The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conversation Service (NRCS) in the Pacific Islands Area (PIA) is seeking producers and forest land managers to apply for funding through the Kohala Watershed Partnership WaterSMART Project on Hawai’i Island. The project seeks to address and improve source water recharge in the watersheds of Kohala.
WaterSMART is a collaborative effort between NRCS and the Bureau of Land Reclamation (BOR) that seeks to coordinate investments in priority areas for improving water conservation and drought resilience. Since its pilot in California in 2011, the WaterSMART program has expanded to cover 25 additional areas across 13 western states, including the Kohala Watershed which was given a priority designation in 2022. In fiscal year 2023, PIA has been allocated $345,000 to implement conservation practices within the Kohala watershed. This funding is projected to increase incrementally over the course of five years.
NRCS in the Pacific Islands Area and its partners work with local farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners to implement conservation systems, easements and watershed plans that help enhance and sustain the use of water, soil, and wildlife habitat, in targeted project areas. Producers and forest land managers can participate in the “Kohala Watershed Partnership WaterSMART Project on Hawai’i Island” project by reaching out to the NRCS Waimea Field Office.
“The WaterSMART project represents the combined efforts of public agencies and the passion of our private partners to address the challenges of conserving and protecting our vital water infrastructure.” said J.B. Martin, Director for the Pacific Islands Area for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. “This project will help ensure that the 100,000 acres of cropland and the aquifers that it serve continue to be protected and serve our community for years to come.”
The “Kohala Watershed Partnership WaterSMART Project” is led by NRCS and the Kohala Center. This project aims to increase groundwater recharge in the Kohala Watershed by enhancing and restoring forest and riparian buffer areas.
Pacific Islands Area producers within the Kohala Watershed looking to implement conservation systems that help address groundwater recharge, forest and riparian bufferdevelopment, pest pressure, and terrestrial habitat through this project opportunity should contact the NRCS Waimea Field Office. Applications for funding through this project will be accepted through March 10, 2023.
For more information about WaterSMART, visit the WaterSMART website.
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