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Council advances USGS water‑monitoring agreement on first reading; county to contribute $270,558 of $321,217 project
Summary
The Maui County Council passed Bill 108 on first reading Aug. 12 to authorize a new intergovernmental agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey for water‑resource monitoring; the Department of Water Supply said the county’s share is $270,558 of the $321,217 total.
The Maui County Council on Aug. 12 passed on first reading Bill 108, authorizing an intergovernmental agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Pacific Islands Water Science Center to continue and expand the county’s water‑resource monitoring program.
The agreement funds new and ongoing monitoring work that county officials said will support water planning, watershed restoration and drought resilience. "We have an ongoing water resource monitoring program since the 1980s with USGS," Planning Program Administrator Eva Glumstein said during public testimony. "The total cost of the agreement is $321,217, with the Department contributing $270,558 and USGS $50,659. We have sufficient funds allocated in our FY '26 budget."
Why it matters: County leaders said the USGS partnership supplies data used in long‑range water planning and in efforts to protect groundwater and surface‑water resources across Maui County. The agreement adds two deliverables identified by the Department of Water Supply: a rain gauge at a stream on East Maui and phase 1 of a study to develop a deep monitoring well in the Lanaiapoku Aquifer in West Maui.
Council procedure and debate: Council Member Tom Cook moved to pass Bill 108 on first reading; Vice Chair Yukile Sugimura seconded. Cook said he planned a related Rule 7B discussion at the next Water and Infrastructure Committee meeting. The motion passed 9‑0 on first reading.
Funding and timing: The Department told the council the USGS did not submit a timely proposal last year because of turnover at the agency and subsequent delays; the department asked the council to authorize the agreement now so the joint funding agreement can be executed before a related authorization or funding window expires.
What’s next: Passage on first reading sends Bill 108 to subsequent committee review and additional readings required by ordinance before the intergovernmental agreement can be fully executed and funds expended.
Ending: The Department of Water Supply and USGS will proceed with execution steps if the council completes final readings and the administration finalizes the agreement.
