Maui, a land of remarkable contrasts.
Maui County spans five Hawai’ian islands: Maui, Lana’i, Molokai, Kahoʻolawe, and Molokini. Maui, the most populated of the five, offers striking contrasts—where lush rainforests meet misty mountain slopes that descend into desert enclaves. Although covering only 725 square miles, these microclimates result from Maui’s unique terrain and geographic location in the Pacific Ocean.
There are six planning regions on Maui: West Maui, Central Maui, North Shore, Upcountry, East Maui, and South Maui.
On Maui, managing water means juggling numerous needs and competing priorities—everything from water for affordable housing and fire protection to ensuring hotels, resorts, and agricultural farms are supplied. The 2023 fires in Lahaina (West Maui) – fires that within 12 hours would claim hundreds of lives, displace thousands of people, and leave a community in a state of shock and deep uncertainty – highlighted the complex relationship between wind, arid conditions, and water infrastructure on the island. Moreover, they emphasized the island’s vulnerability and the need to implement comprehensive water management strategies.
In general, freshwater management on Maui is complicated. It involves a mix of public and private entities managing water resources for various uses, and often not working in concert to manage this limited, shared resource. The County of Maui Department of Water Supply (DWS) is one of the public agencies responsible for managing Maui’s water supply. DWS provides drinking water service to approximately 36,000 connections on Maui and Molokai and is responsible for ensuring there are sufficient water resources to meet the island’s needs.
Amidst this complexity, DWS is exploring alternative options to meet Maui’s heightened water supply needs. Forecasts in the County’s Water Use and Development Plan predict that water demand will exceed supply in many regions within the next decade.
Helping community members shape the future of water supply on Maui.
In July 2024, we – the US Water Alliance’s Environmental Finance Center (EFC) team – were asked to help create meaningful and impactful ways for Maui community members to share what matters most to them regarding their water. Initially, DWS sought our support with community engagement around desalination as a water supply option. However, through discussions with DWS and other island organizations, we found that a variety of supply options are being explored on Maui. We also learned that the focus should not only be on developing new supplies but also on conserving existing resources. As a result, we expanded our community outreach efforts to encompass multiple topics related to supply, conservation, and reuse.
In collaboration with DWS and the engineering firm Brown and Caldwell, we developed an approach to gather community input on the following supply options: groundwater, surface water, water reuse, stormwater recharge, and desalination. Along with water supply concerns, we wanted to gather residents’ opinions on water quality, affordability, conservation, and access. DWS emphasized the importance of visiting all six island planning areas, so we organized a series of listening sessions in six different locations (see map).
We arrived in Maui nearly two years after the wildfires that severely impacted Lahaina. Coincidentally, Lahaina was our first stop in the listening session series. Many passionate and knowledgeable community members arrived seeking more information from DWS and a space to communicate their water priorities. Engaging with these residents helped us gain a deeper understanding of the rich appreciation for and connection to water that exists on Maui. We listened, recorded, and relayed their input and ideas to DWS, recognizing the immense value of the voices in the room.
We engaged with 121 people across the six community listening sessions. During these sessions, we learned that there is a broad community interest in increased transparency, communication, and education from DWS. We also quickly realized how knowledgeable community members are about their water and how much valuable insight they have to share with DWS. For example, in Kula (Upcountry), which is a rainy part of the island, community members were interested in discussing stormwater catchment. In contrast, in Kīhei (South Maui), which receives significantly less rain, community members were more supportive of expanding R-1 reuse and more in favor of desalination than in other areas on Maui. In summary, we found that water supply opportunities are highly specific to the conditions and context of each area on the island.
What comes next.
The six listening sessions showcased the diverse community experiences and water supply realities across the island. They also offered our team a glimpse into the valuable knowledge held by community members. These events are just one component of the ongoing work being done by DWS to ensure Maui has the water it needs to meet community needs. As we heard from many residents, there is no one-size-fits-all supply option for Maui. It will likely require a custom and tailored plan to ensure each community can implement a solution that meets their specific needs. We hope that the listening sessions and the ongoing work of DWS inspire new partnerships and community-informed solutions to support Maui’s water future.
