A state agency delayed a water management company’s request to make more water available to fight the devastating wildfires in Maui earlier this month, according to letters obtained by CNN.
Glenn Tremble of the West Maui Land Company, which manages water supply companies, complained in a letter to the deputy director of the Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management that the agency failed to quickly approve his company’s request to divert stream water to nearby reservoirs. The agency told Tremble that his company first had to ask about impacts on downstream users, according to the letter.
Maui’s fire department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The chairperson for the Commission on Water Resource Management responded to Tremble’s letter the same day, stating that her agency would largely grant his requests related to filling reservoirs and loosening regulations for fire emergencies in the area. In a follow-up letter, Tremble thanked the chairperson for the prompt response. Asked about reports that firefighters didn’t have enough water to tackle the fire, Gov.
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