BREAKING NEWS!

Posted 9/18/2026

Infrastructure before Development

Aloha,

Despite Lowell’s Impact the County is determined to build even in the absence of critical infrastructure

Nothing highlighted the need for infrastructure to precede development more clearly than Hurricane Lowell. Our Chief Engineer at Kauai Department of Water, Joe Tait, recently testified to the County Council about the need for water service to be upgraded and in place island wide before building out areas that are already water compromised. 

While reviewing a Bill currently proceeding through the County Council Committee process, a Bill that puts in place mandatory and discretionary fire mitigation measures for all new construction, Mr Tait testified that the Bill needs work because it doesn’t address communities around the island that have inadequate fire flow, residential areas that are lacking hundreds of fire hydrants that are either missing all together or incapable of water transmission to stop community residential fires. 

He explained that the Water Department has been underfunded for over 20 years. Mayor Kawasaki recently cancelled the facility reserve charge paid by developers and home owners that are adding new structures, a revenue source that helps relieve some of the underfunding. The estimated cost to developers and home owners for the new mitigation mandatory measures is $6,000 per structure. In order to help builders and developers offset the increased cost for the mandatory fire mitigation measures on new structures, Mayor Kawakami removed the Facility Reserve Charge (FRC) for new meters, a long standing charge of the Department of Water used to relieve deferred maintenance and transmission lines that were in need of urgent repair/replacement. Chair Rapozzo commented that if the increased cost to builders and developers is an average of $6,000 per structure, it doesn’t make sense to cancel the FRC, further undermining the funding of the Water Department. 

We were fortunate that Lowell didn’t deprive more of the island of its access to fresh water. Kudos to the Department of Water for doing all that they could to keep the water running to the majority of our island population. 

Areas that have always had an issue with supply/source, storage and transmission lines, like Kilauea, were hit hard. If you look at the documents, the County recognized more than 10 years ago that a new and much larger water tank, 1 million gallons, was needed in Kilauea to properly service the nearly 1,000 existing water customers. What happened? Nothing. It has not been a priority of the County to get the needed source, storage and transmission lines funded. Here is a site plan and schematic showing the County’s 1 million gallon water replacement tank intended to replace the existing 100,000 gallon water tank that has proved inadequate for Kilauea. The Kilauea community has received multiple conservation notices this year alone. The County persists however in their plan to add 310 residences to Kilauea, stating that they do not anticipate a finding of significant impact with the planned expansion and addition of 310 homes in Kilauea. Really? Do we need 310 more residences receiving conservation notices and being told to boil their water even for brushing their teeth? A sample of the notices that Kilauea residents have received are linked.

The tank is not built (storage), transmission/pipe lines are not in and the issue of source (water that can be drawn with sufficient sustainable recharge) remains to be studied according to the new EA. Yet the County has issued a 2nd Environmental Assessment (EA) and A Finding of No Significant Impact (AFNSI), even though the County proposes to increase the town’s current size by more than 30%. 

FOM totally supports affordable housing. We applaud its development. Our issue is that the community is disrupted, unsightly and there is a significant impact whether the County or the developer starts building before they have the much needed infrastructure to support the additions. 

If the infrastructure is not in place, how can you avoid creating a significant impact to the environment and to those who live there? How do increase a community by a more than a third of its existing size without water in place and ready for delivery, without a waste water system as the State will not permit cesspool or septic systems because of the project size and without the recognized need for road improvements which the State Department of Transportation has determined will not be in place before 2037? Currently, the vast majority of homes in Kilauea have cess pools because no wastewater treatment has ever been built there.
You may recall that when the first EA AFNSI was released for the Kilauea Town Expansion Project, it was missing critical records and determined to be inadequate notice to the public. On September 8, 2026, the County republished its EA AFNSI, a 779 page document, replacing the initial 115 page AFNSI released earlier this year. They may have loaded this latest release with lots of pages. It does not remedy the missing source and availability of water, waste water, adequate solid waste services or much needed road improvements to accommodate an expansion of the community by at least 30%.

On or before October 8, 2026, the Public has an opportunity to review and comment on the new, 2nd EA AFNSI. 

Kauai residents and particularly those in the Kilauea area may comment by simply objecting to any ground breaking or construction of the 310 new homes before the required infrastructure (water, roads, wastewater and solid waste services) are in place or substantially developed. Your comments should be sent by email to the addresses below on or before October 8, 2026.

The link that follows will allow for the review of the County Housing Agency’s 2nd EA AFNSI. The Community can and has made a difference by filing comments that are as simple as “Why do we keep putting the cart before the horse?”.

Kilauea Town Expansion Project – Section 201H Affordable Housing – 2nd Draft EA (AFNSI)

Some of our island residents in Kilauea are still without internet service. Please share this email with your neighbors and friends as soon as the internet is restored in your area. Comments should be directed to: 

Mary Alice Evans, Director of the Department of Business and Economic Development –dbedt.opsd.erp@hawaii.govSteve Franco – sfranco@kauai.govAdam Roversi – aroversi@kauai.govCouncil Members – councilmembers@kauai.govWilliam Bow – wbow@kahewai.com

Community Updates

Recent Mayoral Debate Televised on HawaiiNewsNow
Friday September 25, 2026

Civil Beat’s KAUAI MAYORAL DEBATE

Fri September 25 @ 3:00 pm HST Kaua‘i Community College – Performing Arts Center 3-1901 Kaumuali‘i Highway, Lihue, HI, United States

Civil Beat Hawaii will present THE KAUAI MAYORAL DEBATE on Friday, Sept 25th, 3pm.  The event is FREE!

Website offering assistance/resources for those in need and volunteer opportunities.Kauairecovers.org/
FOM and Save Koloa have made a difference on Kauai. Without your financial support, however, none of our work would have been possible. We now have four Hawaii State Supreme Court Decisions in our favor. The pending Arguments before the Hawaii State Supreme Court on Coco Palms re our Petition to Revoke permits that are expired and whose conditions have never satisfied will not likely be scheduled before January 2027 as the County has requested an extension because of the damage by Lowell to the County building. Meanwhile, will all of our recent activity in Koloa and elsewhere, we could really use your tax deductible donations. Our bank accounts are getting low. As year end approaches, please keep us in mind and help restore much needed funding. Share this email with family and friends.
Mahalo nui,

Bridget Hammerquist, President
Friends of Maha`ulepu, a 501(c)(3)
Kia`i Wai o Wai`ale`ale, Co-founder
PO Box 1654
Koloa, HI 96756
Donate
friendsofmahaulepu.org
friendsofmahaulepu@hawaiiantel.net
(808) 346-1973 cell

Posted 9/6/2026

An Order for the Court

Aloha,

While we have been waiting for Judge Char’s Ruling on our Appeal of the Planning Commissions grant to Mike Serpa’s proposed large dense development off Waikomo Road in Koloa, our Judge, Stephanie R.S. Char has been hard at work as the following demonstrates. When we filed a Petition to Intervene February 17, 2026, seeking a Hearing on Mike Serpa’s 148 unit development after he significantly amended his Permit Application just 7 days before the Planning Commission would decided whether or not to grant, February 24, 2026, we did so because the public had no opportunity to respond to his proposed changes.  

Mike Serpa and SK Investors, LLC, argued that we had to seek Intervention on the permits application before the first hearing January 13, 2026. The matter was not decided January 13, 2026, but rather deferred to February 24, 2026 for further hearing in response to those who testified that they had no real understanding of his plan nor that he was looking to actually receive permits January 13, 2026. He was sending the community mixed messages. 

An email to the Founder of Save Koloa just 2 days before January 13, 2026, explicitly stated that he was just starting the required Cultural/Ka Paʻakai Analysis, misrepresenting how far along the permit application process was. In fact, he had hired Cultural Surveys Hawaii who had completed the Ka Paʻakai Analysis and filed it with the County September 2025. That was not the only misrepresentation that Mike Serpa made to members of the Koloa Community to mislead how far along his permits application was. His permits applications had been filed with the County in December 2025. While he told community members he had been approached and was thinking of doing the development off Waikomo Road. No details were offered. Even in the certified letters that he sent to the nearby 66 residents within 100 yards of his parcel, he announced that there would be a Planning Commission hearing on