STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2317

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2516

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2516 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WATER RESOURCES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Agriculture for the planning and design of a reservoir in Upcountry Maui to serve both agricultural and residential water needs.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Agriculture, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, County of Maui, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, and Maui County Farm Bureau.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the appropriating agency to the County of Maui;

     (2)  Requiring that a memorandum of agreement be entered into between the County of Maui and Department of Agriculture requiring that the reservoir shall be for agricultural uses as well as residential uses, and

     (3)  Requiring that prior to the commencement of water service from the reservoir, that the County of Maui consult with the Department of the Agriculture to determine the proportion of water that will be provided for agricultural purposes.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2516, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2516, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

JILL TOKUDA, Chair