![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hanawi-Stream-1024x718.jpg\")
Water flow measures are taken at Hanawi Stream in East Maui. A protracted drought is leaving once-flourishing streams in the region at historic low levels. PC: Hawai\u02bbi Commission on Water Resource Management<\/p>\n\nWater flow measures are taken at Hanawi Stream in East Maui. A protracted drought is leaving once-flourishing streams in the region at historic low levels. PC: Hawai\u02bbi Commission on Water Resource Management<\/p>\n
Alarmed about a\u00a0severe and protracted drought, state and Maui County water officials are reporting\u00a0historic low flows in\u00a0East Maui streams\u00a0and weighing their options to maintain water supply to residents and farmers. The dry weather impacts are being felt in a region popular among visitors for its Road to H\u0101na, which traverses Maui\u2019s normally lush landscape, a northeast region often referred to as the \u201cGarden of Eden.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Oct. 28 briefing for members of the Hawai\u02bbi Commission on Water Resource Management<\/a> raised urgent concerns about the source of East Maui\u2019s and \u2014 by extension \u2014 Upcountry\u2019s drinking water supply<\/a>, prompting state water officials to consider revising in-stream flow standards as an emergency measure.<\/p>\n The extreme dry conditions, detailed in a presentation by the commission\u2019s Stream Protection and Management Branch<\/a>, revealed that key stream systems are experiencing their lowest flows on record, straining the Maui County Department of Water Supply\u2019s ability to serve Upcountry residents and leaving Mahi Pono<\/a> with no surface water for Central Maui farming for the last two months. That has forced the island\u2019s largest farm business \u2014 which has been striving to transform former sugarcane lands into diversified agriculture \u2014 to rely on pumping Central Maui groundwater for crop irrigation.<\/p>\n Upcountry faces crisis as flows drop<\/p>\n The drought\u2019s severity impacted Upcountry residents earlier this year when the Maui County Department of Water Supply imposed\u00a0Stage 3 drought restrictions<\/a>, which limit water use to public health and safety only. This came after a critical intake at the Kamole Weir Water Treatment Plant in H\u0101li\u02bbimaile ran at only two-thirds\u2019 capacity, resulting in a loss of \u201cover a million gallons a day\u201d of pumping capacity for Upcountry, according to Deputy Water Director James \u2018Kimo\u2019 Landgraf.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have never seen it as dry as it has been for 30 years,\u201d he told commissioners last week. He added that the situation was \u201cscary.\u201d<\/p>\n ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cI would get up every morning and look at the mountain and see if it was raining,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Following a period of rain rain on Oct. 17 and into the weekend, the Water Department was able to reduce restrictions to Stage 2<\/a> on the day of the commission meeting (Oct. 28) but noted the County would return to Stage 3 immediately if conditions deteriorated.<\/p>\n Ayron Strauch of the commission\u2019s Stream Protection and Management Branch described the sustained lack of water in East Maui as an \u201cextreme drought,\u201d following an \u201cextremely dry\u201d season in 2025.<\/p>\n Data from the Honopou Stream water flow gauge, which has operated since the 1920s, showed the stream\u2019s flow was less than the very low\u00a0Q95\u200b\u00a0flow (the flow equaled or exceeded 95% of the time) for 150 out of 365 days in 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cSo that is as bad as it has ever been,\u201d Strauch said.<\/p>\n ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD<\/b><\/p>\n He presented data showing the stream\u2019s dependable base flow (Q95\u200b) has dropped from\u00a01.3\u00a0cubic feet per second in a previous period of record (1984 to 2013) to just\u00a00.3\u00a0cfs in the most recent three years. He noted that from August through October, flows dropped as low as\u00a00.1\u00a0to\u00a00.18\u00a0cfs, which are \u201call-time record low flows.\u201d<\/p>\n The dry conditions extend to the Upper Kula water system, where the US Geological Survey gauge at the 4,800-foot level of Haleakal\u0101 was recording zero flow for much of the past few months. \u201cHistorically, this fed about half a million gallons per day to the Olinda water treatment facility,\u201d Strauch said.<\/p>\n Controversial emergency plan for stream flows<\/p>\n To secure the domestic water supply during extreme drought, Strauch suggested the commission pre-identify an action plan that could involve modifying\u00a0in-stream flow standards \u2014 the minimum flows required to remain in the stream \u2014 as an emergency measure.<\/p>\n He noted that staff analysis of certain streams, like Hanaw\u012b, that gain water from groundwater below their diversions, suggests that even partially restored streams show comparable or greater abundance of native aquatic species.<\/p>\n \u201cThe story is, basically we don\u2019t see any added benefit of full restoration\u201d in some streams, Strauch said, suggesting that a more flexible in-stream flow standard could be a minimal-impact tool to protect drinking water.<\/p>\n ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD<\/b><\/p>\n He identified Hanaw\u012b, Kapa\u2018ula, Pa\u2018akea and Kopili\u2018ula streams as candidates for potential temporary withdrawal modifications, but specified \u201cnot streams designated as kalo-producing or community use streams.\u201d<\/p>\n The suggestion drew immediate opposition from community groups.<\/p>\n Jonathan Likeke Scheuer<\/a>, chair and Hawaiian Homes Commission representative to the East Maui Regional Community Board, said the timing was \u201cbad.\u201d He pointed out that while some stream segments are restored, many community members \u201care still seeing water exported\u201d to Central Maui while their streams are \u201creally low.\u201d<\/p>\n ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD<\/b>ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD<\/b><\/p>\n He added: \u201cAnd now you\u2019re hearing, \u2018Oh, and CWRM is thinking about taking even more.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Commission Chair Dawn Chang clarified the commission was not proposing any immediate action, saying, \u201cwe are extremely concerned about the drought conditions\u2026 So look at all the tools, but also take into consideration the community\u2019s concerns as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Alarm over agricultural groundwater pumping<\/p>\n The drought has severely impacted agricultural water users, leading to concerns about groundwater resources. Under an agreement, East Maui Irrigation is prioritizing the Department of Water Supply\u2019s needs for domestic use, resulting in Mahi Pono receiving no surface water since Aug. 28, according to Strauch.<\/p>\n Instead, the company has been irrigating crops with groundwater from the Central Maui \u02bb\u012aao aquifer system. Strauch reported Mahi Pono has been \u201cramping up groundwater production\u201d to sustain its operations.<\/p>\n Scheuer expressed alarm about Mahi Pono\u2019s water withdrawals from the Kahului and P\u0101\u02bbia aquifers, which he noted were exceeding sustainable yield limits. (Sustainable yield refers to the maximum amount of water that can be safely pumped out of an underground source over time.) He reported pumping up to\u00a013\u00a0million gallons per day from the Kahului aquifer, which has a sustainable yield of\u00a01\u00a0mgd, and up to\u00a025\u00a0mgd from P\u0101\u02bbia, with a sustainable yield of\u00a07 mgd.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re like hundreds of percent over sustainable yield,\u201d Scheuer said, urging the commission to get an immediate update on the Central Maui groundwater situation. Over-pumping an island aquifer risks saltwater intrusion, which can contaminate the well water permanently.<\/p>\n Department of Water Supply works to increase capacity<\/p>\n Maui County Water Director John Stufflebean told commissioners that his department is working to improve water supplies.<\/p>\n One priority step has been to increase capacity at the Kamole Water Treatment Plant by replacing two-decade-old filters with new technology.<\/p>\n \u201cWith those new filters, we will be able to take more water at the Kamole (Weir) plant,\u201d Stufflebean said, adding the department will be \u201crequesting\u2026 additional water allocations from the Wailoa Ditch because the plant will be able to handle additional water.\u201d<\/p>\n The Water Department is also in the design phase for two reservoirs at the Kamole Treatment Plant that will \u2014 together \u2014 add storage capacity of\u00a0140\u00a0million gallons. The reservoirs\u2019 estimated cost is\u00a0$25\u00a0million.<\/p>\n The County is seeking federal funding for the project, which Stufflebean called the department\u2019s top priority for federal funding. <\/p>\n The County also reported using two Hamakuapoko wells for two months, which \u201creally saved us\u201d during the dry period, Stufflebean said. The County also is looking at purchasing or leasing private wells in the region and drilling new county wells.<\/p>\n Climate context: Shifting winds<\/p>\n The root cause of the ongoing dry conditions is a decades-long downward trend of the prevailing northeasterly trade winds. Historically, those winds have brought moisture-laden air over the islands, generating orographic rainfall<\/a>. As the air moves upward over mountain areas, it cools and water vapor condenses into rain.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Landgraf-and-CWRM-1024x576.jpg\")
Maui County Department of Water Supply Deputy Director Deputy Water Director James \u2018Kimo\u2019 Landgraf (lower right) appears last week before the Hawai\u2018i Commission on Water Resource Management. PC: YouTube<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Honopou-Stream-at-USGS-1024x576.jpg\")
A slide from a presentation by the Hawai\u02bbi Commission on Water Resource Management\u2019s Stream Protection and Management Branch illustrates extreme low water flow conditions at Honopou Stream. PC: CWRM<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1750746525.jpg\")
A long-term trend of shifting prevailing winds from northeast to east is leaving once abundantly flowing East Maui streams and ditches with what state water officials are now reporting as historically low flows of water. Water in this irrigation ditch alongside H\u0101na Highway was well below its highest levels on June 16. File photo. HJI \/ COLLEEN UECHI photo<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_3916_jpg-2-1024x768.jpg\")
Mahi Pono watermelon.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Stufflebean-and-CWRM-1024x576.jpg\")
Maui County Department of Water Supply Director John Stufflebean (lower right) explains plans to increase domestic water supply for Upcountry customers before the Hawai\u2018i Commission on Water Resource Management. PC: YouTube<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Impacts-off-stream-water-use-1024x783.jpg\")
A map shows the current location of water treatment plants and water delivery systems, largely fanned out in northeast Maui, not in East Maui where prevailing trade winds have been shifting over the past few decades. PC: CWRM<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/rainfall-demonstrated.jpg\")
A graphic shows \u201corographic\u201d precipitation. When winds carrying moisture-laden air encounter mountains and move up and over them, cooler temperatures cause water vapor to condense and produce rain. A shift in prevailing wind patterns, even slightly from the northeast to east, means that rain falls away from long-established water catchment and treatment systems on Maui. Simply put, the rain spigot has moved but the buckets have not.<\/p>\n