An abundant source of clean water is needed in Upcountry Maui to support on-island agriculture, reliable residential use and fire prevention and suppression. As the county continues its post-disaster mitigation efforts, the ability to provide and access water will be even more crucial to fire prevention.

Mayor Richard T. Bissen, Jr. proposed Resolution 24-47 to authorize the Department of Water Supply to enter into a water-source-development agreement with Free Market Ventures, LLC. If approved by the council, this public-private partnership would authorize Free Market Ventures, LLC to construct up to four water wells in Kula, in which the county would agree to purchase 100 percent of the water from the first well.

The agreement was solely proposed by the mayor’s administration. The council’s only involvement is to vet the proposal, receive community input and ultimately approve or disapprove the resolution.

The Water and Infrastructure Committee discussed the resolution at its meetings of March 7 and 15 and received a large amount of feedback and information from residents, the Department of Water Supply and Free Market Ventures. A community meeting was also hosted on March 27 at the Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center to gather input from residents.

At the April 5 council meeting, Resolution 24-47 was recommitted to the Water and Infrastructure Committee for further review at the request of Director of Water Supply John Stufflebean and residents.

The agreement would allow Free Market Ventures, LLC to secure rights to purchase a 272-acre parcel in Kula to develop water wells and associated infrastructure. Each well has an expected pump capacity of between 800,000 and 1.5 million gallons of water per day.

The company also plans to develop a sustainable-energy microgrid system to power the well pumps and other project elements.

To understand the agreement’s impacts on Maui County, I requested a financial analysis of the water agreement from the Department of Water Supply, which was provided to the Water and Infrastructure Committee on April 1. The analysis discussed the wells’ multiple purposes, possible water-rate increases and policy factors beyond cost. To read the 12-page analysis, visit https://tinyurl.com/UpcountryWater.

The Water and Infrastructure Committee has set a tentative meeting date of May 16 to discuss Resolution 24-47.

Councilmember Tom Cook, who chairs the committee, and I will assist the Deparment of Water Supply in holding another community meeting this Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center.

For more information and to view county council meeting agendas, visit mauicounty.us/agendas.

My colleagues and I are committed to opening more discussions about water management and sustainable options, beyond this proposed agreement, that will lead to long-term solutions. Please continue to share your thoughts with us through public testimony at our scheduled meetings or written testimony at https://www.mauicounty.us/testify/.

We appreciate every community member involved in the council’s efforts to make informed, educated decisions for Maui County.

* Yuki Lei K. Sugimura is the chair of the Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee. She is the council vice-chair and holds the council seat for the Upcountry Maui residency area. “Council’s 3 Minutes” is a column to explain the latest news on county legislative and community matters. Go to mauicounty.us for more information.