Maui pumps require
$6 million fix

WAILUKU >> Maui County might need to spend millions of dollars to replace a collection of wells that are in danger of collapsing.

County Water Director George Tengan estimated it could cost about $6 million to replace three wells and pumps that date back to an old plantation irrigation system.

The structure, which has pumped 5 million gallons per day since 1992, is the single biggest source of water for South and Central Maui.

Tengan said discussions are close to a resolution over how to handle the abandonment and replacement of the wells, known as Shaft 33 or the Wailuku Shaft.

According to David Blane, a former county planning director, drilling vertical wells in the same location would be a likely choice. This approach would almost guarantee hitting the Iao aquifer, a rich water resource.

Shaft 33 currently draws on the Iao aquifer -- a large, deep layer of fresh water floating on heavier salt water.

The fresh water comes from rain that percolates into the ground in the watersheds on the upper slopes of the island.

The Department of Water Supply is also working to spread out the wells pumping in the Iao aquifer to better manage the resource.

The county is also discussing other costs that might emerge with the owner of the shaft, Kehalani Mauka.

The county does not pay for access to the water source.

"It's just the good will of the company," said Tengan.

A Los Angeles oil drilling firm dug Shaft 33 during 1945-47 for Wailuku Sugar Co.

The shaft went out of use in the 1980s but reopened in 1992 when the county needed to restrict pumping at Mokuhau.