In Waikōloa Village, Most of the Water Was Promised Before the Newest Homes Were Proposed

"The idea is somebody has written a lot of checks, and they haven't all been cashed from the account," water-law expert Jonathan Scheuer told Honolulu Civil Beat this month. "So you can't just look at the account balance right now and say we're good."

He was talking about the aquifer under Waikōloa Village. The point applies to anyone comparing West Hawaiʻi communities. Most of the Village's future housing supply depends on water allocations made years ago. The large projects that will add homes over the next several years already hold their water. Proposals that arrive now have to compete for whatever is left. Meanwhile, the people already living in the Village get their water from a private company that is asking them to cut back.

Your Water Bill Comes From a Private Company

Most of Hawaiʻi Island gets water from the County Department of Water Supply. Waikōloa doesn't. The Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission lists three affiliated private companies serving the area, all under the Hawaii Water Service name, which belongs to California Water Service Group.

Because the companies are private, their prices are set in rate cases before the PUC instead of by a county board. In the most recent case, Docket 2024-0224, the utility filed for an increase in July 2024. Big Island Now reported in October 2025 that the new rates had taken effect. They raise annual revenue by $4.7 million across the five systems in the Waikōloa service area. For the 5/8-inch and 3/4-inch meters common on homes, the monthly charge went from $12.07 to $19.67. The utility's previous general rate increase had been approved in January 2019.

According to the same report, the company says it has put about $33 million into its Waikōloa systems since 2019. That includes almost $17 million for drinking-water wells, sewer pump stations and backup generators.

Then on September 30, 2026, Hawaii Water posted a mandatory conservation advisory for all its Waikōloa customers. Four of its eight groundwater wells were down for major repairs, and customers were asked to cut non-essential use by 25%. The wells reach about 1,300 feet below ground and run on specialized pumps. The company said replacement parts face long manufacturing and delivery times. It also asked customers to water only between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. and to shut off irrigation when it rains and for 48 hours afterward. The company estimated the advisory would last two to three months and said it would post updates as repairs progress.

The current shortfall comes from equipment. Half the wells are waiting on specialized parts, at a company whose customers began paying higher rates a year earlier to fund system investments.

The Aquifer Behind the Meter

The pumps are one limit. The groundwater they draw from is the slower and bigger one.

Waikōloa Village's water comes from the Waimea aquifer. Civil Beat reports that the state sets its sustainable yield at 16 million gallons a day, based on 44% of the estimated rain and fog drip that falls on the area. At an October 6 County Council meeting, Ciara Kahahane, deputy director of the state Commission on Water Resource Management, said reported pumping on a 12-month moving average equals 90.4% of that yield. She added that counting several unreported wells could push it above 91%.

The 90% mark matters for a specific reason. Civil Beat explains that once an aquifer reaches it, the commission can use that as grounds to designate a groundwater management area, which would require every user to apply for permits. No such areas exist on Hawaiʻi Island yet. Hawaiʻi County hasn't updated its water use and development plan since 2010. When the commission reviewed that plan in 2015, it flagged both the Waimea and Keauhou systems as close to their limits. Civil Beat also cites U.S. Geological Survey projections that recharge to the Waimea aquifer could fall by a third by the end of the century in the best case and by 55% in the worst.

Current pumping is only part of the picture. The checks Scheuer described don't show up in it yet.

The Checks Already Written

Several approved projects near the Village and the resorts have water committed to them but haven't drawn on it yet. Here are the ones Civil Beat names, with details from their own public materials:

1. Nānā Kai, at the edge of Waikōloa Village. The developers, BlackPine Communities and Somers West, describe an 867-acre master plan with about 1,750 eventual homes. According to the Nānā Kai FAQ, Phase 1 covers about 95 acres and 276 homes in three sub-phases, and Phase 1A, with 78 homes, is under construction. Civil Beat describes it as a handful of model homes that could grow to 1,750 residences over the next few years.
2. Kumu Hou, from Waikoloa Land Company, planned inside Waikoloa Beach Resort mostly on part of the Kings' Golf Course. As the rezoning moved toward a council vote in March 2022, Big Island Now reported plans for 900 timeshares, 264 multifamily units, up to 25 single-family lots and at least 140 workforce units.
3. Ouli Farms, a higher-end development above the Mauna Kea resort, along with several Department of Hawaiian Home Lands projects in the area that already have water allocated.

For a buyer, this is how the system works. The homes most likely to be built near the Village over the next several years are the ones that already secured water. That makes the shape of new supply easier to predict than in places where any vacant parcel could be rezoned. It also means a proposal that shows up after the commitments face a much tighter account.

What Happened to the Project That Came Later

Waikōloa Green asked to rezone 711 acres of former Parker Ranch land southeast of Pua Melia Street, about 810 feet south of Waikōloa Road. The plan called for 400 apartments, 300 single-family homes and a clubhouse. The developers are Daniel Popkin and Jon Yoshimura, and they bought the land in 2022 for $4 million. Civil Beat reports that 20% of the homes would be affordable and that the Leeward Planning Commission approved the project 5-0.

When it reached the County Council, the discussion turned to water. Hawaii Water Service had issued a will-serve letter for up to 1.29 million gallons a day. The developers later lowered their projected use from 1.2 million to 362,000 gallons a day. Five of the nine council members voted against the companion Bills 186 and 187 at the committee stage.

Big Island Now reported that at the full council meeting at the West Hawaiʻi Civic Center, Council Member James Hustace moved to postpone Bill 187 until July 7, 2027, and the motion passed unanimously. The amendments added to the bill included a water conservation plan aimed at cutting residential demand at least 30% below typical new construction, with more use of alternative and non-potable sources.

Water was one of two conditions people kept raising. The other was road access. Waikōloa Village has one regular way in and out. A second route, Hulu Street, normally stays locked except in emergencies. Arlene "Lani" Larrua, president of the Waikōloa Village Association, told the council, as reported by Big Island Now, "We can support new development once there is a funded, scheduled commitment to a second arterial road, not another study on a shelf."

Council Member Matt Kaneali‘i-Kleinfelder pointed to the trade-off in that position. According to the same report, he said a new road would also invite more development along it. Civil Beat notes that four council members step down at the end of the year, so a different council will be in place when the bill comes back.

Reading a Village Listing With the Water in Mind

All of this changes a few details buyers often skip on a Waikōloa Village home. The water and sewer bills come from a private, PUC-regulated utility, so past and future rate changes appear in PUC dockets, not County budgets. Landscaping and irrigation follow that utility's rules, and the September 30 advisory sets watering hours and limits non-essential use for as long as it stays in effect. Civil Beat notes the area averages just 13 inches of rain a year.

Countywide price data doesn't show any of this. The Hawaiʻi Realtors September 2026 statewide report put Hawaiʻi County's single-family median at $499,000 on 136 sales, down from $584,300 on 173 sales in September 2025. That figure covers the whole island, from Hilo to Kona. It says nothing about which Village parcels have water and which don't.

This post is general information about utilities and land-use proceedings, not legal or financial advice. Please confirm rates, rules and any property's water service with the utility and the right professionals.

A Few Questions Buyers Ask

Is Waikōloa Village on County water? No. Drinking water in the Village comes from West Hawaii Water Company, and wastewater is handled by West Hawaii Sewer Company. Both operate under the Hawaii Water Service name and are regulated by the PUC.

When does the conservation advisory end? Hawaii Water estimated about two to three months from its September 30, 2026 posting and said it would post updates on its Waikoloa alert page as repairs progress.

Is Waikōloa Green dead? It is postponed. Bill 187 is set to return on July 7, 2027, and the developers told the Hawaiʻi Tribune-Herald, as reported by Civil Beat, that they "remain committed to finding a path forward."

If you're weighing a home in Waikōloa Village and want help reading the water service, the utility notices and the nearby projects alongside the listing, Cheree Rapozo can walk through each one with you before you write an offer. E Komo Mai. Let's find your Hawaiʻi home.