2022 Upcountry Water Meter Priority List Information and Update
Help… I need water!!! Where would you hear this? Maybe in a desert? Maybe a friend doing a marathon or triathlon? Did you know it is prevalent on Maui?? It is when it comes to water meters in Upcountry Maui.
On Maui, landowners in the Upcountry area have been pleading for water… for decades. The County, over the years, has developed the Upcountry Water Service Priority List for Building Permit Application, Subdivisions, and Water Service Requests. This list had a backlog currently dating to 2002 as reported on the 2021 list with a total of 1508 applicants looking for their first water meter, to regain a water meter, to get a larger water meter or to get multiple meters for a subdivision, etc.
As of this January, the Upcountry Maui Water Meter list had 1428 applicants on the updated 2022 list with the top applicant’s priority date being from January 2003. With that, a total of 80 priority numbers were removed. This does not actually mean that 80 numbers were served with the water they had asked for.
Here Is the Process:
Once an Applicant on the list is contacted by the county, they have 30 days to respond if they want the meter. If the applicant is not ready to establish service immediately or they have significant improvements to work on, they have the option to reserve a meter for up to 5 years.
Other properties have changed owners. New owners may not need the additional water or they no longer want to do the subdivision, etc. In either case, those numbers are removed from the list and we patiently wait.
Who Is Affected by This Water Meter List?
This list is only in effect for the communities of Kula, Haiku, Pukalani, Haliimaile and Makawao. These communities are mainly served by East Maui surface water with reservoirs above Olinda/Makawao in the Waikamoi area. There are massive storage reservoirs in the area. It has been said by prior Water Department engineers that we don’t have a supply problem, we only have a storage problem.
No supply problem of water on Maui 🙂
Could we catch more water when it rains to get through short periods of critical drought to maintain supply for the area?? That’s a political question. Many residents enjoy the peace and quiet. They also benefit from less supply driving up demand on the properties that they do own.
What Are the Typical Water Meter Sizes?
The most common size of residential water meter is a 5/8” meter. An upgrade from this meter, which allows for more fixtures is a 3/4” meter.
When you get into farming and/or larger apartment and hotel type complexes, the County controls 1” meters, 1 1/2” meters and 2” meters. To the best of my knowledge, that is the extent of the meters. In theory, a 2” meter has an output of a 1mgd well. That’s a lot of water. I will go over water meters in another post. Feel free to offer any questions on this in the meantime.
With each of these meters is a cost. Each upgrade has a fee to the County. The larger meters also require additional infrastructure for pressure relief, adequate distribution to the meter, etc.
Why does it matter?
“By Water, All Things Find Life”
That is the motto of our County of Maui’s Department of Water Supply.
In short, the more water you have available, the more options that you have for building, farming, structures, etc.
With this, I always look for larger meter properties when they come available or to even look for a specific property if they have a larger meter. It opens up many opportunities for a property owner.
Here are a couple properties with multiple water meters and/or larger water meter:
- MLS 395501 features 11 Acres in lower Kula featuring incredible views.
- MLS 395513 features 646 Acres of limitless possibility.
What About Private Water?
Kula I’o is one of my favorite subdivisions that is serviced by its own on-site well. Other options are Baldwin Ranch Estates, Mauna Olu off of Baldwin Avenue and Haiku Town off of Kokomo Road as well.
These subdivisions opted to do their own water well for source to move forward with their estates.
Want to Know More?
I have been tracking water as I have been on the list since 2004. I am on the list again since 2012. We have helped many owners find great properties serviced with ample water. If you are on the list and need assistance with water infrastructure, we have a team in place. Are you tired of waiting for your meter? Let’s discuss options that could help you now. Want a copy of the 2022 list??
Sherry Baker
November 25, 2022
Do you have any contact resources for digging one’s own well? Who are your contacts for infrastructure, ie hydrants, etc.? Thank you for info.