Aloha! As we reflect upon the past year, there are many reasons to be thankful.

My first reason to be thankful is for our Hawaii AWWA Section members who are integral components of building and strengthening relationships in our water community. My next reason to be thankful is for our Executive Committee, Board of Trustees, and Committee Chairs for their hard work to make the Hawaii AWWA Section a success. As volunteers having full-time jobs, I appreciate and value your time and dedication! Special thanks to Juanita Reyher-Colon for continuing to stay involved as the Vice-Chair. I encourage everyone to read the following articles in this newsletter to learn what some of the different committees have been doing throughout the year and if you are interested in becoming more involved let us know!

Workshops by Jeremy Kimura and Barry Pollock
Western Pacific Subsection updates by John Riegel;
Public Outreach Committee events by Daniel Koge;
Diversity/Young Professionals Committee activities by Shannon Black;
Community Service project by Susan Mukai;
11th Annual Pacific Water Conference update by Darnelle Chung;
Water for People Updates by Adrienne Fung

Speaking of the Pacific Water Conference, a big mahalo to the Conference committee and the many volunteers for helping to make this conference a success! Our AWWA Hawaii Section Conference Trustee, Darnelle Chung, has been working hard as she and the conference committee prepare for this joint conference taking place at the Hawaii Convention Center on February 20-22, 2024.

We reflect with sadness on the devastation of the town of Lāhainā, Maui by wildfires. The Maui wildfires serve as a painful reminder of the importance of preparedness, resilience, and the necessity of cherishing and preserving our natural environment. It highlights the need to be proactive in addressing climate change and its consequences.

We also reflect on the human spirit and the power of unity in the aftermath of the tragedy. We saw community members, volunteers, and local organizations coming together to extend a helping hand to those affected by the wildfire. The sense of unity that emerged from this catastrophic event was truly inspiring, proving that the spirit of aloha remains.

To support Maui’s recovery, the Hawaii AWWA Section has joined forces with a group of other Hawaii engineering associations to form Kāpili Maui where Kāpili translates to: build, put together, mend, fix, repair, unite. Initiated by the American Council of Engineering Companies Hawaii (ACECH), the group currently includes American Water Works Association (AWWA) Hawaii Section, Hawaii Water Environment Association (HWEA), Hawaii Society of Professional Engineers (HSPE) – State and Maui Chapters, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Hawaii Section, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Hawaii Section, Structural Engineers Association of Hawaii (SEAOH), and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) Hawaii Chapter. The mission of Kāpili Maui is to partner with the community through financial support and engineering services from professionals across Hawaii to rebuild a stronger, more resilient Maui that will continue to thrive for generations.

The immediate call to action of Kāpili Maui is to raise money for a college scholarship fund. The goal is to setup an endowment fund to support the generation of students whose lives were impacted by the August 2023 fires. I challenge all our members to donate to the fund and/or forward the scholarship donation information on page. Please let us know of any AWWA Hawaii Section members who were directly impacted by the wildfires, so that our Section can offer some assistance.

On behalf of the Hawaii AWWA Board, we wish the best to all of you in 2024!§

Lorna Heller
Hawaii Section Chair