The Kohala Ditch was built in the early 1900s to carry water from the wet slopes of Kohala Mountain, to the sometimes drought-prone sugar cane fields of Kohala. A series of tunnels, flumes and ditches channeled water through ridges and over gullies for a distance of 14 miles.
After the sugar cane industry folded, ditch water continued to be used by other agricultural activities. But this valuable resource was always beset by difficulties. The challenging landscape was prone to landslides and flooding. Flumes were washed away, tunnels blocked. Increasingly expensive and time-consuming repairs did not provide the same economic benefit they once did.
After one such event, a few years ago, the operator of the ditch said it would no longer be repaired and maintained.
The top photo shows a section of the ditch in 2016. The others show how it looks today, in places, overgrown with weeds and even trees. In some areas it’s more manicured by those living next to it. In the meantime, access to water is a considerable problem, especially as dry weather is increasingly common in the area.
The current Governor of Hawaii knows this region well and money has been earmarked for finding a solution to the area’s water shortage, but when and how that happens is still very much in the pipeline!
For more information about the history of the Kohala Ditch, go to fluminkohala.com/the-kohala-ditch.
Graham's Island 
Wow, such a familiar problem. Why does water and food appear at the bottom of lists?
The term ditch gave me a giggle. It reminded me of Thomas the tank engineer and an engine being covered in ditch water. Completely foreign to me. Now I know what it means. I’m not sure what we call them, or whether they’re never full of water.
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It’s basically an irrigation scheme, and an effective one, but with high maintenance. Not sure what local agriculture will do without it.
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That’s amazing. Similar to the irrigation channels that are used in Australia that were dug in the early 1900’s
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It was a well thought out scheme, but not as cost effective these days. I hope they come up with an alternative because local agriculture needs the water.
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I would like the channel turned into a natural watercourse that can be used by people using the natural vegetation as a water filtration system
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It will be interesting to see what happens.
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