LAHAINA, Hawaiʻi – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently completed its Drinking Water and Wastewater mission in Lahaina as part of a multi-agency emergency response to the devastating Maui wildfires in 2023. This mission is helping the County of Maui restore drinking water and wastewater services to the community in the wildfire-impacted areas of Lahaina.
“It was our honor to serve alongside the Lahaina community to help restore, rebuild and repair drinking water and wastewater systems following the devastating wildfires that swept across the island of Maui,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “Access to safe drinking water is vital to protecting public health and the environment and getting this special community back on its feet. I want to thank all our local, state, and federal partners for their crucial partnership and collaboration, and look forward to continuing to work closely with them.”
Following the wildfires in August 2023, as requested by the County of Maui and the State of Hawai‘i under the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), EPA provided technical assistance and coordinated operations with both the Maui County Department of Environmental Management and Department of Water Supply.
Starting on January 4, 2024, over the course of seven months, EPA tested drinking water quality in 1308 lateral service lines that connect water mains to properties with burned structures. If contamination was detected, or if a lateral was too damaged to be sampled, the line was isolated from the main distribution line and marked for future replacement. EPA also sampled 135 fire hydrants, isolated 589 contaminated laterals and cleared and inspected 97,749 feet of sewer lines in Lahaina.
The County of Maui continues to use data generated from EPA’s operations to make determinations on whether the water is potable and ready for use in areas of Lahaina that are under an Unsafe Water Advisory.
“EPA has worked closely with county, state, and community leaders since the fires to first clean up hazardous waste, then help restore drinking water and wastewater services to Lahaina. We have been honored to do our part in getting families back home,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “EPA will continue to support recovery efforts through our Sustainability Advisor and will remain committed to our local and state partners as Maui progresses toward full recovery.”
Throughout the response, EPA staff conducted community outreach efforts across Maui, fielded questions, and provided information to community members about EPA’s work in variety of ways including presenting at weekly public meetings.
In recognizing the immense cultural significance of Lahaina and Maui, EPA employed cultural advisers and monitors who accompanied teams in the field to help identify cultural and archeological artifacts. Their work helped ensure the town’s rich cultural history was preserved as much as possible during EPA’s operations. The advisers also provided critical guidance and feedback to the agency’s outreach and communication efforts.
Ongoing EPA work on Sustainability and Recovery
Although EPA’s emergency response missions on Maui are complete, the agency continues to carry out a mission assignment from FEMA for a long-term recovery Sustainability Advisor. The advisor assists in rebuilding communities and restoring watersheds with the aim of building resilience to future climate change impacts and disasters. The Sustainability Advisor is collaborating with local and state departments and federal agencies to understand local priorities and identify potential funding sources for long-term recovery.
For More Information
Residents can track where to access safe drinking water at the County of Maui’s website, mauirecovers.org/water, or by calling the county directly at (808) 270-7550. Residents can also find more information on sampling results on the Hawaiʻi Department of Health Environmental Monitoring Data Portal.
EPA’s Maui Wildfires webpage: epa.gov/maui-wildfires
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