Long-Awaited Upcountry Water Meter Issuance Begins

Water meter. File photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

The Maui Department of Water Supply today announced it has begun the long-awaited process of issuing water meters in the Upcountry area.

Department officials say the additional water meters are being issued as a capital improvement project at the Hamakuapoko Wells nears completion as a back-up source of water for the area.

“The Department will research each meter request in the order of the Upcountry Priority List and contact the applicant by certified mail to offer the water meter,” the announcement said.  

Applicants will have 30 days to respond to the offer before the department proceeds in contacting the next applicant on the list.

Department officials say that when the amount of additional water supply is depleted, offers for new meters will cease.

“We expect to issue meters for a couple hundred thousand gallons of water,” said Water Department Director Dave Taylor in a county press release.

The waiting list, which stood at 1,474 applications in September 2012, dates back more than 15 years to August of 1997.

The department stopped accepting new applicants for the Upcountry Water Meter Priority list is on Dec. 31, 2012.

Department officials called the process of issuing water meters “time-consuming” and “detailed” and asked customers for their patience with the process, saying it could take a year or more to contact all the appropriate applicants.

“DWS personnel will contact applicants when their application comes up. Customers calling to ask about their application will only delay the process, so we ask customers to wait until we contact them. We have reached an exciting milestone, and I hope we can make significant inroads to shrinking the list,” said Taylor.

As part of the process, department personnel say they will be reviewing the applicant’s project status, water system requirements, and capital costs associated with the new water service and meter offered.