STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1207

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.C.R. No. 139
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Water, Land, and Hawaiian Affairs and
Transportation and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was
referred S.C.R. No. 139 entitled:

     "SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A FEASIBILITY STUDY
     OF ALTERNATE SOURCES OF DRINKING WATER, INCLUDING
     DESALINATION PLANTS, FOR COUNTY, STATE, AND FEDERAL
     GOVERNMENTS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request that the Board of
Land and Natural Resources and the Board of Water Supply of the
City and County of Honolulu, working in concert with the
appropriate federal agency, conduct a study of alternate sources
of clean and safe drinking water, including desalination plants,
to ascertain their economic feasibility to supplement Hawaii's
ground water sources.

     The Board of Land and Natural Resources was unable to
support the passage of the measure due to financial constraints.
The City and County of Honolulu's Board of Water Supply had no
objections to the measure.

     Your Committees find that in recent years, concerns about
the safety of the State's ground water sources in the City and
County of Honolulu have been raised, both in the civilian and
military communities, by Mililani and Village Park/Waipahu
residents, and officials at Tripler Army Hospital.  Your
Committees understand that it is critical that Hawaii residents,

 
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military personnel stationed in Hawaii, and all military
personnel on vessels using Hawaii as a refueling point have a
constant and continuous source of clean and safe drinking water.

     Your Committees also find that the technology of the
desalination process has developed to the point where it may now
be economically feasible for our county, state, and federal
governments to consider desalination plants as a supplement for
ground water sources.  If found feasible, desalinated water could
be used to augment existing freshwater supplies.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Water, Land, and Hawaiian Affairs and
Transportation and Intergovernmental Affairs that are attached to
this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose
of S.C.R. No. 139, and recommend that it be referred to the
Committee on Ways and Means.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Water, Land, and
                                   Hawaiian Affairs and
                                   Transportation and
                                   Intergovernmental Affairs,



____________________________       ______________________________
CAL KAWAMOTO, Chair                COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair

 
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