The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-23
WATER IS
IN DEMAND
Puukapu Supply is
Needed by the
People.
PROF. LYONS SEES
DANGER INLICENSE
Far That Homesteaders Would
Suffer from Drawing Off Of
the Natural Flow.
n RoF. CURTIS ]. LYONS, thai

q n R0F. CURTIS ]. LYONS, than
81 whom no one knows better the
lay of the land and the running of
the water on Hawaii, is fearful that il
the entire supply OF water which eman-
q atts from the forests about Kohala
mountain is given to a corporation the
result viii be felt by the settlers of
Waimea and Kawaihae.
s. The license which Is desired by this
81 new company. is one which will have
s. far reaching effect upon the people of
81 northern Hawaii" said Prof. Lyons
last evening. There is no water source
8 which should be more jealously guard
ed than that OF Puukapu. From this
s there run three streams which irri-
q gate the Waimea district. These are
the Waikoioa, Keanuiomano, and La
4 ninlaomao, and for many years they
have been full of water. They fur
nish water to the entire district of Wal
nea, which In my opinion win be one
If the most fertile OF the mountain dis
! rcts of the big island The streams
q have their source in the Swamps of the
q upper mountain side.
The cattle have the free range of
Y mountain on the side of the noun
8 anabove Waimea, and they have done
8 geat injury to the water supply al
ready. The mass of moss which grows
q ii the mountains forms the natural
reservoir for the water. This is being
destroyed SO fast by the cattle that
8 during this summer, for the first time
N IN ,%rxv
one of the streams ran dry. The supply
Of water from the Puukapu district
) should be conserved for the use of the
future settlers who will make their
homes there.
Further around the mountain side Is
4 the Kawaihae district, where the water
4 is needed for the use of the potato
country There are many settlers there,
but the future of the water supply IL
8 once IT gets into the hands of any cor
8 poration is not bright. The water Is
s. badly needed and the duty of the gov
& eminent is to protect 1t and develop it
& for the use of the people. The land in
4 the country about the kahala noun
tain is rich and will produce anything
everything that a small farmer would
s grow, and the public lands there Will
ofer homes for large population if the
water Is cared for now and made safe.
The water reservoir should be fenced,s
as has been done on the Kohala side,
and this would do much to save the
u NOISES upon which the supply depends.
The main valleys on the side of the
mountain toward the sea are the Wal
pio Waimanu and Honokane. These
are wide and deep valleys and the table
ands between them are full of water.
Between the Waipio and Waimanu VAL
eyE there is a fine table land, the Null
3 raj district, and this territory is well
81 Satered and the streams are always
null. On the Honokane side there are
he Awini lands which are of the same
,aaTacter, being high tables with full
8 Streams. practically impossible now on
account of the brush. This is fine land
ane will be very valuable All of this
sa-er is included in the license of the
ollpany which is now seeking a fran
shse.
- This water is available for use on
"a at1er side. in the Kohala or Hama
Ada districts, but the difficulty is in
sitting the water across the wide AMI
"ep valleys. An inverted sypnon
'oud be available, but it would be
.sIy costly, for instance to reach the
"smskga district there would be neces-
81 %iy drop of 1900 feet to a valley
'"!eR is nearly a mile wide and then
lse again of the same distance.
81 '7 same steps would be necessary on
other side. Some time ago 1 sug-
s7'ed that the power of the high falls
- Tue upper portion of the valleys be
= --u~ed 70 generate electric power or
|he other form of power, which in
could De utilized to force water
- Y 10 the levels for use on the plan
IONS This would be a very costly
81 saness and would not be so remunera-
as the furnishing of water to the
s,nakua coast from streams in the
Un district.
me Hamakua plantations will have
again as Of old Even the destruc-
w OF the forests there will not destroy
rainfall, and the district will be
productive as Of old within few
The water of the upper levels
,lu be reserved for the people and
mat the giving of it to any cor
auon would result disastrously to
people whs win make their homes In
H country"