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East Maui in historic drought: flows at record lows, county turns to wells and storage planning
Summary
Commission staff told the Water Commission that East Maui streams and continuous USGS gauges reached record‑low flows in 2025, forcing the county to shift production to wells and prompting DWS to pursue expanded storage.
Commission staff presented a multi‑hour briefing on Oct. 28 summarizing hydrologic records and ecological monitoring across East Maui and describing consequences for municipal water supply and agricultural diversion during the 2025 drought.
Key hydrologic findings presented by staff included examples of steep declines in modern flow statistics compared with earlier climate windows: at one continuous‑record station the recent median (Q50) was 8.9 cubic feet per second (CFS) compared with an earlier Q50 of 14 CFS for the 1984–2013 period; several gauges showed Q75, Q90 and Q95 values substantially lower in the most recent three water years. Staff said some gauges recorded prolonged periods of all‑time low flows during 2025, and that USGS gauges in the upper watershed recorded near‑zero readings at times this year. Multiple named streams (Makapipi, Pāʻinaʻau, Honomanū among others) were described as having very limited or no flow in recent months; Makapipi was reported dry much of the year.
County response and operational…
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