HCR65.DOC

WHEREAS, Hawaii American Water Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Water, the largest and most geographically diverse provider of water services in North America, and provides wastewater service to nearly 35,000 people in Hawaii Kai and along the Kona Coast of the Big Island; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii American Water Company owns and operates East Honolulu Waste Water Treatment plant; and

WHEREAS, the East Honolulu Waste Water Treatment plant over several years has been cited at numerous Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board meetings as the source of excessive offensive odor emissions that have caused residents and vehicular traffic, both local and visitor, passing the plant on Kalanianaole Highway and users of Sandy Beach, one of the most popular on Oahu great discomfort, potential health problems and a deterioration in the quality of life; and

WHEREAS, the offensive odor problems, which smell like rotten eggs, are the result of hydrogen sulfide emissions, most noticeable on Kona and windless days at waste water peak flow times in the early morning and evening hours; and

WHEREAS, as the State Department of Health already knows, hydrogen sulfide can potentially cause eye irritation, respiratory difficulties, vomiting, nausea, and a host of other health problems and a definite deterioration in the quality of life; and

WHEREAS, the stretch of Kalanianaole Highway from Hana’uma Bay to Makapu’u which includes several lookout points, the Blow Hole, Bamboo Ridge, Molokai Lookout, Sandy Beach, Makapu’u Lighthouse, Rabbit Island and the Ka Iwi Coastline, is perhaps the most scenic pristine undeveloped drive on Oahu where residents and visitors alike enjoy Hawaii’s natural beauty and where whale sightings are frequent and most popular, but often tainted by the offensive odors emanating from the East Honolulu Waste Water Treatment Plant;

WHEREAS, The Hawaii State Constitution Art. XI, Section 1 states that:

"a. For the benefit of present and future generations, the State and its political subdivisions shall conserve and protect Hawaii's natural beauty and all natural resources, including land, water, air, minerals and energy sources, and shall promote the development and utilization of these resources in a manner consistent with their conservation and in furtherance of the self-sufficiency of the State. All public natural resources are held in trust by the State for the benefit of the people"; and

WHEREAS, a representative of Hawaii American Water Company told the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board and the community that while the odor problem could be managed by chemical and other means, it would not be possible to eliminate all odors entirely; however, as there is no government supervision or enforcement of odor mitigation procedures or improvements, it is not known what steps, if any, the East Honolulu Waste Water Treatment plant operators have taken; and

WHEREAS, there have reportedly been studies in the past, most recently in 2006, that address the problem of odor emissions from waste water treatment plants and recommend odor mitigation solutions; and

WHEREAS, representatives of the Hawaii American Water Company have told the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board and the community that they have already implemented some of the recommendations mentioned in this most recent study, however, it has refused to release that study or to say whether it has implemented all the odor mitigation recommendations in that study; and

WHEREAS, other treatment plants, such as, the Orange County Sanitation District in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley, California which is the third largest treatment facility west of the Mississippi River, and more than 50 times larger in capacity flows than the East Honolulu Treatment plant have residential developments immediately adjacent to its facilities, yet the odors have been controlled to such an extent that complaints are rare; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, the Senate concurring, that Hawaii American Water Company is requested to develop an odor mitigation plan identifying improvements and operations it will take and a schedule for implementation for the East Honolulu Waste Water Treatment plant no later than September 2009; and

BE IT RESOLVED that the Director of the State Department of Health is requested to monitor the implementation of these odor mitigation measures and to report to the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board on the progress of such; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Hawaii American Water Company is requested to present that plan to the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board, the Public Utilities Commission, the Director of State Department of Health, the State House and Senate representatives of Hawaii Kai, and District 4 Honolulu City Councilperson before September of 2009; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to Hawaii American Water Company, the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board, the Public Utilities Commission, the Director of State Department of Health, the State House and Senate representatives of Hawaii Kai and the District 4 Honolulu City Councilperson.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Hawaii Kai Wastewater Treatment Plant odor mitigation plan

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	65
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009
STATE OF HAWAII