Clear thinking may prevail, after all, in the murky realm of water and land-use planning.

The state water commission's granting of permission to use drinking water for irrigating two planned Waiawa golf courses outraged state Rep. Brian Schatz. The lawmaker plans to introduce a bill to bar golf course development unless nonpotable water can be used for irrigation.

Smart idea. The commission and the developer contend that water is available for the golf courses so there's no reason to deny a permit. But if current laws allow such short-sighted reasoning to guide our planning, new policies are needed, and Schatz' proposal would make a sensible start.

And on Maui, where water is in even shorter supply than on O'ahu, the County Council is proposing that developers get the Maui water director's written verification of a long-term water supply before their projects move ahead.

The construction industry is balking at the notion, but all of the islands have reached the stage where looking far ahead before committing water supplies has become the only responsible way to manage this precious resource.

Here's the bonus: A stricter planning approach is more cost-effective in the long run. Using nonpotable water is cheaper, in the case of the proposed golf-course restriction. And knowing in advance whether water is available for a project, as suggested on Maui, makes sense.

It avoids a level of uncertainty, which is always a major headache for developers, and may, in fact, prevent unnecessary lawsuits from developers who are led astray by unclear water policies.