A community lifeline

The Punaluʻu Water System (PWS) provides essential water and wastewater service that supports the health, sanitation, and resilience of the Punaluʻu community. Reliable water and wastewater infrastructure is foundational — for residents, for public health, and for the long-term future of the area.

Aging and underfunded

Like many small rural systems in Hawaiʻi, PWS is aging. Decades of service have brought the infrastructure to a point where major repair, reserve funding, and restructuring are necessary to keep it safe and compliant. The system has been operating with revenue that does not reflect the true cost of maintaining it.

The current user base is too small to support the full operating, repair, reserve, and replacement needs of the PWS wastewater facility. Without structural change, the system faces long-term reliability and compliance risks.