The county Board of Water Supply voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend a mandatory 10 percent reduction in water use if, in the next 30 days, users do not comply with a voluntary 10 percent cut in water use. The request for voluntary cutbacks in Central and South Maui was announced Aug. 23.

Water Director Jeff Eng said the department has seen only a 4.3 percent cutback from customers drawing water from 18,502 meters in the Central Maui water system. The system extends from Waihee, Wailuku and Kahului to Paia and Kuau, and Maalaea, Kihei and Wailea.

"We really didn't get the results we wanted," Eng said, more than a month after the call for voluntary conservation. "I think in this community we can do a lot more. We're a little behind when it comes to water conservation."

The board is advisory, so it would be up to Mayor Charmaine Tavares to impose the restrictions, if it comes to that.

Eng said he expects the four-month-old drought to continue into at least November. Meanwhile, the Central Maui water system is stretched to its limits, Eng said. For safety reasons, the county would like to have nearly three times the daily water capacity in reserve, but it's only half of that, he said.

And it will be at least a couple years before more sources of water come on line, he said. On Thursday, the board approved nearly $22 million in the water department's 2009 capital improvement budget toward expanding the water system. The spending plan will be submitted to the mayor.

Despite the pleas to cut back, people continue to water their lawns and lush gardens daily in a section of the island that is basically desert, some board members noted.

"Central Maui needs a wake-up call," board member Marion Haller said.

Board member Michael Howden said water officials need to do a better job of communicating the seriousness of the situation to the public. He and other board members said they would like to do a mass mailing and want more help from the news media.

Eng said the mayor has hired a water-conservation expert to meet with community groups and homeowners.

"I don't think it's negligence on the part of consumers; I think it's an educational issue," board Chairman Kenneth Okamura said.

If necessary, the water department would enforce mandatory conservation measures by looking at the previous month's water meter reading and comparing it to the current month's. Violators would get a letter first and if they continue to ignore the cutbacks, they could have their water meter removed.

Eng said he hasn't had to shut off someone's water yet, but he isn't afraid to do so.

Eng and board members also said they likely will recommend in the near future some ordinance changes to the County Council intended to conserve water, such as water-fixture and plumbing retrofits in homes, requiring low-flow toilets in new construction and reporting water wasters to a new county hotline.

Tavares is even drafting a letter to local restaurants asking them to provide glasses of water to customers only upon request, Eng said.

Howden raised the idea of a moratorium on new water meters until the situation is under control or better understood.

Board member Carl Holmberg expressed support for efforts to create a long-range county water plan that includes water-use predictions for future housing and resorts. He said board members don't want residents to be conserving water just so developers can come in and build more.

Meanwhile, recent Upcountry rainfall led Eng to recommend board members ease up on the mandatory 10 percent water cutbacks already in place. Upcountry water reserves have vastly improved in the region, primarily due to more water flowing through the Wailoa Ditch.

Unlike Central Maui, which relies mostly on underground aquifers for its water, Upcountry uses mostly surface water supplies, which are more susceptible to dry spells because they depend on stream flows in the East Maui watershed.

However, board members said they would like to wait another month or so before deciding whether to support Eng's suggestion to lower 10 percent mandatory water-use restrictions to 5 percent voluntary cutbacks.