Department of Water Supply offers additional information on the Upcountry Stage 3 water shortage

With a Stage 3 water shortage in effect for Upcountry areas, the County of Maui Department of Water Supply (DWS) is providing the following information:

1. What areas are affected?
The Upcountry service area includes Makawao, Upper and Lower Kula, Haʻikū, Hāliʻimaile, Pukalani, Kokomo, Kaupakalua, Ulumalu, Keōkea, ʻUlupalakua, and Kanaio.

2. What are the mandatory water restrictions?

3. Do restrictions apply to agriculture users?
Yes. Agricultural customers must follow the same water restrictions, as the 180-day exemption period has ended.

4. Hasn't recent rainfall affected the water shortage?
No. Recent rainfall hasn't significantly affected flows in streams and levels in reservoirs supplying the Upcountry service area.

5. Where does Upcountry water come from?
Water is sourced from East Maui streams (via ditch systems) and County-operated groundwater wells.

6. Why was Stage 3 declared?
A prolonged drought has drastically reduced stream flow in East Maui. The ditches that carry surface water (not owned or operated by the County) are delivering far less water than needed. County wells are already operating at full capacity.

7. How much water does Upcountry use?
Upcountry typically uses up to 10 million gallons per day (MGD):

8. Why not use other sources?
The Upcountry water system is isolated and cannot be connected to other County systems.

9. A Stage 3 water shortage has not been issued before. Where did all the water go?
Historically, up to 300 million gallons per day (MGD) flowed through the ditch system. The volume was adjusted to leave more water in the streams and meet the interim instream flow standards. The volume in the ditch is usually between 20-30 MGD. The lack of significant rainfall and prolonged drought has reduced that to less than 5 MGD.

10. Will my water rates increase?
No. DWS is not raising rates at this time due to the water shortage.

11. When will this end?
The County is currently relying on reservoir storage. If water use exceeds available supply, reservoirs are depleted. Restrictions may be eased when stream flows increase and reservoir levels are restored.

12. Does DWS provide anything to help the public conserve water?

The DWS provides the following free items to the public:

The free water conservation devices are available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at Suite 102, 2200 Main St., Wailuku.

13. What can residents do to reduce household water usage?
Residents can take several simple and effective steps to conserve water at home, such as:

For more water conservation tips and to learn about our water shortage and conservation plan, visit https://mauicounty.gov/waterconservation .

For more information, visit https://www.mauicounty.gov/water.

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