A resolution to look at imposing a moratorium on issuing permits for new private swimming pools in West Maui is scheduled to be heard Friday at the Maui County Council.

The public meeting will take place at the Kalana O Maui Building in Wailuku at 9 a.m. Friday.

According to Maui County Council, supplying water to support stable housing for West Maui residents is an urgent priority and a private swimming pool is an amenity that requires a large quantity of potable water without serving any essential housing needs. In addition, the West Maui community has access to public swimming pools and beaches for recreation and exercise.

County Council member Tamara Paltin introduced the resolution. She said she’s asking for the interim measure in light of the state Commission on Water Resource Management beginning to oversee the allocation of water resources in West Maui.

Paltin, who represents West Maui, said that during a state Commission on Water Resource Management meeting on Maui, the issue of whether to allow swimming pools in West Maui came up many times.

“Constituents keep asking me for this,” she said.

She said the county is seeing applications for a lot of swimming pools in the area that burned in the 2023 Lahaina wildfire where rainfall is low and the evaporation rate is high. Paltin added that there are exceptions to the restrictions, including the maintenance and repair of existing swimming pools.

According to Paltin, the County Council is looking at proposing the moratorium for three years through Dec. 31, 2028. She said the moratorium would continue until a West Maui groundwater study is complete, along with the drilling of additional wells.

Paltin said that before the proposed moratorium is lifted, the state water commission should determine the system has a reliable water capacity, including enough to rebuild structures lost in the August 2023 Maui wildfires.

There appears to be some questions about the Department of Water Supply saying individual pools have a proportionally minor impact on the amount of water available for affordable housing. In an April 15, 2025 letter, department director John Stufflebean said 32 average-sized pools would use about the same amount of water as a typical single-family dwelling.

Paltin said the calculations were based on a swimming pool in the more rainy and cloudy area of Napili rather than Lahaina. She said she expects more public discussion on the issue.

“It’s just a first step, a little bit of a temperature gauge in managing our water resources,” she said.

Paltin said that if passed, the resolution would go to the Maui Planning Commission for review before being sent to the Maui County Council for final approval.