Maui County is open to acquiring water system infrastructure from a company that can’t meet demand amid a historic drought, though it’s unclear how such an acquisition might help affected customers suing the system’s owner.

County officials have had preliminary discussions with Maui Land &Pineapple Co. representatives about a public acquisition of MLP’s private water system, which includes wells and surface water delivery infrastructure fed by watershed lands also owned by the company.

MLP for at least a year has been seeking to lease its water system assets that include 10,328 acres of watershed conservation land in West Maui, several potable water wells, nonpotable irrigation water ditches, reservoirs and transmission systems serving Kapalua Resort, Maui County and agricultural users i

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