THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	133
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO PROVIDE FUNDING NEED PROJECTIONS FOR FLOOD MITIGATION AND WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLANNING PROJECTS RELATED TO THE ALA WAI WATERSHED.

     WHEREAS, the Ala Wai watershed is located in the City and County of Honolulu, and is generally described as including the area located between the Kaimuki crest and Diamond Head to the east, Tantalus, Papakolea, Punchbowl, and Kakaako to the west, the Koolau mountain range to the north, and Mamala Bay to the south; and

     WHEREAS, the area includes the most densely populated portion of Honolulu's primary urban center, including the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus, and Waikiki, which is a primary visitor destination and a critical economic engine in the State; and

     WHEREAS, the Manoa Stream flood on October 30, 2004, was a twenty-five-year magnitude event that caused $100,000,000 in damage throughout the Ala Wai watershed area and especially to the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus and facilities; and

     WHEREAS, flooding and landslide events in 2006 and 2007 at various locations through the Ala Wai watershed area, including Manoa, Moiliili, Maunalaha, Makiki, Pawaa, and McCully damaged many residential, commercial, and public properties; and

     WHEREAS, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the City and County of Honolulu have initiated various planning projects to address the flood mitigation and watershed management needs of the Ala Wai watershed, and these projects also have the potential to serve as models for other ahupuaa and watersheds in the State; and

     WHEREAS, during the past ten years, the Legislature has received requests to provide funding for planning and implementation of various projects in the Ala Wai watershed on an ad hoc basis, and it would be beneficial to have a more comprehensive projection of the funding needs for the flood mitigation and watershed management planning projects currently ongoing or expected to be initiated for the Ala Wai watershed; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to provide funding need projections for flood mitigation and watershed management planning projects related to the Ala Wai watershed that are currently ongoing or expected to be initiated in the near future; 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 prior to the convening of the 2009 Regular Session; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Project Manager of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Hawaii office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Hawaii office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, the Director of Environmental Services of the City and County of Honolulu, and the Director of Facility Maintenance of the City and County of Honolulu.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Ala Wai Watershed; Flood Mitigation; Watershed Management