The Maui News

Monthslong water restrictions for Upcountry and West Maui will be lifted Friday thanks to recent bouts of rainfall, the county Department of Water Supply announced Wednesday.

Upcountry and West Maui have been facing water shortage warnings since July, when the department asked customers in both areas to conserve water due to the lack of rainfall. Parts of Maui County were in moderate drought at the time, and the county was expecting the drier conditions to lead to greater demand from Upcountry’s reservoirs.

On Sept. 8, the county issued a Stage 1 water emergency declaration for Upcountry and West Maui and imposed mandatory cutbacks of nonessential water use. A National Weather Service hydrologist said that the county had “the worst drought conditions across the state” by the end of September.

Fortunately, recent weather conditions have increased available supply, the county said.

Earlier this week, areas of the West Maui Mountains received more than 9 inches of rain over a 24-hour period, the most in the state, while parts of East Maui were drenched with close to 5 inches.

Water Supply Director Jeff Pearson thanked customers for helping to conserve water during the dry spell.

“The department will continue to monitor the weather, water supply and demand to determine if further steps are warranted to ensure a reliable supply for water for our customers,” Pearson said in a news release Wednesday.

For more information, call the department at 270-7834. Business hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.