Kānewai Spring

Kānewai Spring is one of Honolulu’s last natural springs. Kānewai Spring delivers fresh water into Kānewai Fishpond and Paikō Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary – where the fresh water mixes with the salt water from the ocean, providing a habitat for rare marine life. Kānewai translates to the sacred life-giving water of the Hawaiian god Kāne. This natural spring served as an important food source for the local population. In the early 1900s the lands surrounding the fishpond and spring were passively ranched. In 1948, a residence was built by the spring and in the same year, Wailupe Fishpond nearby was filled and developed for housing. Throughout the years this site has developed into a residential area and Kānewai Spring sat uncared for until 2010 when the non-profit Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center sought to malama and protect the spring. In recent years, the landowner had shown an interest in selling this property, which threatened the preservation of Kānewai Spring. The Trust for Public Land, Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center and Livable Hawaii Kai Hui applied to the City’s Clean Water and Natural Lands program for funding in the amount of $1,000,000 towards acquisition of the property. The Department of Land and Natural Resources Legacy Program contributed a grant of $ 1,300,000 and other funding sources contributed $226,000 towards the overall acquisition cost of $ 2,526,000. The City’s real property interest is a Conservation Easement over the property in order to protect it from development and to maintain the natural state of Kānewai Spring.