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Board hears plan to revise desalination study so project can pursue Bureau of Reclamation funding
Summary
Board members and public commenters pressed the Department of Water Supply for release and detail on a revised desalination feasibility update by Brown and Caldwell; staff said changes are needed to make the study eligible for Bureau of Reclamation grants and public hearings are planned for early August.
The Maui County Board of Water Supply heard questions July 16 about a planned update to a 2024 desalination feasibility study and the timeline for public review.
Member John Helly noted the department contracted Brown and Caldwell to update the study and pressed when the redacted report would be released. Director John Stufflebean said Deputy Director Landgraf is completing modifications aimed at making the study eligible for a Bureau of Reclamation grant and that "the primary reason for the additional work is that to be eligible for a grant from the Bureau of Reclamation, the department needs some additional modifications to the report." Stufflebean said that additional work should be done "by the next meeting" and that the department expects to apply to the Bureau of Reclamation "early next calendar year." Public hearings on desalination were announced for early August.
Public testimony underscored concerns about timing and transparency. Kay Anderson told the Board that "the public should have the report because they don't know what changes are going to be made and the public would not be able to speak to those changes after public testimony if they don't have it at that time." She also asked whether the small amount listed in the CIP would be adequate to pursue federal funding.
Stufflebean said the CIP funds in the current fiscal year are intended to revise and add to the existing study so it meets grant requirements, to focus on site locations and to support public outreach. He added that the department will submit the existing report with modifications to the grant review panel and will redact items if required by security concerns.
