For Immediate Release:
Press Release by:
Gabe Johnson, Councilmember
Maui County Council
gabe.johnson@mauicounty.us
Council passes water use and allocation bills to support housing and farmers
WAILUKU, Hawaiʻi (Jan. 17, 2025)—Councilmember Gabe Johnson announced that the Maui County Council passed on final reading two bills to encourage more efficient and effective water use and allocation at its meeting today.
Johnson said he introduced Bill 146, CD1 (2024) and Bill 180, CD1 (2024) after working on water issues with the county administration and the Agricultural Working Group—made up of local farmers and ranchers.
“Codes and policies get outdated,” said Johnson, who holds the seat for the Lānaʻi residency area. “When we look to the constituents who our laws impact, we can learn about more commonsense, innovative and effective ways of doing things, which was the case with these pieces of legislation the council passed today.”
Johnson said Bill 146 changes how the county calculates water demand so that it is based on actual projections of gallons-per-day usage. The current method is based on fixture counts.
“The water fixture count methodology is outdated and does not account for actual use or water-intensive features like swimming pools,” said Johnson, who chairs the council’s Agriculture, Diversification and Public Transportation Committee. “By changing the system so that water demand is assessed using actual projections of gallons-per-day usage, homeowners who have been unnecessarily restricted by fixture counts may finally be able to build the expansion, farm dwelling or ‘ohana unit they need to increase housing options.”
Bill 180 exempts private water catchment systems of up to 30,000-gallon capacity from building permits, as long as the ratio of height to diameter does not exceed 1:2. The current code only exempts systems up to 15,000-gallon capacity.
Johnson said 30,000-gallon water catchment systems can be constructed safely without the need for burdensome, lengthy and costly permit applications and reviews, as is done in other municipalities. This legislation makes it easier to use and store rainwater and condensation so that farmers and residents alike can be resilient and productive during dry seasons or drought, he said.
Both bills now head to the mayor’s desk for his signature and approval. If approved, Bill 146 would take effect Jan. 1, 2026, to give the administration time to adopt and implement new procedures. Quarterly reports on the implementation of the new code must be provided to the council until that date.
Bill 180 would take effect upon approval.
“Here in Hawai’i, water is a public trust, which means that we have the responsibility to manage this precious, finite resource for the benefit of the public,” said Johnson. “By supporting more accurate projections of water use and by promoting the efficient use of rainwater, these bills not only support farmers and help us uphold our promise to the public and future generations, but they also cut red tape that can hold up families creating much-needed housing for themselves and others.”
For more information, call the Office of Council Services at (808) 270-7664 or email Johnson at gabe.johnson@mauicounty.us.