The Maui County Council is considering new water rates for customers affected by disasters, including the August fires on Maui.
Recently introduced legislation would create lower rates for residents whose homes were destroyed and for those in an area affected by an Unsafe Water Advisory.
Customers whose homes were destroyed would be given a “temporary irrigation charge,” a cheaper rate than the usual cost of water, allowing them to use the water on their properties.
“As they go back, we can't really give them a meter … until the residence is rebuilt,” said Kimo Landgraf, the county Department of Water Supply’s deputy director, at a Monday council meeting on the legislation.
“So, we decided to do (a temporary) irrigation meter, which still would allow them to use water on their property without being connected to their damaged residence," Landgraf said.
The general rate for single-family homes starts at around $2 per 1,000 gallons of water, according to the county, and jumps up to about $8 for the highest water users — over 35,000 gallons a month.
The temporary irrigation rate would be around $1 per 1,000 gallons used.
If the legislation passes, residents in areas under an Unsafe Water Advisory would have their water rate charges waived entirely.
They would only have to pay their monthly service charge, which is dependent on the size of their meter.
Following the August fires, several Unsafe Water Advisories were put into place on Maui because of fire-related toxins that may have contaminated drinking water.
