Maui Council adopts resolution on recycled water in effort to preserve potable water for affordable housing

The Maui County Council today adopted Resolution 24-161, CD1, urging the county administration to prioritize the use of recycled water to support various purposes and preserve potable water for residential uses.

Council Member Tom Cook, who introduced the resolution, thanked colleagues for their support saying the resolution will increase access to water for Maui County residents. “Recycled water use is a renewable, safe and smart way to preserve our finite water supply,” said Cook, who chairs the Water and Infrastructure Committee and holds the council seat for the South Maui residency area.

Citing several supportive General Plan policies, the resolution requests the mayor and Department of Environmental Management to increase the “production and expansion of recycled R-1 water to preserve potable water for the construction of affordable housing and to support fire protection, greenbelts, agriculture and cultural uses.”

Cook said he authored the resolution in response to Maui County’s chronic water shortages, which he said delay much-needed affordable-housing development in South and West Maui.

He said the amended version of the resolution also encourages the mayor and Department of Environmental Management to ensure that the county has control over potable water that is offset by recycled R-1 water use.

“Finding more ways to address the problems of water supply and conservation will be an ongoing priority for the council,” said Cook.