Blessing Held for $21.7 M ‘Īao Water Treatment Plant

A blessing ceremony was held on Thursday for the new $21.7 million ʻĪao Water Treatment Plant.  The upgraded plant receives water from the ʻĪao-Waikapu Ditch.

“Water is a critical part of Maui County’s infrastructure,” Mayor Victorino said. “I’m very grateful for all the hard work by the Department of Water Supply, contractors and consultants to get this new plant designed and built. It features state-of-the-art automation and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system with remote capabilities. I’m confident our investment in this facility is paying off with improved water source capacity in Central Maui.”

Department of Water Supply Director Jeffrey Pearson said, “The ʻĪao Water Treatment Plant is a source of pride for the Department of Water Supply. Treating surface water, though not as reliable, will take a huge strain off our ʻĪao aquifer, and provide needed source for our current and future customers. I want to thank all council members involved in approving CIP funds over the years to allow the construction, and current and prior administrations for supporting the department in this important expansion.”

The upgraded plant has an average daily capacity of 3.2 million gallons per day, but current production is 1.7 mgd while the Department of Water Supply awaits the results of a surface water contested case. (There’s a current application for another 1.5 mgd to the state Commission on Water Resource Management.) The plant has the capacity to meet peak demand of 6 mgd. The former ʻĪao plant produced about 500,000 per day, on average.

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