#Department of Water Supply

US Sen. Brian Schatz announced Monday that the Senate approved a bipartisan funding package including nearly $34 million in congressional directed spending for the state, with allocations designated for infrastructure and environmental protection in Maui County. The funding comes amid nationwide federal budget cuts. Schatz, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, indicated that more […]

The Maui County Council advanced a bill aimed at water conservation in arid West Maui by imposing an interim ban on new private swimming pools.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center are predicting above-normal rainfall for Hawaiʻi through January, providing a hopeful sign of relief for Maui County residents following months of severe drought. However, drought is expected to persist on Hawaiʻi island where the forecast chances for rain are lower and the arid conditions have been […]

Maui County is moving into its winter wet season with the promise of relief as an emerging La Niña pattern is expected to bring above-normal rainfall through early 2026, according to the National Weather Service.

The state Commission on Water Resource Management gave the company a chance to offset the fine by making improvements to its water system in Honokōhau Valley.

The Maui County Department of Water Supply is doubling its planned exploratory well project in West Maui from two wells to four and will prepare a new draft environmental assessment to reflect the change in scope.

Following recent rainfall and ongoing community water conservation, the County of Maui Department of Water Supply is suspending the Stage 1 Central and South Maui water shortage, effective immediately and until further notice.

Maui County’s Department of Water Supply reports that water demand in Central Maui remains below the system’s reliable capacity, allowing the county to continue issuing meters for new housing and development projects. The Central Maui District — which serves areas from South Maui to Central Maui and as far east as Spreckelsville and Pāʻia — […]

State water regulators have clarified data regarding groundwater pumping in Central Maui, acknowledging that while current withdrawals exceed official sustainable yield limits, those limits are conservative estimates that are now under re-evaluation. The clarification comes following an Oct. 28 staff briefing before the state Commission on Water Resource Management. The main focus of the briefing […]

The Maui County Council has advanced a plan to secure nearly $64.5 million in low-interest state loans for water infrastructure projects needed as part of recovery from the disastrous August 2023 wildfires.

The water commission has yet to approve any of the more than 140 permit applications for water use in West Maui that were filed two years ago shortly before the Lahaina fire.

The Maui County Department of Water Supply is taking the first steps toward developing its first publicly owned desalination facility in West Maui. The project would extend the arid region’s water resources beyond current ground and surface water limitations that currently force the department to cope with a Stage 2 water shortage. With a desalination […]

The Maui County Council has given final approval to public acquisition of the four-story Wailuku Executive Center for $10 million to buy and renovate the property as the new headquarters for the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney.

A Maui County Council committee tried to breathe life Wednesday into the languishing 304-acre Pulelehua development in West Maui, a “shovel ready” housing project with the promise of hundreds of affordable units but long dying of thirst. Chaired by West Maui Council Member Tamara Paltin, the Disaster Recovery, International Affairs and Planning Committee voted 7-1, […]

Alarmed about a severe and protracted drought, state and Maui County water officials are reporting historic low flows in East Maui streams and 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 Hāna, which traverses Maui’s normally lush landscape, a […]

More than 94% of Maui County is under some kind of drought as Hawai’i comes off the third-driest season in the last 30 years.

The Maui Planning Commission voted 5-1 Tuesday to grant a special management area use permit for the Four Seasons Resort Wailea’s $16.3 million project to make exterior renovations, including new swimming pools. But the approval came after legal concerns compelled the commission to back off attempts to impose property-wide monitoring of the resort’s water usage.

Maui County Council members voted 6-2 Friday, with Council Chair Alice Lee and Vice Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura dissenting and Council Member Tasha Kama absent, on a bill to increase deed restriction requirements to maintain County-subsidized workforce affordable housing.

The County of Maui Department of Water Supply is accepting proposals now through Nov. 30, 2025, for its Fiscal Year 2027 Watershed Protection Grants Program, aimed at conserving, protecting and restoring watersheds that provide critical drinking water sources for the island.

The Maui County Council filed a bill Friday that would have authorized the mayor to enter into an interdepartmental agreement allowing the Maui Police Department to respond to alarms at Hawai‘i Army National Guard facilities.