STAND. COM. REP. NO.2287

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: S.B. No. 2968

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water, Land, Energy and Environment and Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 2968 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE WAIAHOLE WATER SYSTEM,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make an appropriation for the Waiahole water system revolving fund to finance improvements to the Waiahole water system.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Commission on Water Resource Management, Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC), Kunia Water Cooperative, and a private citizen. Testimony in opposition was received from the Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter, Hakipuu Ohana, Life of the Land, and Ka Lahui Hawaii. Hawaii's Thousand Friends submitted comments.

The distribution of water from the Waiahole water system has been a major dispute among competing interests, including an appeal to the Hawaii Supreme Court from a decision of the Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM). Ultimately, the result was that the ADC was required by the CWRM to release more water into the various streams and to develop a plan to divert tunnel water into the Waikane Stream.

The CWRM also required the ADC to maintain daily records of the amount of water diverted from the windward tunnels into Waikane Stream, which requires the ADC to install and calibrate a metering device. The moneys in this measure enable the ADC to comply with those orders.

Your Committees note that Windward residents prefer that user fees rather than general fund moneys be used to pay for the project. Your Committees agree with this proposition, but the reality of collecting user fees may be that it is easier said than done. However, the proposition is worth considering in the long run after the appropriate allotment of water is finally settled.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, Energy and Environment and Agriculture that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2968 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water, Land, Energy and Environment and Agriculture,

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JAN YAGI BUEN, Chair

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair