HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

92

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

Requesting the Department of land and natural resources, in conjunction with the ala wai watershed association, to evaluate options, policy foundations, technical assessments, and community input regarding the use of public land trusts and public easements to reduce flooding and pollution in the ala wai watershed.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, covering the most congested urban area in the state, the Ala Wai Watershed is home to more than 161,000 people, and its streams, springs, and pools flow with rainfall from the Ko'olau mountains; and

 

     WHEREAS, the surface water bodies of the Ala Wai Watershed are characterized by significant environmental degradation, including heavy sedimentation, poor water quality, lack of habitat for native species, prevalence of alien species, and high potential for flood damage to the densely populated and economically important areas of Waikiki, McCully, and Moiliili, due to the debris and runoff from rainstorms often sent into the Ala Wai Canal; and

 

     WHEREAS, the mix of public and private ownership of streamside and hillside properties has inhibited the progress of sensible solutions for reducing downstream flooding; and

 

     WHEREAS, the ability to plan an effective storm water strategy for the Ala Wai Watershed has been inhibited by the densely populated nature of the area and the widely scattered pattern of public and private land ownership along streams and hillsides; and

 

     WHEREAS, conservation easements have been successfully used in rural and agricultural areas to preserve conservation lands for the public benefit while offering tax benefits for private owners; and

     WHEREAS, no report on the Ala Wai Watershed has yet addressed the potential for using public land trusts and public easements on private land to alleviate downstream impacts of storm water flooding and pollution; and

 

     WHEREAS, public land trusts and easements may be able to establish a continuous corridor in which to implement effective storm water flooding and pollution improvements; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources, in conjunction with the Ala Wai Watershed Association, is requested to evaluate options, policy foundations, technical assessments, and community input regarding the use of public land trusts and public easements to reduce flooding and pollution in the Ala Wai Watershed; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2008; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources and the Executive Director of the Ala Wai Watershed Association.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Ala Wai Watershed Flooding and Pollution