For the week of June 21-27, average daily water consumption dropped to 8.8 million gallons per day. On average, that's 200,000 gallons per day less than the 9 mg average reported for the week of June 14-20, and it's 900,000 gallons less per day than the 9.7 mg consumed on average in the week before the mandatory cutbacks went into effect.

"We appreciate the continuing conservation efforts of our Upcountry customers," said Water Supply Director Jeff Eng. "Our immediate concern is the declining water levels of the Kahakapao Reservoir on the Upper Kula system."

On Friday, water levels in that 100-million-gallon reservoir were 21.6 million gallons, or about 30 percent less than the 31 million gallons stored there a week earlier.

"To help mitigate this, last week the Department of Water Supply began pumping water from the Lower Kula system to the Upper Kula system," Eng said.

As of Friday, the 50-mg Piiholo Reservoir held 47.7 mg, or 95.4 percent of its capacity. It has had its water supply replenished by uphill pumping from the Kamole Weir, which receives water from Wailoa Ditch. The 30 million gallon Waikamoi Reservoir contained only 3.6 million gallons, but that was more than double the 1.4 million gallons reported a week earlier.

With a maximum capacity of 199 million gallons per day (mgd), the Wailoa Ditch, which gathers water from East Maui streams, showed a surge to 131.4 mgd on Friday. That was substantially higher than any single day recorded in the previous two weeks. During that period, the second-highest amount of water recorded in the ditch was Wednesday with 97.1 mgd. In the previous week, the most water found flowing through the ditch was on June 20, with 51 mgd.

Despite recent scattered showers in the past few days, water conservation needs to continue to allow reservoirs to store more water, Eng said.

"We have a very long and dry summer ahead of us," he added.

According to the National Weather Service, rainfall measured in a 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Sunday amounted to zero at nearly all Maui rain gauges, except for West Wailuaiki, 0.33 inch; Puu Kukui, 0.37 inch; Haiku, 0.15 inch and Oheo Gulch, 0.08 inch.

Even though mandatory 10 percent reduction in water consumption applies only to Upcountry, residents of other areas of Maui should reduce their water consumption too, Eng said.

"The drought, compounded by high demand, will have short- and long-term impacts to their water sources," he said.

Central, South and West Maui residents get their drinking water primarily from underground sources such as the Iao aquifer. Subterranean water sources are less vulnerable to dry spells, but they nevertheless depend on rainfall for long-term replenishment.