Which water notice is Mauna Lani under this week? Since late September, the answer has changed four times in nine days. By September 27, the county was asking the area to use water for essential needs only. On September 28 it said normal use could resume. On October 2 it ordered a 25 percent cut, and on October 5 it went back to essential use only. The notice in effect today was issued October 26. It requires a 25 percent cut for all customers and a 50 percent cut for irrigation customers, and it has no end date.
The swings have a cause. Mauna Lani does not set its own water rules, and neither does the weather. The rules come from one county system, which the Hawaiʻi County Department of Water Supply (DWS) calls Lālāmilo. Over the past year, its notices have followed the condition of its wells and the power that runs its pumps.
One System, Six Names on the Notice
Every coastal notice since December has listed the same group of customers: Kawaihae, Kawaihae Harbor, Hāpuna Beach Resort, Mauna Kea Beach Resort, Puakō and Mauna Lani Resort. Big Island Now's December 2025 report named the hotels inside that area: the Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection, and Mauna Lani, Auberge Collection. A home on a Mauna Lani fairway, a cottage in Puakō and a warehouse at the harbor all get the same notice on the same day.
The rules come in three levels, and DWS has used all three on this system in 2026.
| Notice level | What DWS asks of customers | Most recent use on the Lālāmilo system |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation | Reduce use by at least 10 percent | January 21, 2026 |
| Water Restriction | Reduce use by at least 25 percent; irrigation customers by at least 50 percent | October 26, 2026, in effect now |
| Essential Use Only | Drinking, cooking, hygiene, necessary sanitation and other essential household or health needs only; postpone irrigation, pool and spa filling, vehicle and boat washing, pressure washing | October 5 to October 26, 2026 |
The restriction level has not always been the same. In March, DWS lowered the irrigation requirement from 50 percent to 25 percent, matching the general cut, and kept the restriction itself in place. The notice issued October 26 brought back the stricter 50 percent figure for irrigation.
Nearly Eleven Months of Notices, and the Reasons Given
The reasons DWS gave for each notice show the pattern most clearly. Here is the sequence for the Lālāmilo coastal area:
- December 9, 2025. Restriction issued, 25 percent overall and 50 percent for irrigation, because of "unexpected equipment malfunctions." DWS approved emergency work to repair one well that had stopped running.
- January 21, 2026. Lowered to a 10 percent conservation request. Big Island Video News credited rain and good water levels at the Waikoloa Reservoir.
- February 15, 2026. Restriction issued again. Big Island Video News reported that DWS cited unexpected well and equipment malfunctions.
- March 25, 2026. Updated restriction, with irrigation at 25 percent, needed "while well repairs are being completed." On April 7, DWS said the coastal restriction "remains in effect."
- By September 27, 2026. Essential use only during Hurricane Nolo, as reported by Hawaiʻi Public Radio.
- September 28, 2026. Cancelled. DWS said "Electrical power outages caused by Hurricane Nolo have been restored, and DWS pumping equipment is operating normally. Normal water use may resume."
- October 2, 2026. Restriction issued, 25 and 50 percent, because of "ongoing repairs of DWS' wells."
- October 5, 2026. Tightened to essential use only while DWS repaired its wells.
- October 26, 2026. Essential-use notice cancelled and replaced with a restriction "until further notice."
The notices cite equipment malfunctions, well repairs and power outages. Rain shows up only once, and it is the reason a notice was eased. Every reason given for tightening concerned the machinery.
When the Power Went Out, So Did the Pumps
Hurricane Nolo showed how directly the system depends on electricity. On the morning of September 27, Hawaiʻi Public Radio reported more than 4,000 Hawaiʻi Island customers without power, with outages in Kawaihae and Puakō among others on the island's north side. That same day, Lālāmilo customers were asked to limit water to essential needs. When the power came back, DWS cancelled the notice and named the restored pumps as the reason.
The pumps had power again, but the well work that had driven restrictions since winter was not finished. Four days after normal use resumed, the October 2 notice cited "ongoing repairs of DWS' wells." Three days after that, conditions were serious enough for essential use only, which lasted 21 days. Every Lālāmilo notice gives the same reason for cutting back: reducing use "will help to maintain water levels in the storage tanks for all customers." With fewer wells or pumps running, the tanks can only refill so fast, and the reduction targets are set to keep them from running low.
Here is the October 5 notice in its own words:
Water usage must be restricted to essential needs only, such as drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene purposes, in order to maintain water storage in tanks for all water customers while DWS repairs its wells.
Waimea Gets Different Notices for Different Reasons
Owners who split their time between the coast and upcountry get two sets of notices with similar names. A 2015 DWS energy study lists Lālāmilo and Waimea as separate South Kohala systems. It notes that DWS systems are generally not connected to each other, except in South Hilo and Kona.
The names make it easy to mix them up. Waimea-area notices cover Āhualoa to Waiemi, including Waimea Town, Puʻukapu, Nienie, Anekona Estates, Kānehoa and the Lālāmilo Farm Lots. So a farm lot with Lālāmilo in its name falls under the Waimea notices, while the notice titled "Lālāmilo" covers the coast.
Waimea's notices have also given different reasons. The April 29, 2025 Waimea conservation notice cited a "prolonged lack of rainfall" and operational problems with the Waimea well. In December 2025, DWS raised that notice to a 25 percent restriction because of dry conditions. In January, Big Island Now reported that rain had refilled the Waikōloa reservoirs and eased it back to a 10 percent request. By April 2026, Waimea was under a 10 percent conservation request with the Waimea Well still offline, while the coast remained under its stricter restriction.
Both systems have had trouble with their wells. Waimea's notices have also moved with the rain. On the coast, the notices have tightened when equipment failed, and a wet month there does not mean the restriction will end.
Where to Check the Current Level
From October 26, the Lālāmilo notice has required at least a 25 percent cut in water use, and at least 50 percent for irrigation customers, "until further notice." DWS posts each change on hawaiidws.org and takes questions at 808-961-8790. The notice titles are the quickest guide: "Conservation," "Water Restriction" and "Essential Use Only" match the three levels in the table above, and each new notice states which earlier one it replaces. You can read the October 26 notice, the October 5 essential-use notice and the September 28 cancellation in full on the department's site.
This post is general information drawn from public DWS notices, not legal advice. For the requirements that apply to your own account, ask the Department of Water Supply directly.
When you own a Mauna Lani home and spend part of the year elsewhere, a notice like this can arrive while you're away. Doreen Trudeau is glad to talk through how the Lālāmilo system fits into caring for a property from a distance. Work with Doreen and request a private consult.