Moloa'a Irrigation Cooperative

What Moloa'a Irrigation Cooperative does

Moloa'a Irrigation Cooperative (MIC) is a member-owned agricultural water cooperative organized under Hawai'i Revised Statutes Chapter 421-C, providing regulated public water service to farmers, farmworkers, and residential members of the Moloa'a Hui Lands on the island of Kaua'i. The system originated as irrigation infrastructure for former sugarcane and papaya plantation land and was converted to a regulated public water system after a 'Do Not Use' order was lifted in 2016, following chlorination system installation and a compliance agreement with the Hawaii Safe Drinking Water Branch brokered by the Rural Community Assistance Corporation. Operations are headquartered in Anahola, Hawaii (P.O. Box 506, Anahola, HI 96703) with the service footprint anchored in Moloa'a, Kaua'i.

MIC delivers water from owned well sources through transmission lines and distribution pipes to individual member farm connections, each equipped with a Badger Analytical Meter linked to the Eye on Water Beacon System for real-time consumption monitoring and analytics. In addition to core water delivery, the cooperative operates a Cross-Connection Control and Backflow Prevention Program to protect drinking water quality and provides leak detection services using sophisticated pipe location and correlator equipment. Infrastructure upgrades completed in 2018 enabled all member connections to report online, and a 2020–2021 meter relocation project materially reduced unmetered non-revenue water.

The cooperative operates on a usage-based subscription model in which members are billed for metered water consumption, supplemented by capital and infrastructure funding from state, county, and federal grant programs — including a 2016 State of Hawai'i CIP Award, a 2018 DLNR Water Security Grant with County of Kaua'i matching funds, a 2020 Kupa'a Kaua'i CARES Act grant of $52,415.20, and two-year Fresh Water Initiative/Wai Maoli program funding awarded in 2020. Distribution is entirely direct to members through cooperative-owned infrastructure within a single geographic service area; governance is provided by a six-member Board of Directors, with Louisa Wooton serving as Ex-Officio Director and Site Manager/Distribution System Operator.

Name

Moloa'a Irrigation Cooperative

Legal name

Moloa'a Irrigation Cooperative

Website

https://moloaairrigationcoop.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Moloa'a Irrigation Cooperative is a Hawai'i-regulated public water cooperative providing metered water delivery, real-time usage monitoring via the Eye on Water Beacon System, and leak detection services to agricultural community members in the Moloa'a Hui Lands on the island of Kaua'i.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Irrigation Control & Automation (Controllers, Valves, Sensors, IoT) (AFAAACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water-Smart Irrigation & Water Stewardship (Drip/Micro, Scheduling, Water Harvesting) (AFAGAMAD)

Keywords

• Agricultural water delivery
• Irrigation cooperative services
• Water utility distribution
• Leak detection monitoring
• Backflow prevention program

Headquarters

HQ city

Kilauea

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Water Delivery Services: As a cooperative, members pay for water delivery services. The cooperative provides reliable water delivery to agricultural community members. Specific pricing is not publicly disclosed; members receive bills based on water usage from their meters.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Moloa'a Irrigation Cooperative is a member-owned agricultural cooperative that delivers treated water from its well sources through transmission and distribution pipes to member farms in the Moloa'a Hui Lands area on Kaua'i. It also provides members with the Eye on Water Beacon System for real-time water usage monitoring and leak detection, leak detection services using sophisticated correlators, and a Cross-Connection Control and Backflow Prevention Program to protect drinking water quality.

Product overview

Moloa'a Irrigation Cooperative operates as a single-product water delivery cooperative providing reliable water to the agricultural community in Moloa'a Hui Lands on Kaua'i. The cooperative has evolved from an irrigation-only system to a regulated public water system. Core offerings include water delivery service, supported by the Eye on Water Beacon System for real-time monitoring and leak detection, a Cross-Connection Control and Backflow Prevention Program for water safety, and leak detection services utilizing sophisticated correlators. The cooperative also provides infrastructure improvements including chlorination systems and production meters, funded through various state and county grant programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Delivery Service Reliable water delivery service to agricultural community members in the Moloa'a Hui Lands on Kaua'i. The cooperative provides treated drinking water to what was originally an irrigation system but has since become a regulated public water system serving residential farmers and farmworkers.
• Eye on Water Beacon System Real-time water monitoring and analytics platform providing MIC members with online access to water usage data via the Badger Analytical Meter with Beacon Link. The system detects leaks, analyzes water consumption patterns on commercial farms, and linked 146,000 gallons of water loss within 48 hours of implementation.
• Cross-Connection Control and Backflow Prevention Program Program addressing backsiphonage and backpressure conditions that could contaminate the public water system. Includes installation of approved backflow preventers to protect drinking water quality for member farms.
• Leak Detection Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Dramatic reduction in unmetered non-revenue water percentage after new meter installation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Malama Kaua'icoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2020Malama Kaua'i, as an eligible 501(c)(3) non-profit, joined with MIC as fiscal sponsor for the Fresh Water Initiative - Wai Maoli program. They co-sponsored the grant application to help solve issues with unaccounted for water losses.
• Hawaii Dairy FarmsminorOthers · 1 February 2019Hawaii Dairy Farms donated over $8,000 worth of pumps and other equipment to MIC in February 2019. This donation supports the cooperative's ongoing upgrades to its aging distribution system.
• RCAC (Rural Community Assistance Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2015RCAC staff worked with MIC beginning September 2015 to help it become a regulated public water system. They provided board managerial training, helped find a licensed operator, assisted with water quality tests, and designed and installed a chlorination system. RCAC helped develop an agreement with Hawaii Safe Drinking Water Branch to address deficiencies and achieve compliance.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Olokele Water Company: Small water utility also located on the island of Kaua'i. Comparable because it serves a defined Hawaiian community water distribution role in close proximity to MIC, sharing similar infrastructure, climate, and regulatory conditions on the same island.
• Kekaha Agriculture Association: Historical agricultural water cooperative on Kaua'i. Comparable as a Hawaiian agricultural cooperative with irrigation water delivery responsibility to member farms, facing similar legacy-infrastructure and regulatory compliance dynamics as MIC.

Others

• Mueller Water Products: Manufacturer of water distribution infrastructure including pipe, valves, hydrants, and metering products used by North American water utilities. Comparable as an infrastructure supplier that MIC and similar small Hawaiian utilities rely on for pipeline, valve, and backflow equipment needs.
• Badger Meter: Manufacturer of the Badger Analytical Meter with Beacon Link that MIC has deployed for real-time monitoring. Comparable as the upstream technology supplier whose product underpins MIC's leak detection and water-use analytics capabilities.
• Xylem: Global water technology company providing smart metering, pumps, and treatment solutions for utilities. Comparable as a vendor of advanced metering and leak detection technology that competes with Badger Meter and Itron in serving the same utility modernization use case MIC has implemented.
• Itron: Provider of smart metering and utility IoT solutions, including advanced water meters with AMI communications. Comparable as a technology vendor whose products compete with Badger Meter for utility-side real-time monitoring deployments similar to MIC's Eye on Water Beacon System.

Emerging players

• WaterSmart Software: Provider of customer engagement and water-use analytics software for water utilities. Comparable as a tech-enabled player bringing real-time consumption data and leak detection to small and mid-sized utilities — the same capability MIC has built with its Eye on Water Beacon System.

Broad incumbents

• American Water Works Company: Largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility in the United States. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same regulated water utility industry, illustrating the larger end of the spectrum of business model, regulatory exposure, and metering/infrastructure investment patterns that MIC operates within.

Direct peers

• Aqua Hawaii: Essential Utilities subsidiary operating regulated water and wastewater systems in Hawaii. Direct peer sharing the same regulatory environment under the Hawaii Safe Drinking Water Branch and serving similar small community / agricultural customer profiles.
• Hawaii Water Service Company: Subsidiary of California Water Service Group operating regulated water utilities across Hawaii. Direct peer as a regulated public water system serving Hawaiian communities, with the same compliance, metering, and rate-regulator dynamics that MIC faces, but at larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Moloa'a Irrigation Cooperative