Two Owners, One (Wahiawa) Dam — Thousands Face Possible Evacuation
I saw the warning today about possible evacuations if the Wahiawa Dam fails, and it sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole.
The city warned residents in Haleʻiwa and Waialua to prepare for possible evacuation if reservoir levels continue rising during the current storm.
Looking into it more, the dam has actually had known safety deficiencies for years. A 2021 DLNR Board of Land and Natural Resources submittal describes the dam as being in poor condition and notes that two private owners, Dole Food Company Hawaii and Sustainable Hawaii, are responsible for addressing the deficiencies.
Civil Beat also reported that the more than 100-year-old dam could pose a serious hazard to thousands of people downstream if it failed, and the state has even been exploring purchasing the dam because of the long-standing safety concerns.
It’s pretty concerning to see something that’s been flagged as deficient for years suddenly become a real public safety issue during heavy rain. In my opinion, it’s negligent for large companies to let critical infrastructure like this go unresolved when people’s homes and livelihoods are downstream. I hope the responsible parties are held accountable for letting it get to this point.
With all that said, please stay safe everyone.
Sources:
Hawaii News Now (today’s warning):
Civil Beat (background on the dam and ownership):
2021 DLNR report:
Posted Mar 14, 2026, 6:25 AM UTC