The Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort, owned by Uniqlo founder Tadashi Yanai, has faced scrutiny over water use during a drought in west Maui. The course lost the PGA Tour's The Sentry event, estimated to cost $50 million in economic impact, due to brown fairways and greens.
The course, along with Kapalua homeowners and Hua Momona Farms, filed a lawsuit in August against Maui Land & Pineapple (MLP), alleging poor maintenance of irrigation ditches. MLP has countersued. Meanwhile, Earthjustice claims the courses have been using millions of gallons of potable groundwater for irrigation since summer, despite drought restrictions.
Earthjustice attorney Dru Hara called groundwater “an even more precious resource.” TY Management, Yanai's company, said it cannot control the water type in the reservoir and is researching recycled water options. The dispute highlights tensions over water use in Hawaii, where Native Hawaiians consider water sacred.
