Hawai‘i to receive $7.6M to protect coastal communities, fish and wildlife across state

The County of Hawai‘i will receive $2 million to help create a community resilience and watershed management plan that utilizes nature-based solutions to enhance resilience along the Hilo Bay coastline and within the Hilo Bay Watershed, protecting the watershed’s unique ecosystem and critical habitats for endemic, endangered marine flora and fauna.

The funding was recently announced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, as part of $7.6 million Hawai‘i will receive in new grant funding to support natural infrastructure projects across the state.

The six grants to Hawai‘i, provided by the Infrastructure Law, will support design and implementation of projects to enhance the resilience of coastal communities and improve habitat for fish and wildlife.

“These projects across Hawai‘i will help restore or protect wetlands, watersheds, and coral reef and will help keep communities safe from flooding and coastal erosion,” said Sen. Brian Schatz.

“This work is crucial to address systemic pollution issues our community has been facing for decades, as well as taking proper steps to create a workable plan with all stakeholders to ensure future emergency preparedness and climate resiliency,” said Council Member Jenn Kagiwada. “Partnerships for this work have already begun as so many organizations contributed to and supported our grant application.”

The award will be officially accepted by the Hawaiʻi County Department of Research and Development with the County providing matching funds of $464,300 for a total project budget of $2,464,300. These funds will support creating a community resilience and watershed management plan that utilizes nature-based solutions to enhance resilience along the Hilo Bay coastline and within the Hilo Bay Watershed, protecting the watershed’s unique ecosystem and critical habitats for endemic, endangered marine flora and fauna. $200,000 of the matching funds will be used to engage local partners to ensure a true community-based plan.

The projects receiving grant funding will also include:

Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi – $3.6 million

The funding will be used to help restore 24 acres of wetland bird habitat, implement 20 acres of constructed wetlands/traditional agriculture integrated systems, protect and enhance 88 acres of traditional fishpond floodplain detainment basin and enhance 6 miles of coral reef shoreline.

Moloka‘i Land Trust – $255,300

The grant will help build on multi-partner wetland prioritization planning that identified suitable wetlands for restoration in Moloka‘i by advancing priority sites to 50 percent design, assessing resiliency potential and planning

Mālama Haleakalā Foundation – $354,000

The funding will be used to conduct site assessment and preliminary design for a detention basin along Kūlanihāko’i Stream to prevent flooding on the leeward slopes of Haleakalā and protecting aquatic and marine habitats for many species of plants, birds, coral reefs, and fish.

Hanalei Watershed Hui – $874,300

Complete final designs, specifications, construction cost estimates and permitting for a floodplain restoration plan and waterbird habitat enhancement in Hanalei, Hawaiʻi. The project will increase system resiliency by creating detention basins to attenuate floods and provide waterbird habitat.

Hawaiʻi Local2030 Hub – $498,600

Develop a mobile stormwater assessment app to prioritize Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) installations within disadvantaged communities of the Ala Wai watershed and analyze barriers and opportunities for incorporating decentralized GSI retrofit solutions on private properties. The project will provide resilience benefits to reduced flood risk, maintain adequate drinking water supply and mitigate land-based pollution to critical nearshore marine habitats.