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According to the Hawaii State Commission on Water Resource Management, Maui County's water plan was last approved 31 years ago.
County plans are required "to inventory all projected water demands within each county and ensure that the future water needs of the county are met."
This concept is embedded in all our community plans in language requiring development to proceed in concert with infrastructure. Infrastructure includes water.
While the county water department has been working on updates for the past 30 years, we still don't have a final plan approved by Maui County Council to submit to CWRM.
In the interim, Maui has developed at a rapid pace, even as climate change studies predict less water availability in the future.
Given this, the county should suspend approving more water-dependent, high-end real estate developments targeted at mainlanders and instead focus on getting an updated plan in place that includes water reservation for anticipated essential services and facilities such as hospitals, medical facilities, schools and affordable housing.
Mark Hyde
Kihei