Without water there would be no life on earth. Ironically, water and oxygen, in the form of fire, are also the two most destructive materials on the planet. The control of water for human use has been an unending need throughout the course of history. For centuries, water structures such as irrigation systems, dams and reservoirs, have provided humanity with such essential benefits as water supply, flood control, recreation, hydropower and irrigation. Egyptians may have been using irrigation methods as early as 5000 BC. From the earliest irrigation practices along the Nile and Euphrates, to the tremendous water projects such as Hoover Dam, economic well being has been linked directly with water structures. They are an integral part of society's infrastructure.

While the first methods of getting water to higher elevations usually involved the use of animals or some other powered method, permanent dams to build water upstream were soon found to be far less burdensome, allowing gravity to do most of the work. Historically dams have been used mainly to build up water reservoirs for irrigation and water supply, but today many dams and reservoirs serve the additional functions of flood control and hydropower.

Native Hawaiians relied exclusively on surface waters to meet their needs. They irrigated their fields by diverting stream water through a system of auwai, or irrigation ditches, and obtained their drinking water from springs, streams, water that pooled in lava tubes, and the collection of rain and dew. The kanawai, or law governing the use and conservation of valuable fresh surface water, was well established by the time of Captain Cook's visit in 1778.

The earliest reservoir was constructed in Nu`uanu, when W. Brandon superintended the construction of a reservoir and the laying of pipes to convey water from Keokane Spring, or the King's Spring to town. This 1850 project provided Honolulu with its water supply. The initial irrigation ditch built for sugar was constructed seven years later, in a dry year, by William H. Rice for Lihue Plantation on Kaua`i. However, it was not until 1878 with the development of the East Maui System, initially called the Hamakua System, that irrigation was undertaken on a large scale. The success of this system led to the development of a large system at Olokele on Kaua`i in 1890-91. However, in the intervening years James Campbell had successfully demonstrated that Hawai`i's ground water could be tapped, when the first artesian well was drilled at Honouliuli. Ewa Plantation was the first known sugar enterprise to utilize artesian water for cane cultivation, opening its well in 1890. In time Hawai`i's population would come to depend upon ground water rather than surface water for its primary source of this life sustaining liquid. Since 1923 ground water has been the sole source of water for Honolulu. However, surface water collection would remain a vital part of Hawaii's water supply. In 1906 the Kohala Ditch System would be completed and in the following year the twenty-three mile long Upper Hamakua Ditch, also on the island of Hawai`i, would open. In 1910 the elaborate, twenty-four and three quarter mile Lower Hamakua Ditch System with its flumes, masonry ditches, and forty-five tunnels, commenced operations.

Many of the structures depicted in this calendar were developed by sugar plantations, which built almost every surface water system on the four major islands. Many of the dams are simple earthen structures, while the larger ones may sit on a concrete foundation and have a redwood core. The basic components of the reservoir system include the water intake channels; an outlet control valve, often on a tower; and a spillway to relieve high waters. The intricate ditch systems, including miles of tunnels through volcanic formed mountains and flumes crossing deep valleys attest to the craftsmanship and ability of earlier times. The skill and quality of materials have kept these systems in use, some for over one hundred years, irrigating fields, storing water, controlling raging waters, giving power and providing drinking water for the residents of Hawai`i.

An incredible amount of effort, thought, money, and even lives, have gone into the making of these structures, demonstrating the importance of water and its many benefits. Future development in Hawai`i will depend on the continued availability of this natural resource. The Department of Land and Natural Resources is committed to ensure continued availability of this natural resources and ensure that the structures that contain the waters are safe and structurally sound. With sound preservation measures many of these structures from the past will be able to serve the future.

Return to the I&E page for ordering information

Return to SHPD Homepage