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Abstract:
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The water system on Maui Island in Hawaii is an integral part of the island’s infrastructure , affecting energy , agriculture , waste , and domestic systems . Both the built and the natural water systems are likely to be altered over the coming decades . Maui’s two major industries are agriculture and tourism , which compete for water and land resources . Maui faces high costs for food and fuel it must import , and agricultural efforts might shift from plantation -scale monocropping to energy production or diversified agriculture for food . Simultaneously , land use changes (like deforestation ) , climate change , and cyclical droughts affect Maui’s freshwater supply . Water planning and management based on careful assessment can be valuable tools for a community expecting that water will become increasingly scarce . Since water plays a large role in many other systems , choices about water allocation and use can help the island move toward solutions of multiple problems at once , including energy scarcity , coastal protection , and financial health . This work provides a dynamic snapshot of Maui’s current built and natural water systems , then analyzes two potential water management actions : pumped storage hydroelectric facilities built on existing reservoirs and use of secondary treated wastewater to irrigate biomass for power . Based on cost estimates and alternative solutions , neither of these applications are currently judged viable . |