show nearly the entire state in some level of drought, with all eight of the Main Hawaiian Islands experiencing at least moderate drought. The northwestern tips of Kauai and Maui are currently in severe drought.

Oheo Stream at Kipahulu, Maui, has stopped flowing above Seven Sacred Pools, and Kaluanui Stream near Punalu’u on Oahu has stopped flowing completely.

“As we enter the more typically dry summer months, and without significant precipitation in the next few months, Hawaii could be in store for devastating wildfires this year. We are seeing this consequence of global climate change, played out on many fronts, including fire seasons that are now year around,” said Michael Walker, the state fire manager with the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW).

He said it’s important that people become educated now about how to prevent wildfires, which indirectly have impacts on water supplies, when native vegetation burns in forest watersheds.

CWRM is recommending water conservation measures, including the elimination of landscape irrigation, car and truck washing, and reductions in home water use, such as shorter showers and not running the faucet continuously when brushing your teeth.