Plan to restore West Maui reefs to cost $3 million

State and federal officials have signed a $3 million agreement to develop a watershed plan to save and restore coral reefs off West Maui — home to some pristine reefs and major visitor destinations.

The West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative is the development of a comprehensive strategy to restore a reef system where nearly one-fourth of all living corals have been lost in the past 13 years, according to the state.

Officials will be looking at a variety of factors affecting reefs, such as land-based pollution in the Kahekili area in north Kaanapali, where algae blooms have helped kill reefs and degrade marine life.

The study is scheduled to be completed by 2015.

"The islands and reefs are connected; what we do on land affects the reef," said William J. Aila Jr., chairman of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources.

"Healthy coral reefs are vital to our island lifestyle, economy and a thriving Native Hawaiian culture."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is funding 75 percent of the $3 million watershed plan, and the state, 25 percent.

The corps said the comprehensive plan will review past reef-related studies and fund technical studies and public education in West Maui.

"Through its support of the West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative, the corps is continuing its commitment to improving the stewardship and sustainability of Hawaii’s watersheds and nearshore habitats," said Lt. Col. Thomas D. Asbery, the corps’ Honolulu District commander.

The initiative encompasses a 24,000-acre area from Kaanapali to Honolua and from the summit of Puu Kukui to the outer reef, including the watersheds of Wahikuli, Honokowai, Kahana, Honokahua and Hono­lua.

In 2009, the Kahekili reef was declared an Herbivore Fisheries Management Area, preventing the taking of herbivorous fish, such as parrotfish, and urchins — a move designed to restore species that eat algae.

In April, four environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit seeking more than $60 million in civil penalties to stop Maui County from continuing to discharge partially treated sewage into injection wells at the Lahaina Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The groups alleged the sewage was reaching the ocean and triggering outbreaks of algae.