The Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management will decide today how much water should be returned to a couple of streams that flow from Waialeale summit on Kauai.

The Waialeale and Waikoko streams in the Wailua area have been running nearly dry for almost 140 years as a result of sugar plantations and, more recently, for hydro-­­power produced by the Kauai Island Utility Co-op.

The water commission staff has determined that the utility doesn’t need all of the water it currently diverts, and the commission will decide how much water will be restored to the streams.

Dozens of concerned residents are expected to testify in support of restoring the streams at Kauai Community College in Lihue, according to the Sierra Club of Hawaii.

“In its wisdom, the water commission decided to restore 90 percent of the baseflow to the streams of East Maui to ensure the stream ecosystem and the cultural practices that rely on them can thrive once again,” said Marti Town­send, director of the Sierra Club of Hawaii, in a news release. “Alexander and Baldwin had no good reason to divert that stream water from its natural course. And we think the same situation exists here for these streams on Kauai.”