STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1732

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 444

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred H.B. No. 444, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ONSITE-NON-POTABLE WATER REUSE SYSTEMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Health to adopt rules by January 1, 2021, for onsite non-potable water reuse systems.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health; City and County of Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency; The Nature Conservancy Hawai‘i; One World One Water; Ulupono Initiative; Hawai‘i Community Foundation; Roth Ecological Design International, LLC; and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Honolulu Board of Water Supply and Laborers' International Union of North America, Local 368.

Your Committee finds that as an island state, Hawaii has limited access to natural fresh water and, unlike in other states, it is not economically feasible to ship in additional supplies when needed. Your Committee further finds that the use of recycled water for non-potable applications has proven safe and feasible. For example, onsite water reuse in high-rise and mid-rise developments has proven safe and feasible in New York, California, Japan, Australia, and other locations. Your Committee therefore finds that the use of recycled water generated onsite can potentially replace a large percentage of the future potable water demand in Hawaii.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the Department of Health to evaluate and determine the best practical standards for the State to adopt for alternative, onsite non-potable water reuse systems, instead of directing the Department of Health to adopt rules to implement onsite non-potable water reuse systems;

(2) Requiring the Department of Health to submit a report to the Legislature with its evaluation findings and determination of standards to adopt by July 1, 2020;

(3) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose;

(4) Making it effective on July 1, 2019; and

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

Your Committee notes that the Department of Health organized a water reuse task force pursuant to House Concurrent Resolution No. 86, S.D. 1 (2018), with the purpose of identifying policies to help scale water reuse in the Hawaiian islands. The task force's groundwork has helped pave the way for water reuse policies in Hawaii, and your Committee encourages the Department of Health to review the task force's findings in evaluating and determining the best practical standards for onsite non-potable water reuse systems pursuant to this measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 444, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 444, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture and Environment,

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MIKE GABBARD, Chair