{"id":2099,"date":"2026-07-02T08:37:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T08:37:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2099"},"modified":"2026-07-02T08:37:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T08:37:30","slug":"mayor-proposes-6m-purchase-of-2-west-maui-water-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2099","title":{"rendered":"Mayor proposes $6M purchase of 2 West Maui water systems"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – In an effort to mitigate Maui\u2019s long-running water woes and create more housing, Mayor Richard Bissen announced a plan Wednesday to buy two West Maui water systems. <\/p>\n

Read more Blessing marks milestone in Lahaina Front Street restoration<\/a><\/p>\n

The plantation-era infrastructure \u2014 including wells, reservoirs, and about 19 miles of pipeline \u2014 would cost $6 million. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is what our community wants, and I think this is a step in the right direction,\u201d Bissen said. <\/p>\n

Currently owned by the Launiupoko Water and Olowalu Water companies, the assets serve neighborhoods and farms south of Lahaina. <\/p>\n

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If approved with another recently announced water deal with Maui Land and Pineapple Company, Bissen said his plan would increase public stewardship of water systems in West Maui from 25% to 65%. <\/p>\n

Bissen also noted there is money in the county\u2019s budget to buy the systems, adding, \u201cso the timing will also work out.\u201d<\/p>\n

After dealing with water challenges for years while sharing the limited resource with high-end resorts and golf courses, West Maui farmer Eddy Garcia backed Bissen\u2019s idea. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s really a good thing because to put the water in the hands of the people is something we\u2019ve been striving for many years,\u201d Garcia said. <\/p>\n

However, Garcia fears the system will cost the county more than $6 million. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey probably need to stick tens of millions of dollars into fixing the system that really hasn\u2019t been taken care of. Just a massive lack of maintenance, negligence. Things are broken down. They have it in the water commission trying to raise the price by like 600%, yet all the infrastructure is broken,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n

Read more Campaign Spending Commission files civil complaint against Luke campaign<\/a><\/p>\n

Others wondered whether traditional farmers, who depend on stream water, will have their needs met.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, whether it\u2019s private or political, you know, county. Whoever it is that does acquire this utility company, I really think it\u2019s gonna take time to establish that relationship and trust,\u201d West Maui resident Lauren Palakiko said. <\/p>\n

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In response to Garcia and Palakiko\u2019s concerns, Maui County Department of Water Supply deputy director James Landgraf said, \u201cThe County conducted extensive due diligence, including a comprehensive evaluation of the water systems and an independent appraisal of the assets. While some maintenance is anticipated, as with any public water system, no major deficiencies or concerns were identified during the County\u2019s review. The County is confident this acquisition is a sound long-term investment that will help ensure safe, reliable water service under public stewardship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bissen believes the purchase will finally provide water needed for housing projects, and for firefighting, in a community still recovering from the 2023 wildfires. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf all of this works out the way we are hoping it will, it\u2019ll all be connected so that we can better respond to emergencies as well, because we\u2019ll have that available,\u201d Bissen said. <\/p>\n

The Maui County Council has to vote on the plan, and will discuss it, as well as the Maui Land and Pineapple agreement, later this month. <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cSo we know, you know, the details, the nuance, what the county is hoping to exchange for the water systems and how they plan to manage and maintain the water systems so that we\u2019re in full compliance and give a good service to the end users,\u201d council member Tamara Paltin, who represents West Maui, said. <\/p>\n

A representative for the water companies told HNN in a statement, \u201cLauniupoko Water and Olowalu Water companies support the transfer of privately held utilities to the County\u2019s Department of Water Supply and have been working with the County in their review of the systems for the potential transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Operation Shine the Light leads to record recovery of 14 missing children on Oahu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mayor Richard Bissen wants Maui County to buy two West Maui water systems for $6 million to address the island\u2019s long-running water woes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMayor proposes $6M purchase of 2 West Maui water systems - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2099\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mayor proposes $6M purchase of 2 West Maui water systems - Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mayor Richard Bissen wants Maui County to buy two West Maui water systems for $6 million to address the island\u2019s long-running water woes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=2099\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-02T08:37:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2099#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2099\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/590d72f16cb0f571fd45812a3c7ea1d0\"},\"headline\":\"Mayor proposes $6M purchase of 2 West Maui water systems\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-02T08:37:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2099\"},\"wordCount\":636,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2099#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/0cdeca56a79bec12693553441819a4e8.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2099#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2099\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2099\",\"name\":\"Mayor proposes $6M purchase of 2 West Maui water systems - 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