LIC - Water Update

June 04, 2022

Aloha LIC Customers,

PUC – Status
On Monday May 23, 2022 The PUC granted a Conditional Approval for a Temporary Rate increase. The conditional approval of a Temporary Rate Increase does NOT provide or suggest a rate. This conditional approval requires LIC to submit a revised tariff sheet by Monday June 6, 2022 with a rate design and policy that encourages water conservation and prioritizes agricultural uses and fire suppression over landscaping and other residential type uses until normal service can be restored. The policy and rate design will not take effect without PUC’s approval. LIC is hopeful that the PUC will act quickly.

PUMPING - Update
In early May we began pumping LIC Well 1 Monday through Friday 7:30 am to 6:00 pm with the assistance with fuel costs by the home owners associations. On May 23, after the PUC’s conditional approval, the home owners association stopped paying for fuel. LIC is cautiously optimistic that the PUC will approve the proposed rate and conservation plan and has continued pumping at LIC’s expense and will continue to do so unless there are unforeseen delays in PUC’s approval of the new tariff.

ZONES - Enforcement
LIC has asked all customers to voluntarily conserve and comply with the Zone schedule. This honor system saves considerable time and effort for our staff to open and close values for each zone. Based on complaints and usage, we believe this honor system is not being followed by all. We will be conducting spot checks to identify any customers who are not abiding by the zone schedule.

Return to Normal Service
We are continually working towards supplying adequate irrigation water. LIC has not been able to divert stream water for delivery to the its 400+ customers due to low flows. Well No.1 pumping weekdays for 8 hours a day to supplement the lack of stream water. This well alone is not enough to serve everyone.

IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WORKS
LIC has completed improvements on the Wainee A-Pump, and upon approval from Commission of Water Resource Management (CWRM), this well can deliver an additional 1 million gallons a day which will help to restore normal service. Improvements includes two new 700 GPM pumps with a pair waterlines connecting the A Pump to the Launiupoko area, and a large generator to operate the pumps.

Upcoming improvements also include the replacement of the Thompson Booster pump with an electric pump at LIC Well No. 1 which will allow a longer pumping day. This will still need temporary generator power until permanent power is available.

There are other improvements planned but the above will be the most noticeable.

Please contact us at utility@westmauiwater.com if you are not receiving water on your scheduled zone day. This will provide data to monitor usage and to make system adjustments help give everyone access to water during this transition stage.

Thanks for your continued cooperation and support.

LIC - Water Update

May 23, 2022

Aloha LIC Customers,

Due to the continued low flows in Kauaula stream, we are supplementing the stream water (if there is any) with diesel generator pumped water 10 hours a day, five days a week (Monday-Friday) from LIC Well 1 and boosting it up to the upper reservoirs with fuel costs paid by the HOA’s .  We are still asking that all customers voluntarily comply with the two days on, five days off zones.  You may still experience low pressure as the pumps may be unable to keep up with the demand at times.

Mahalo for your cooperation.

CALL to ACTION

CWRM HEARING for Temporary Relief In Stream Flow Standards for Select Users
9:00AM April 19. 2022 (via Zoom)
 

Aloha Customers,
Please be advised that the Commission on Water Resource Management April 19 meeting agenda item no. 4 includes a request to approve temporary relief from the Interim Instream Flow Standards (IIFS) for Kauaula Stream for 60 days for select users. The temporary relief request is limited to providing the Kuleana Users and Kamehameha School Tenants with irrigation water and does not include the 400+ Launiupoko area users. The staff report has not been posted so the details of the justification for the limitation is unclear, however the agenda item language suggests that the justification for the limited relief is because these users have no other source of water. The same argument may be made for the Launiupoko area customers: When the current IIFS for Kauaula Stream is met, over 50% of the days little to no water will flow to the reservoirs, so 400+ LIC customers will be without irrigation water. Until the PUC approves a rate that adequately covers the operation and energy costs of pumping, Launiupoko Irrigation Company does not have the financial capacity to pump water. The potable water distribution system and wells are designed to meet domestic demand and fire protection, and were not designed to deliver adequate irrigation water. If there is no stream water available for diversion, there are not additional sources for all users. If you would like to submit testimony for the subject meeting, links to the agenda and instructions for testimony are provided below. Please consider asking that the IIFS be suspended entirely so that LIC can provide as much stream water as possible to all of its customers, not just the ones mentioned in the Agenda for Tuesday’s meeting.  Like the Valley customers,  LIC’s other 400+ customers do not have another source of irrigation water due in part to the IIFS, the drought conditions and the failure of the PUC to approve rate relief that will allow LIC to purchase diesel fuel and pay the other operating costs necessary to provide pumped ground water for irrigation to those other customers.  
 
Agenda Item 4:
4. Approve Temporary Relief for a Period of 60 days from the Interim Instream Flow Standard for Kaua’ula Stream, Kaua’ula Stream, Lahaina, Maui, to Provide for the Continued Diversion of 300,000 Gallons Per Day During Low-Flow Conditions to Kuleana Users and Kamehameha School Tenants Whose Sole Source of Water is Kaua’ula Stream
 
https://files.hawaii.gov/dlnr/cwrm/agenda/2022/ag20220419.pdf
https://files.hawaii.gov/dlnr/cwrm/agenda/2020/2020_VMProtocol.pdf

LIC - Water Update

April 13, 2022

 Aloha LIC Customers,

We sincerely regret to inform you that there is currently no irrigation water available for all customers. As most of you are aware, LIC received a letter from the Commission on Water Resource Management (‘CWRM’) on April 1 requiring stream flows of 3.36 million gallons a day in Kauaula Stream. Non-compliance could result in $5000/day fines. Unfortunately, even with rain in the mountains, LIC’s reservoirs are not receiving any water. The Launiupoko Stream flows are also too low to maintain pressure to meet the demand without the support of the Kauaula Stream diversion. And the current rate of $0.76/1000 gallons does not cover the cost to pump water. With a rate to cover pumping cost, LIC would be able to deliver some water. We continue to put pressure on the PUC to act on the docket filed in 2020 for temporary rate relief and appreciate the letters supporting the temporary rate increase that have been submitted to date.
 

Subject: Docket No:2020-0089 
Docket Title: APPLICATION FOR TEMPORARY RATE RELIEF
For Launiupoko Irrigation Co., Inc.
Public Utilities Commission
465 South King Street, #103
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
808-586-2020 (Phone) | 808-586-2066 (Fax)
puc@hawaii.gov

LIC - Water Update

April 8, 2022

Notice for LIC Customers
On Friday April 1, 2022 after 2 months of drought and low stream flows, our office received a Notice of Alleged Violations from CWRM claiming that we are effectively violating the IIFS (Interim Instream Flow Standards) by not leaving enough water in the stream to ensure the protection of instream uses.  CWRM requested immediate compliance with the IIFS and stated that we may be subject to fines of $5,000 per day if we fail to do so.
 
On Monday morning our crew went to the intake to set the release to meet the IIFS (3.36 million gallons per day).  The resulting effect on Tuesday was very little water coming into our reservoir, and since then
NO water from Kauaula stream has made it into our reservoir.
 
Reservoirs have dropped all week, so now we are having to implement zones 2 days a week.  
Unless we are fortunate enough to receive steady rains, we will not have any Kauaula Stream water to distribute.  Because we believe that the measuring devices and methodology relied on by CWRM to determine compliance with the IIFS is not accurate, LIC may be required to abandon the use of water from Kauaula Stream rather than risk fines of $5,000 per day that would only add to the losses that we continue to experience while waiting for adequate rate relief from the PUC.
 
The PUC has not acted on our request for a the Temporary Rate Increase that would cover our fuel costs for PUMPING ground water and other operating expenses while still allowing LIC to ration water when there is not enough water available. They have received several letters from our customers in support of a rate increase, and we hope they will take action soon.
 
Unfortunately, as a result, we expect there will be many days of little to no irrigation water available.  If there’s anything that might prompt action by the PUC, it’s the personalized requests of LIC’s consumers to grant LIC’s temporary rate increase that will facilitate supplementing the lack of surface water with pumped ground water.  We urge you to write or email the PUC at the email address below with your support for LIC’s Temporary Rate Case that, if approved as requested by LIC, will help replace the surface water that is no longer available from Kauaula Stream due to the IIFS.
 
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or request additional information from LIC in this regard.

PUC at puc@hawaii.gov.
Subject: Docket No:2020-0089
Docket Title: APPLICATION FOR TEMPORARY RATE RELIEF
For Launiupoko Irrigation Co., Inc.

LIC - Irrigation Water Update

June 1, 2021

BACK TO ZONES. Irrigation water is limited, so the zone plan will be implemented, effective immediately.

LWC - Water Service Update

April 14, 2021

During the late evening hours of April 12th to the early morning hours of April 13th, some customers may have noticed low pressure or a brief interruption of potable water supply. The low pressure or interruption of service was due to a communication error between the tank and well pump (our SCADA system).
The system was re-booted manually at around 3AM, and back to normal by 7AM. West Maui Land Company, the system manager has requested proposals to upgrade the communication system for both Launiupoko Water Company and Launiupoko Irrigation Company.

If you have any questions you can reach us at 808.877.4202

LIC - Irrigation Water Update

March 2, 2021

All zones are open. Irrigation lines are charged and the reservoirs have adequate water for all customers.

LIC - Irrigation Water Update

January 29, 2021

Currently, Launiupoko Irrigation Company (‘LIC’) is primarily relying on stream water (when available) for distribution. Stream water levels are dynamic, fluctuating quickly, depending on the amount of rainfall in the mountains, so LIC will be providing status update emails as water availability changes. The change will be noted in the subject line for quick viewing:

If the subject line is ‘All Zones Open’, this means all irrigation lines system wide are charged and reservoirs have adequate supply for all customers (no zones). 

If the subject line is ‘Back to Zones’, this means flows are low, and reservoirs do not have adequate supply to serve all customers at once.  When possible, 24 hour notice of status change back to zones will be given.

There has been rain in the mountains this past week, and more rain is forecasted next week, so hopefully ‘ALL ZONES OPEN’ will be the subject of the email.
 

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