WAILUKU - Mayor Charmaine Tavares is to head to Washington, D.C., today for two days of meetings with members of Congress and senior federal officials from the U.S. departments of Transportation and Agriculture.

The mayor will discuss water, transportation and renewable energy issues with U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka and Reps. Mazie Hirono and Neil Abercrombie. She'll also see other members of Congress and meet with staff of U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye.

In her meeting with federal transportation officials, Tavares will discuss the county's bus system, which saw a 68 percent increase in ridership last year. And, during a meeting with officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource Conservation Service, Tavares will request support from the agency for the county's proposed 300-million-gallon Upcountry water reservoir.

Initial costs for land acquisition, studies and design for the reservoir are estimated to be around $15 million, and the overall price tag is expected to be between $60 million and $100 million.

"It is vital that we reach out to all available resources to help meet the many needs of our county," Tavares said in a news release. "Federal dollars for large-scale projects, such as Honoapiilani Highway and the new Upcountry water storage reservoir, will mean a lot to our county's future."