Residents provide key East Maui water priorities at three County EMWA meetings

Residents emphasized key East Maui water priorities - such as the acquisition of the East Maui water system, infrastructure upgrades, the creation of a new East Maui base yard and watershed health initiatives - during three County of Maui East Maui Water Authority (EMWA) community workshops.

The workshops by EMWA and its community board, ʻAha Wai O Maui Hikina, were held in partnership with the nonprofit Public Finance Initiative in Keʻanae, Wailuku and Haʻikū on Oct. 28 and 29, 2025.

EMWA Director Gina Young thanked residents for participating in East Maui water meetings during this pivotal time.

"East Maui stands at a crossroads amid a historic drought, climate risks and competing needs for water," Director Young said. "This moment calls not only for investment in infrastructure and watershed restoration, but also for innovative financing approaches that empower Maui County and community-led resource management - rooted in fairness and equity - to ensure long-term water access, sustainability and community well-being."

Last week's meetings featured breakout sessions where participants identified priorities to help shape the future direction of EMWA. Ideas were summarized, placed in groups and ranked by participants on significance. Input will guide community-driven projects that EMWA can advance, target for funding to implement and incorporate into its strategic planning.

Across the three workshops, several priorities with strong community support emerged:

• County acquisition and management of the East Maui water system to strengthen local management and stewardship of water resources. Attendees pointed to issues affecting the proposed County acquisition and management of the East Maui water system that will be discussed at the state Board of Land and Natural Resources meeting slated Nov. 14, 2025.

• Creation of an East Maui base yard. Residents said the facility would maintain and improve the water system, support watershed restoration and provide educational opportunities for local students and residents. Attendees asked that the base yard be staffed primarily by East Maui residents.

• Upgrades to existing infrastructure needed. Participants emphasized adding more reservoirs and lining existing reservoirs and ditches to ensure efficient water capture and retention.

• More stream-monitoring equipment and programs sought. Attendees shared the need for more stream monitoring to better understand current environmental conditions and strengthen watershed health. They suggested community involvement to bolster monitoring efforts and the addition of educational programs, including hydrology and environmental science community educational training; informational signage and mapping programs identifying stream locations, history and characteristics; and the development of monitoring and watershed work-training programs for college students. A community Adopt-A-Stream monitoring program was also suggested and was a top priority for meeting participants.

In addition to discussions on potential programs, Public Finance Initiative staff provided educational sessions on public finance strategies that can be integrated with philanthropic social investments to expand resources for the East Maui

water system and offered steps to gain greater local control.

Recent workshops were held in collaboration with Haʻikū Community Association, Kula Community Association and Nā Moku Aupuni O Koʻolau Hui. The workshops were supported through the Public Finance Initiative's Rural and Small Cities Program. The Rural and Small Cities Program is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

A presentation on input from the three meetings will be provided at the ʻAha Wai O Maui Hikina board meeting at 9 a.m. Dec. 5, 2025, in the Kalana Pakui Building, 200 S. High St., Wailuku.

Contact EMWA at [email protected] or visit https://www.mauicounty.gov/EMWA.