A map shows the location of a proposed water tank that could hold up to half a million gallons to service 161 residential lots in the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands’ planned Pu‘unani Homestead Subdivision in Waikapu. MUNEKIYO HIRAGA image
To ensure that there is adequate water supply as homesteads grow and develop, the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is proposing the construction of a concrete water system storage tank that could hold up to half a million gallons on 1.26 acres of an undeveloped 148-acre parcel located mauka of Honoapiilani Highway.
The proposed water storage tank would interconnect with the county’s existing Kehalani Mid-Level Distribution System and eventually, 161 residential lots within the planned DHHL Pu’unani Homestead Subdivision, according to the final environmental assessment for the project that was published Saturday in the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development’s “The Environmental Notice.”
The new tank will be about 23 feet in height and 70 feet in diameter and built on fallow agricultural lands.
“The proposed water tank and subdivision it will serve will provide much needed housing and access to potable water for DHHL native Hawaiian beneficiaries,” the report said.
Other proposed improvements include the development of a subsurface drainage sump, inflow and outflow lines to interconnect with the existing distribution main, the installation of fencing around the new tank expansion lot, grading, paving and the addition of other miscellaneous equipment for the proposed tank, according to the assessment.
Above the project site is the irrigation Wailuku Water Reservoir that connects to the Waihee Ditch and the county’s 1.5-million-gallon Kehalani Mid-Level Storage Tank that serves the Kehalani Subdivision.
Other than water system infrastructure, the project parcel is mostly vacant and is surrounded by residential subdivisions including Kehalani, Wailuku Heights and Waiolani Mauka. The area is close to employment centers, medical facilities and commercial centers.
These water system storage improvements were requested by the county Department of Water Supply in order for the department to meet the water needs for future Pu’unani residents. The water storage tank will tie into existing department infrastructure and distribution systems in the area.
The project aims to serve Maui County’s overall growing population and planned subdivision, with the assessment citing the U.S. census, which shows the tri-island resident population projected to increase to 211,537 by the year 2045.
The subject site has been designated for agricultural use by the state Land Use Commission, Maui County zoning and the Wailuku-Kahului Community Plan.
Construction costs for the proposed project are around $4.2 million. Work would begin following receipt of all appropriate permits.
* Dakota Grossman can be reached at dgrossman@mauinews.com.
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