MS Defense - Mele Chillingworth

Title: Analyzing the "Unstudied" Irrigation Systems to Facilitate Agricultural Water Use Planning in Hawaii

Abstract:
In the wake of the sugar industry's demise, the State of Hawaii is planning for the continued use of sugar plantation irrigation system infrastructure for agricultural water use to support the expansion of diversified agriculture and biofuel production. The purpose of this study is to collect and analyze data relating to the previously "unstudied" sugar plantation irrigation systems to facilitate agricultural water use planning. GIS data and maps were generated, documenting the location, status, and capacity of 10 of the unstudied systems. Spatial data were provided by the USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). Attribute data were gathered from a number of sources, including Commission on Water Resource Management Declaration of Water Use files, topographical maps, and telephone interviews with system owners and operators. These data were used to asses the impacts of time, construction material, and location on system status. Time since plantation closure and location on the windward side of the island both had statistically significant (P < 0.05) negative effects on system status. Construction materials, as measured by system feature types, were found to have little effect on system status. Analysis indicates that system status is largely a function of time since sugar plantation closure, a variable which encompasses the combined effects of weathering, natural disasters, and lack of maintenance.

Event Sponsor
NREM, Manoa Campus

More Information
Lois Agena, 956-7530, laagena@hawaii.edu

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