STAND. COM. REP. NO. 194

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1444

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 1444 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to develop an Agricultural Use Development Plan to assess potential methods of improving the water quality of Lake Wilson.

     Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Agribusiness Development Corporation.

     Your Committee finds that the inflow of treated effluence into Lake Wilson has led to poor water quality that affects agricultural production.  Water from Lake Wilson is currently used for tree crops, corn, and other production items that use water that contains R-2 effluent (disinfected secondary treated effluent).  Water that contains R-1 effluent (disinfected tertiary treated effluent) can be used to grow any food crops, including all edible root crops where the recycled water comes in contact with the edible portion of the crop.  Your Committee further finds that about 20,000 acres of land near Lake Wilson can be used for agricultural production.  This land is currently limited to the aforementioned tree crops, corn, and other production items that can use R-2 water, contributing to the scarcity and reduced affordability of fresh produce grown within our State.  Therefore, your Committee finds that the plan proposed under this measure takes an important step toward upgrading the effluent entering the lake, among other measures, to improve water quality and benefit agricultural production.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the effective date of this Act to July 1, 2011, to implement the appropriation at the start of fiscal year 2011-2012; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1444, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1444, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair