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The state has fined the Olowalu Water Company Inc. of Maui the maximum allowable fine of $1,500 for the construction of a concrete dam and spillway on Olowalu Stream without a permit.
In a public meeting Tuesday, the state Commission on Water Resource Management also required OWC to prepare a remediation plan within six months to clean broken concrete and rebar in the stream and allow for fish passage.
The action stems from multiple complaints in early 2017 following torrential flooding on Maui in November 2016, which destroyed a registered diversion formerly used by OWC. The company then reconstructed an old diversion on Olowalu Stream without a permit. The maximum allowable fine of $1,500, which includes a $500 administrative fine, is based on rules in place at the time of the violation.
Additionally, the commission found that landowner Bock Family Trust in Haiku violated the state water code by channelizing the East Kuiaha Stream with rocks and soil, and constructing culverts without a permit. The commission has denied the applicant’s request for an after-the-fact permit, and directed staff to work with the landowner to develop a remediation plan within six months.
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