Water Resources
Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands
Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands Water Science Center
The USGS Pacific Islands Water Science Center conducts hydrologic monitoring and investigative studies on a wide variety of issues affecting water resources in the State of Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands.
News
Publications
Johnson, A.G., Mair, A., and Oki, D.S., 2023, Identifying the relative importance of water-budget information needed to quantify how land-cover change affects recharge, Hawaiian Islands: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2023–5022, 28 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20235022.This report describes a sensitivity analysis of a water-budget model that was completed to identify the
Availability of groundwater from the volcanic aquifers of the Hawaiian Islands
The islands of Hawaiʻi were built by basaltic shield volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean. These volcanoes formed aquifers that supply hundreds of millions of gallons of fresh water per day to the islands’ residents and diverse industries. Groundwater discharge from the volcanic aquifers to streams and the coast also supports traditional practices and ecosystems. The aquifers' capacity to yield fresh gr
Magnitude and frequency of floods on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi, State of Hawaiʻi, based on data through water year 2020
Accurate estimates of flood magnitude and frequency are needed to (1) optimize the design and location of infrastructure, including dams, culverts, bridges, industrial buildings, and highways, and (2) inform flood-zoning and flood-insurance studies. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, estimated flood magnitudes for the 50-, 20-,
Science
Effects of Drought and Cloud-Water Interception on Wildfire Hazard in Hawaiʻi
Understanding the effects of drought and cloud-water interception on wildfire hazard is critical to Hawai‘i’s water-resource managers, farmers, ranchers, and forest, watershed, and wildfire managers for developing adaptive management strategies. Identifying areas of increased wildfire hazard is also important for developing strategic monitoring programs to help assess and predict the effects of...
Groundwater Recharge in Hawaiʻi
Groundwater provides 99 percent of Hawai‘i’s drinking water and about 50 percent of all freshwater used in the State. Groundwater recharge is water derived from precipitation and other sources, such as irrigation and leakage from surface reservoirs, that moves through or bypasses the plant-soil system and replenishes aquifers. Groundwater availability in Hawai‘i is affected by changes in...
Effects of High-Priority Non-Native and Dominant Native Plant Species on the Water Cycle
The spread of highly-invasive non-native plant species in Hawaiʻi’s forests may be reducing freshwater availability across the islands. However, little information has been collected to determine the effects of highly-invasive non-native plant species on freshwater resources. The lack of information, in turn, limits the development of effective management strategies for preserving Hawaiʻi’s...