The Kōkee Ditch is an irrigation

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

 canal

Canal

Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...

 on the island of Kauai

Kauai

Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...

.

In 1923, construction began on the Kōkee Ditch system to open the mauka hills to sugar cane production.

By 1926, the Kōkee Ditch was completed, diverting water from Mohihi Stream and the headwaters of the Waimea River in the Alakai Swamp

Alakai Wilderness Area

The Alakai Wilderness Preserve, popularly known as Alakai Swamp, is a montane wet forest on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Although the preserve is home to alpine bogs, it is not a true swamp. It is located on a plateau near Mount Waialeale, one of the wettest spots on Earth.The Alakai Swamp...

 at an altitude of about 3400 feet. About one-fourth of the Kōkee Ditch supply irrigated the highland sugar cane fields below Puu Ōpae reservoir on Niu Ridge, and the balance irrigated the highland fields east of Kōkee Road.