{"id":351170,"date":"2025-11-02T21:31:29","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T21:31:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/351170\/"},"modified":"2025-11-02T21:31:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T21:31:29","slug":"maui-county-plans-more-wells-system-upgrades-to-meet-upcountrys-water-issues-growing-demand-maui-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/351170\/","title":{"rendered":"Maui County plans more wells, system upgrades to meet Upcountry\u2019s water issues, growing demand : Maui Now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\"\"The landscape in Kula is dry and brown in July. HJI \/ COLLEEN UECHI photo<\/p>\n

After 71 years of living in Pukalani, Anna Mae Shishido knows the drill during a drought.\u00a0No watering lawns. No washing cars. <\/p>\n

The lama, or Hawaiian ebony, that she grows on her property is currently \u201cteetering\u201d on the edge of dying out.<\/p>\n

HJI Weekly Newsletter<\/p>\n

Get more stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for the Hawai\u2018i Journalism Initiative’s weekly newsletter:<\/p>\n

ADDING YOU TO THE LIST…<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems that we always have a drought,\u201d Shishido said. \u201cIt\u2019s just longer periods now than before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maui County saw lower-than-average rainfall from May to September in what was Hawai\u2018i\u2019s third-driest season in the last 30 years<\/a>, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And, more than 94% of Maui County is under some kind of drought, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As the need for water continues to outpace supply, especially in Upcountry, Maui County is trying to find new sources and solutions that aren\u2019t dependent on rain. They include buying and drilling new wells, upgrading key treatment plants and potentially connecting to the Central Maui system so water can be pumped Upcountry in times of short supply.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Upcountry residents often bear the brunt of dry conditions because 68% of their supply relies on surface water, which depends on rain, explained John Stufflebean, director of the county\u2019s Department of Water Supply.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, the department upgraded Upcountry to a Stage 3 water shortage<\/a>, which is issued when demand exceeds supply by 31% or more. Recent rainfall downgraded Upcountry to Stage 2<\/a>, in which demand exceeds supply by 16% to 30%.<\/p>\n

By contrast, the Central Maui system, which serves Central and South Maui, relies on groundwater, while the West Maui system combines groundwater and surface water and H\u0101na\u2019s system also taps into groundwater.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to have isolated water systems,\u201d Stufflebean said at a community meeting on Tuesday. \u201cWe would prefer to have all our water systems connected as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stufflebean told the Hawai\u2018i Journalism Initiative that the aftermath of the 2023 Upcountry and Lahaina wildfires \u201cbasically took all of our attention for a year\u201d as the department worked to restore safe water to homes and businesses. But as recovery progresses, attention can now turn to other projects and needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Upcountry\u2019s water supply, he said, \u201cis one of the top issues.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

DIGGING DEEP<\/strong><\/p>\n

When strong winds knocked out electricity during a big brushfire in Kula on Aug. 8, 2023, the lack of backup power for critical pumps hampered firefighting efforts, Stufflebean told The Associated Press<\/a> in September 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The pumps needed to push water up into the storage tanks and reservoirs to help maintain the pressure. After the fire, the department invested in generators for Kula<\/a> and other areas to use in a power outage.<\/p>\n

The water system is especially complicated Upcountry<\/a>, where the county has more than 60 storage facilities across the Makawao, Lower Kula and Upper Kula systems, department maps show. The elevation changes and the topography make it even trickier to maintain, Stufflebean said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, the biggest issue is simple. There\u2019s just not enough water.<\/p>\n

\"\"Upcountry residents listen to the county\u2019s plans to increase water resources for their community on Oct. 28, 2025. HJI \/ COLLEEN UECHI photo<\/p>\n

At peak demand, Upcountry customers use 10.1 million gallons of water per day, exceeding the reliable supply of 9.7 mgd by 4%. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s not counting the 1,424 applicants seeking 3,612 water meters Upcountry that would would require an additional 2.16 million gallons per day. The anticipated full buildout of Upcountry under the community plan is expected to need another 4.5 mgd. The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has also requested another 9 mgd from the Upcountry system.<\/p>\n

And that water demand is expected to keep going up. The Maui Island Water Use and Development Plan<\/a> projects demand Upcountry to reach 15.7 mgd by 2035. Islandwide, the plan projects the number of residents to grow to 206,884 by 2035, a 32% increase over 2015, and it expects overall potable water consumption to rise to 48.5 mgd, a 47% increase over 2015. Growth in Central Maui is expected to be the primary driver of that increase.<\/p>\n

For Upcountry, Stufflebean said the county\u2019s goal at the moment is to meet the peak demand plus the current list of water meter applicants. The department is targeting two key strategies: treatment plant upgrades and additional wells.<\/p>\n

At the top of the list is replacing the filter at the Kamole treatment plant<\/a>, which has been in service since 1998 and is the main treatment plant of the three that serve Upcountry. A new filter will help the plant treat more water and increase capacity from 4 mgd to 5.5 mgd at the plant, Stufflebean said. The project, which is underway and expected to finish in the spring, costs about $5 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stufflebean said the department\u2019s second-most important project is to build two new reservoirs at Kamole. The current fiscal budget includes $1.4 million to design the reservoirs, and the department plans to seek federal funding to help foot the $25 million bill for construction in fiscal year 2028.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The cost is nearly one-third of the county water department\u2019s $90 million annual budget and almost the entirety of its $30 million capital projects budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThings have changed quite a bit in terms of federal funding recently, but we think this is a project that really still has good potential of getting federal funding,\u201d Stufflebean said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Upcountry\u2019s water system, which covers Makawao, Upper and Lower Kula, is shown. Photo: Maui County Department of Water Supply<\/p>\n

The reservoirs would have a combined capacity of 140 million gallons, allowing them to capture high flows, enhance reliability and prevent water losses due to turbid or cloudy water that clogs the filters and can\u2019t be sent to the plant. <\/p>\n

\u201cBy having a reservoir, we can capture that, let it settle out and not lose the ability to treat that water as well,\u201d Stufflebean said. <\/p>\n

Another change would involve switching the disinfection process at the Olinda treatment plant from chloramines to free chlorine, which is used by the other two plants. Because they use different treatments, water from the plants can\u2019t be mixed, and that \u201creally limits our ability to move water around,\u201d Stufflebean said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The department has finished the analysis and is moving toward the design. The cost is still to be determined.<\/p>\n

But the solution that the county plans to invest the most in is an increased reliance on wells. The department is considering leasing, purchasing or drilling six wells in the Makawao aquifer, which spans about 229 square miles ranging from the 9,600-foot elevation level near the peak of Haleakal\u0101 to 1,100 feet where it transitions to the P\u0101\u2018ia aquifer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As of June, there were 19 wells and tunnels in the Makawao aquifer registered with the state water commission, including six for agriculture, three for municipal county use, three for municipal private use, two for domestic use and one for golf course irrigation. Four are unused. The wells pump an average of 1.9 mgd, including 1.4 mgd from the two county wells.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The aquifer has a sustainable yield of 7 mgd, which is the maximum amount that can be taken without depleting the water source.<\/p>\n

The six existing and proposed wells include:<\/p>\n