SR18 SD1.DOC

WHEREAS, Hawaii has one of the highest numbers of drowning incidents in the country with an annual rate average of 2.4 victims for every one hundred thousand residents who drown in the State's ocean waters, lakes, dams and reservoirs, rainwater retention and detention ponds, flood waters, swimming pools, spas, and private homes; and

WHEREAS, this rate more than doubles when including visitor statistics, making Hawaii one of the nation's riskiest destinations in terms of water safety; and

WHEREAS, a high drowning rate detracts from the State's image as a safe and pleasurable visitor destination; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii's keiki are very vulnerable to drowning, which in Hawaii and nine other states, is the leading cause of death among children aged fourteen and younger; and

WHEREAS, while drowning accidents in swimming pools are the leading cause of injury and death among children under the age of five, Hawaii's older keiki are more vulnerable to drowning in the ocean, lakes, ponds, dams and reservoirs, rainwater catchments, and detention and retention ponds; and

WHEREAS, storm water detention and retention ponds and rainwater catchments are similarly used to harvest runoff rainwater; and

WHEREAS, unregulated and poorly maintained detention and retention ponds, often mistaken for recreational bodies of water by Hawaii's children, pose a serious health and safety risk and should be clearly marked with hazard and warning signs that prohibit swimming and water sports; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Health has recommended action by setting a goal to cut Hawaii's drowning rate by more than half, reducing it to less than one resident per one hundred thousand by 2010; and

WHEREAS, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have recommended fencing to protect children from circumventing adult supervision, and the State's Injury Prevention Panel has recommended four-sided isolation fencing for residential pools; and

WHEREAS, just like pools, rainwater detention and retention ponds should be similarly enclosed with chain-link or see-through fencing that is at least four feet high and accessible only by a single locked gate; and

WHEREAS, a rainwater detention and retention pond safety program needs to be implemented statewide to protect the safety of our children; and

WHEREAS, the program should develop and implement rules and regulations that balance the importance of regulating rainwater detention and retention ponds to ensure public safety with the assurance of compliance by all state agencies and private sector builders and developers; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, that the Department of Health is hereby requested to implement a Statewide Rainwater Detention and Retention Pond Safety Program as part of the Safety Program to:

(1) Encourage and assist developers or persons responsible for constructing or maintaining a retention pond, detention pond, or catchment area pond to adopt a maintenance and inspection plan to ensure adequate safety;

(2) Encourage installation of chain link or see-through fencing and signage to deter children from playing and congregating around or near these ponds or drainage areas; and

(3) Develop retention pond, detention pond, and catchment area pond safety components in the Department’s curriculum; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is urged to request the Governor to provide funding to implement the Statewide Rainwater Detention and Retention Pond Safety Program to the fullest extent required; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Statewide Rainwater Detention and Retention Pond Safety Program should not be applied to or affect golf course properties; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Director of Health, and all county boards of water supply.

Report Title:

Rainwater Detention and Retention Pond Safety Program; DOH

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	18
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII