STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3044

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.C.R. No. 69
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, and Hawaiian Affairs, to
which was referred S.C.R. No. 69 entitled:

     "SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A FEASIBILITY STUDY
     ON ESTABLISHING WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS THAT
     UTILIZE COMMUNITY-BASED RECOMMENDATIONS TO DEVELOP WATER
     RESOURCE MANAGEMENT POLICIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request that the
Department of Land and Natural Resources conduct a feasibility
study on the implementation of water resource management
districts that utilize community-based recommendations to
determine water allocations and other resource management-related
issues.

     The Department of Land and Natural Resources supported
adoption of the measure.

     Your Committee finds that in recent years, issues relating
to water resource management on all islands of the State of
Hawaii have arisen.  As the State's population grows, it is
critical that Hawaii residents have a constant and continuous
source of water for both potable and nonpotable uses.

     Recently, communities have voiced interest in developing and
implementing community-based, water resource management districts
which would be based on the ancient Hawaiian ahupuaa system of
land and resource management.  Under this concept, the Commission

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3044
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on Water Resource Management would empower citizens to form local
watershed resource management district councils to facilitate
productive interaction between residents and other land occupiers
within the watershed, nongovernmental agencies with expertise in
water resource management, and governmental agencies.  If
implemented, this form of resource management decision making
could result in the development of a common vision for the users
of a designated local watershed resource management district and
establish a mechanism by which community-based recommendations
for watershed resource management may be delivered to public
policymaking agencies.

     Your Committee believes that this concept of resource
management planning has merit and that the feasibility of
implementing it should be explored.

     Your Committee has amended the measure by changing the
reference to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural
Resources (BLNR) in the transmittal clause to the Chairperson of
the Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) to reflect
that the Chairperson of BLNR should receive the transmittal of
the measure in his capacity as the Chairperson of CWRM.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Water, Land, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached
to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and
purpose of S.C.R. No. 69, as amended herein, and recommends that
it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form
attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 69, S.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Water, Land, and
                                   Hawaiian Affairs,



                                   ______________________________
                                   COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair

 
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