In the heart of Māʻalaea Village, nestled on Maui’s south shore, a community’s love for the land drives its dual battle against environmental degradation and wildfire risk.

This close-knit village, a hub for marine research and education, is home to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge, and visitor treasures like the Maui Ocean Center and the Pacific Whale Foundation.

Long ago, Māʻalaea’s reefs were vibrant, and teeming with marine life that rivaled the beauty of Tahiti. Peter Cannon, a lifetime resident, fondly recalls his childhood on dirt road Hau‘oli Street when the corals, limu, ʻōpae, sea shells and fish painted an incredible underwater tapestry.

Today, those memories are distant as Hawaiʻi’s Division of Land and Natural Resources reports a “total system collapse” of the reefs, a sobering reminder of what’s been lost.

The Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program, alongside the Division of Aquatic Resources, documented a catastrophic decline in Māʻalaea reef cover from 50-75% in 1995 to a stark 8% back in 2005.

This loss is primarily due to dirt sedimentation from mauka and pollution from 26 nearshore injection wells that discharge effluent from outdated wastewater systems into the ocean through groundwater. Beyond harming reefs, these systems pose health risks to recreational users with pathogens in Māʻalaea Bay, a US EPA-classified 303(d) impaired body of water.

Māʻalaea Bay struggles to meet state water quality standards, grappling with excessive chlorophyll a (algal overgrowth), Enterococcus (fecal indicator bacteria), turbidity (lack of water clarity), and nitrogen compounds that over-enrich the water. The U.S. Supreme Court’s Lahaina injection well decision amplifies regulatory risks for residents relying on these wells, urging the community to act decisively.

Heartbroken by decades of environmental degradation, residents ranked wastewater as their top concern in a Māʻalaea Village Association survey. In October 2018, MVA leaders convened a town hall, mobilizing the community to confront this challenge.

With the support of former Hawaiʻi Department of Health Wastewater Branch Chief Sina Pruder, the MVA Wastewater Working Group was born, setting the stage for proactive, transformative, community initiated and driven action.

In 2019, a Brown and Caldwell report, Māʻalaea Community Wastewater Feasibility Study, funded by the community and Maui County’s Office of Economic Development, explored solutions, identifying a regional wastewater reclamation system as the best path forward.

This vision evolved into the Māʻalaea Regional Wastewater Reclamation System, designed to regionalize Māʻalaea’s wastewater treatment, allow irrigation reuse to conserve potable water for human consumption, and eliminate injection wells.

Momentum grew in October 2021 when Reef Power LLC began providing project management, backed by Born and Raised Earth and Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s fiscal sponsorships.

In 2022, Maui County Council Member Kelly King secured a $33,700 grant for the initial site surveys. By 2023, a $250,000 Hawaiʻi State Legislature Grant-in-Aid championed by state Sen. Angus McKelvey funded preliminary design work by EcoSolutions LLC, Maui Native Nursery and Sunshine Vetiver Solutions.

Environmental assessments and surveys were conducted by Environmental Assistants LLC, Aecos, Pacific Legacy, and Fukumoto Engineering, with wastewater consultation from Oʻahu nonprofit WAI Org Inc. and Maui firm Water Quality Consulting Inc.

After the 2023 Maui wildfire disaster, the MVA Wastewater Working Group sharpened its focus on wildfire mitigation, centering the MRWRS on an R-1 irrigation reuse greenbelt fire break. Māʻalaea, one of Maui’s two most wildfire-prone communities, found a solution that addresses both environmental and safety concerns.

A Model For Hawaiʻi

Reuse water will irrigate landscaping and greenbelts to safeguard lives and property while removing the effluent’s impact on marine life and reefs, and saving six and a half million gallons of fresh water per year.
In March 2024, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz secured a $1,000,000 congressional directed spending earmark for the project that was signed into law by President Joe Biden. As of December 2024, MVA received a $250,000 private donation for initial site preparations.

Sandia National Laboratories has partnered with Reef Power LLC, Fykor LLC, and HydroMentia Technologies LLC to enhance sustainability by developing an attached algae tertiary treatment solution that integrates freshwater macroalgae, or stream limu, into the reuse system for nutrient polishing.

The MRWRS project showcases what’s possible when a community takes action. The collaboration of residents, county, state and federal governments, donors, experts, and volunteers exemplifies laulima, working together.

This initiative is not only a solution for Māʻalaea but a replicable model for Hawaiʻi, proving that advanced regional community-scale systems can replace cesspools and injection wells, improve water quality, restore reefs, and mitigate wildfire risks statewide.

Maui County’s Bill 52, signed into law in January 2024, mandates that all municipal wastewater effluent meet R-1 reuse standards by 2039, reinforcing the MRWRS as a pathfinder. As 2025 begins, MVA plans to break ground, advancing detailed design, permitting, and site preparation while pursuing additional funding to realize this vision of sustainability and resilience.

To donate, join the effort or learn more, contact
MaalaeaVillageAssociation@gmail.com.