Committee endorses discounted water rate for native‑habitat restoration; sends Bill 56 to council on first reading

The Maui County Council Water and Infrastructure Committee voted 7‑0 on June 30, 2025, to substitute Bill 56 with a proposed CD1 version and to recommend the ordinance on first reading to the full council. The ordinance would amend Maui County Code section 14.10.010 to allow a discounted water rate for Department of Water Supply customers who use water primarily for preservation or restoration of native Hawaiian species habitat and have no associated commercial activity.

John Stufflebean, director of the Department of Water Supply, said the proposal targets nonprofits and community trusts that carry out restoration work but do not qualify for the agricultural rate. “We came up with a special rate for just this specific category,” Stufflebean told the committee, adding the department would require applicants to submit a plan showing water use estimates and best-management practices to avoid misuse.

Under the CD1 amendment, references to water use “solely” for habitat work were replaced with “primarily,” and the measure’s effective date was amended to be retroactive to July 1, 2025. The chair summarized that CD1 also makes technical and stylistic clarifications and identifies the department official responsible for substantive and technical edits.

Committee members asked how the program would work in practice. Stufflebean said applicants could receive a separate meter if county water is available at the site and they pay meter installation costs; in remote cases the department would consider tanked water delivery as part of an applicant’s plan. He described eligible applicants as nonprofits, community trusts and organizations whose mission is preservation and restoration of native Hawaiian habitat, and said department staff would review plans and consult technical partners as needed to confirm whether plant species and activities qualify.

The committee discussed rate levels and charges. Stufflebean gave the comparison: the general (non‑discounted) business rate would be about $8.34 per 1,000 gallons; the proposed habitat rate would be $4.98 per 1,000 gallons; by contrast an “aggregate” rate referenced in correspondence was $1.25 per 1,000 gallons. The proposed discounted rate was described by staff as equal to the tier‑2 residential rate.

Members said the measure fills a gap for conservation work that does not fit agricultural classifications. Vice Chair Yukulei Sugimura and Council member Keani Rollins Fernandez both praised the bill; Rollins Fernandez said the initiative is “using water to make more water” by restoring watershed function.

The committee accepted the chair’s proposed amendment summary form and then voted to substitute Bill 56 with CD1. The substitute motion (moved by Vice Chair Sugimura and seconded by Member Ron Fernandez) passed with seven ayes and no nays. The main motion to recommend passage on first reading (moved and seconded) also passed 7‑0. The item now moves to the full council for first‑reading consideration.

Implementation details in the CD1 draft and department correspondence include: an application process, a requirement to submit a water‑use plan and best‑management practices, an eligibility definition (nonprofit/community trust mission‑driven restoration), and language authorizing the department to consult subject‑matter experts to confirm native species status. The June 12 departmental letter posted to Granicus provides the committee’s requested clarifications on definition and implementation.

Outlook: If adopted by the council, the ordinance would make a county rate break available to nonprofit habitat restorers connected to Maui County’s water system, subject to meter availability and departmental review of proposed projects.