Maui Nui Marine Resource Council Awarded $210K Grant to Help Address Recurring Coastal Flooding in Kīhei

The Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is the recipient of a $210,000 federal grant to address recurring stormwater flooding in the Hāpapa watershed impacting the coastal community of Kīhei in South Maui.

An additional $225,000 in matching funds will be provided by the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, for a total project cost of $435,000.

The federal grant is among a list of 49 that were awarded $39.5 million in new grants from the National Coastal Resilience Fund. The funding allocations were announced by the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation and NOAA yesterday. The 49 grants will reportedly generate more than $58.3 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of nearly $97.8 million nationwide.

Through this project, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council will work with the community and stakeholders to conduct site assessments and planning of proposed nature-based solutions, including Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance methods, to address this flooding.

The project will create a workplan for site design, with the goal of preventing property and infrastructure damage due to stormwater flooding and protecting wetland bird habitat, native plant species, nearshore coral reef ecosystems and marine wildlife.

“Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is very grateful to be named as a recipient of this grant,” said Mike Fogarty, Executive Director of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “We have witnessed the flooding in Kīhei for years and the subsequent sediment pollution on the adjacent coral reefs. We look forward to working with the community to create plans to help solve these issues, and benefit our wetlands, reefs, bird habitats and native plants, as well as the homes and infrastructure of our community.” 

“Despite low average annual rainfall (10 inches), Kīhei experiences recurring stormwater flooding,” according to Amy Hodges, Project and Operations Manager at MNMRC. “It originates at higher elevations on leeward Haleakealā and discharges via gulches to Kīhei’s coastline. Our project focuses on Hāpapa watershed’s three gulches (Kūlanihākoʻi, Waipuilani and Kēōkea) which are responsible for most of Kīhei’s stormwater flooding.”