FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ‘ULUPALAKUA WATER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS ‘Ulupalakua, Maui, Hawai‘i Department of Water Supply County of Maui DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 'ULUPALAKUA WATER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS ‘Ulupalakua, Maui, Hawai‘i February 2011 Prepared for: Department of Water Supply County of Maui Prepared by: Belt Collins Hawaii Honolulu, Hawai‘i ‘ULUPALAKUA WATER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT MAUI, HAWAI‘I FEBRUARY 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................... iv CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY............................................................................................................................ 1 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION .................................................................. 2 2.1 Project Objective .................................................................................................................... 2 2.2 Background ............................................................................................................................. 4 2.3 Description of the Proposed Action ........................................................................................ 4 2.4 Estimated Cost ........................................................................................................................ 7 2.5 Construction Schedule ............................................................................................................ 7 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT .................................................... 7 3.1 Regional Setting ..................................................................................................................... 7 3.2 Existing Water System and Land Use .................................................................................... 8 3.3 Land Tenure .......................................................................................................................... 10 3.4 Physiography ........................................................................................................................ 12 3.5 Geology ................................................................................................................................ 14 3.6 Soils ...................................................................................................................................... 14 3.7 Flora ...................................................................................................................................... 17 3.8 Fauna .................................................................................................................................... 18 3.9 Climate ................................................................................................................................. 19 3.10 Hydrology ............................................................................................................................. 19 3.11 Natural Hazards .................................................................................................................... 20 3.12 Air Quality ............................................................................................................................ 20 3.13 Acoustical Environment ....................................................................................................... 20 3.14 Scenic Resources .................................................................................................................. 21 3.15 Archaeological Resources .................................................................................................... 21 3.16 Cultural Resources ................................................................................................................ 22 4 SOCIOECONOMIC SETTING ........................................................................................... 24 4.1 Socioeconomic Background of the Region .......................................................................... 24 4.2 Economic Impacts Assessment ............................................................................................ 25 4.3 Social Considerations ........................................................................................................... 25 5 PUBLIC FACILITIES AND SERVICES ............................................................................ 25 5.1 Circulation and Traffic ......................................................................................................... 25 i ‘ULUPALAKUA WATER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT MAUI, HAWAI‘I FEBRUARY 2011 5.2 Water, Sewer, Electricity, and Telephone ............................................................................ 27 5.3 Solid Waste ........................................................................................................................... 27 5.4 Public Facilities and Services ............................................................................................... 27 6 RELATIONSHIP TO PUBLIC LAND USE POLICIES ..................................................... 28 6.1 Hawai‘i State Plan ................................................................................................................ 28 6.2 State Land Use Law .............................................................................................................. 28 6.3 State Environmental Policy .................................................................................................. 28 6.4 Maui County General Plan ................................................................................................... 30 6.5 Makawao-Pukalani-Kula Community Plan .......................................................................... 30 6.6 Maui County Zoning ............................................................................................................ 31 6.7 Special Management Area .................................................................................................... 31 6.8 Required Permits and Approvals .......................................................................................... 33 6.9 Compliance with the State of Hawai‘i Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Program Requirements ......................................................................................................... 33 6.9.1 Cross-Cutting Federal Authorities ........................................................................... 33 7 SUMMARY OF MAJOR IMPACTS................................................................................... 36 7.1 Construction Methodology and Impacts ............................................................................... 36 7.2 Operations and Impacts ........................................................................................................ 37 8 PROPOSED MITIGATION MEASURES .......................................................................... 37 9 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED ...................................................................................... 38 9.1 No Action ............................................................................................................................. 38 9.2 Facsimile Pipeline Replacement ........................................................................................... 38 9.3 Alternative Alignment .......................................................................................................... 39 9.4 New Source at South Terminus ............................................................................................ 39 10 DETERMINATION ............................................................................................................. 40 11 FINDINGS AND REASONS SUPPORTING THE DETERMINATION .......................... 40 12 COMMENTS FROM AND RESPONSES TO AGENCIES, UTILITIES, AND LANDOWNERS .................................................................................................................. 41 13 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... 45 14 APPENDICES ...................................................................................................................... 46 A. Letters Received During Early Consultation Period. B. Botanical Resources Assessment, ‘Ulupalakua Water System Improvements, Makawao District, Maui. C. Avifaunal and Feral Mammal Field Survey of Upper Kula Water System Replacement Project Lands, Maui. ii ‘ULUPALAKUA WATER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT MAUI, HAWAI‘I FEBRUARY 2011 D. Archaeological Assessment in Support of the ‘Ulupalakua Water System Replacement Project, Kama‘ole, Paeahu, Palauea, Keauhou, Papa‘anui, and Kanaio, Makawao (Kula and Honua‘ula) District, Maui. E. Cultural Impact Assessment in Support of the ‘Ulupalakua Water System Replacement Project, Kama‘ole, Paeahu, Palauea, Keauhou, Papa‘anui, and Kanaio, Makawao (Kula and Honua‘ula) District, Maui. (Draft Report). LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Location Map .................................................................................................................3 Figure 2 Existing Water System and Service Area ......................................................................5 Figure 3 Proposed Replacement Waterline ..................................................................................6