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West Maui’s communities face growing challenges in managing limited water resources amid changing climate conditions, outdated infrastructure, and gaps in coordination between public and private water systems. To address these needs, water managers, policymakers, and the community need more reliable data that is easy to find and use, so they can make informed decisions, improve accountability, hold stakeholders accountable, and plan for the restoration and recharge of the region’s watersheds and ahupua‘a system.
Here we propose to develop a West Maui focused Water Budget and Flow Assessment, which will inform an online Wai Dashboard. The project will provide a comprehensive, accessible source of dynamic, up-to-date, and well-validated information on well pumping, stream diversions and flows, water audits, use by sector, metering data, water quality results, reuse volumes, and rainfall and runoff to support a comprehensive picture of water supply, use, and watershed health. This proposed project will be aligned with the corollary project: The West Maui Water Management Plan’s goals for resilient, integrated systems and community benefit, and will help bridge information gaps, foster trust among stakeholders, and support long-term strategies for sustainable water use and climate resilience.
Data Collection and Compilation
We will identify and inventory all relevant data sources needed for the Water Budget and Flow Assessment including:
Additionally, we will prioritize securing necessary permissions or data-sharing agreements for datasets to ensure transparency and ongoing community access. To validate the data, we will review all raw datasets for consistency, identify any gaps or errors, and cross-check values across sources to catch discrepancies, for example, comparing reported pumping volumes with metering and billing records. Because data will invariably come in many formats, standardization is needed to keep deliverables comparable. We will standardize units of measurement, align time steps such as monthly or annual reporting, and standardize systems of spatial references like TMK numbers, use points, or aquifer sectors. Throughout this process, we will document all metadata and note any limitations or assumptions used during cleaning and validation.
Water Budget and Flow Assessment Development
The compiled data will be analyzed and integrated to produce a detailed accounting of total water supply availability from all known sources in West Maui, drawing from precipitation, groundwater recharge, well extraction, and stream diversions. Use will be discretized across different use locations as well as use types/sectors such as agriculture, domestic, municipal, industrial, and reuse to show where and how water is consumed. A gap analysis will be performed on both the supply and use components to identify where additional metering or data collection would be beneficial. We will map distribution system networks, including public and private delivery lines, ditch systems, metering points, natural water courses, and known losses, to understand flows, leaks, and net balances across the region. Where feasible, we will also account for reuse and return flows to capture the full cycle within the water budget. Using innovative data visualizations, a report will summarize this information in ways that make water movement from source to end use clear and understandable for non-technical users. Throughout this process, we will consult with stakeholders to review draft findings, identify gaps, and refine assumptions. The completed analysis will result in a final integrated Water Budget and Flow Assessment that forms the core content and data catalog for application in the interactive Wai Dashboard site.
Dashboard Design, Build, and Launch
Building on the Water Budget and Flow Assessment, we will design and develop an online Wai Dashboard that makes this information clear, interactive, and usable for the community, water managers, and policymakers. The design will be informed by user requirements gathered through engagement with local stakeholders to ensure it meets real-world needs. We will select user-friendly software tools that support dynamic data visualizations, interactive maps, filtering by location, sector, or time period, and easy data downloads. The dashboard will include clear explanations and guidance to help non-technical users interpret and apply the information. We will test early versions of the dashboard with diverse user groups and refine its features based on feedback. Once finalized, the dashboard will be deployed on a stable platform with reliable hosting and a simple maintenance plan to keep data up to date over time. Basic user instructions and training materials will be provided to help the community, managers, and decision-makers fully use the system.
Principal Investigator (PI): Chris Shuler, University of Hawaii Water Resources Research Center
Co-PIs: Remy Romo-Valdez: University of Hawaii Maui College, Hulihia Kirsten Oleson: University of Hawaii Natural Resources and Environmental Management
Full list of current participants:
1) Compile data for all known public and private water sources in West Maui including precipitation, groundwater recharge, streamflow, well extraction, water quality, and stream diversions.
2) Compile data on water uses by sector, including agriculture, domestic, municipal, industrial, and reuse, for all known public and private water systems in West Maui.
3) Compile data on water distribution networks, including metering, billing, service areas, ditch networks, and system losses, for all public and private systems in West Maui.
4) Synthesize all compiled data into a Water Budget and Flow Assessment that shows the complete picture of sources, uses, and flows through West Maui’s distribution networks.
5) Develop and launch an online Wai Dashboard that allows users to dynamically interact with, visualize, and download water budget and flow data in a user-friendly format designed specifically for community members, water managers and policymakers.
These items are contingent on when the team is able to secure funding:
The project will support partial time for the principal investigator (PI) and senior faculty (including summer salary) and one full-time technical staff member who will serve as the project’s primary data analyst and dashboard component lead, as well as coordinate community engagement and manage day-to-day tasks. These positions are budgeted at $11,250, $16,037 and $69,000, respectively, in Year 1 with a 5% cost of living increase factored in for Year 2, with standard fringe benefits calculated at the current Research Corporation of the University of Hawaiʻi (RCUH) rate of 34.99%. (Fringe rates: https://www.rcuh.com/2024/06/20/rcuh-fringe-benefits-schedule-fiscal-year-july-1-2024-to-june-30-2025/)
One graduate student assistant will contribute to dashboard development, assist with data entry and validation, and support engagement activities. This position is budgeted at $41,907 in Year 1 and factors in a 5% cost of living increase in Year 2, with fringe benefits at the UH Research Assistant rate of 14.09%. (Fringe rates: https://research.hawaii.edu/ors/resources/rates/)
Additionally, an undergraduate student assistant will assist with relevant project tasks, working approximately five hours per week at $21.50/hour for six months each academic year, for two years. This role will support the team by assisting with data preparation, research tasks, outreach materials, and community meeting logistics, helping to build student capacity in applied water resource work. Fringe benefits are calculated at the UH student rate of 0.0073%. (Fringe rates: https://research.hawaii.edu/ors/resources/rates/)
Funds are included for computers and essential technology ($6,000 total) to equip the full-time technical lead and graduate student with the laptops and software needed for GIS, data processing, and dashboard development. An additional $1,000 is budgeted for general office supplies, printing, and other consumables. Approximately $1,500 is included for cloud/web hosting services required to securely host the Wai Dashboard and provide public access over the two-year project period.
The budget includes funding for two key types of travel. First, it covers one multiday interisland trip for the team to present project results at a relevant conference. The estimated cost per multiday trip is $1,938, which includes airfare ($200), lodging for four nights ($606 at $202/night), daily per diem ($504 at $126/day for four days), vehicle rental ($480 at $120/day for four days), gas ($48), and parking ($100). Second, the budget supports three single-day interisland trips per year for the graduate student to meet in person with the Maui-based team and stakeholders. Each day trip is estimated at $387, covering airfare ($200), daily per diem ($30), vehicle rental ($120), gas ($12), and parking ($25). This local travel allows the graduate student to maintain strong coordination with community partners and data contributors on-site in West Maui.
A small stipend ($1,500 per participant) is included to compensate community-based interns who will assist with local outreach and provide cultural and place-based knowledge to strengthen project relevance. We estimate including a total of four participants over the two project years In addition, $750 per project year is budgeted for workshop supplies, such as venue costs, printing, and materials for at least one outreach or training event per year to share project results and train community members in dashboard use.
Indirect Costs
Indirect costs are calculated based on the UH or RCUH applicable rate (5% UHF fee or 26% Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC)), depending on final award terms. These cover essential administrative support and compliance services. (see budget breakdowns above).
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