The Maui News

Maui County Department of Water Supply is asking everyone to conserve water as much as possible during the hot, dry summer months as parts of Maui County are under severe to extreme drought.

While the department is not immediately declaring a water shortage, that step might be necessary in the coming weeks without relief from the very dry current conditions, the county said Wednesday.

The National Weather Service reports extreme drought on the lower leeward slopes of Haleakala between Maalaea and Wailea and severe drought in Central Maui and Upcountry. On Molokai, severe drought worsened to extreme drought on the west side of the island, while Lanai has severe drought over most areas.

Dry conditions are also affecting surface water supplies in West Maui, the Department of Water Supply reported.

“Water is a precious resource, especially in an island community,” Mayor Michael Victorino said in a news release. “Both residents and visitors can find ways to conserve water. Let’s do our part by taking shorter showers, postponing car washes and reducing other nonessential uses of water.”

The department’s two 15-million-gallon Waikamoi Reservoirs were empty as of Wednesday, with the two 50-million-gallon Kahakapao Reservoirs at 70 percent capacity and the 50-million-gallon Piiholo Reservoir at 91 percent capacity. Upcountry water usage averages about 8 million gallons per day.

While Upcountry residents have grown accustomed to water shortage declarations and calls for conservation each year, weather and government officials have expressed concerns in recent months over Maui County’s drought conditions, which were the worst in the state last fall near the end of the dry season. Heavy winter rainfall brought some relief but drought quickly returned, prompting emergency and disaster declarations for Maui County at both the federal and state level.

The drought has impacted crops, driven herds of axis deer closer to residential areas and forced the temporary closure of a water treatment facility in West Maui.

During a news conference Tuesday on Oahu, fire and state forest officials urged caution in helping to prevent wildfires in dry brush. The National Weather Service said last month that the peak of wildfire season is likely to come in June rather than late July or early August due to drier-than-average rainfall conditions expected this summer.

For more information about water conservation, visit waterresources.mauicounty.gov/153/Water-Conservation.