THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	68
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

requesting the department of health to prioritize enforcement of water pollution regulations in areas where there have been reports of runoff and other forms of water pollution on molokai.

WHEREAS, climate change has led to increased frequency and magnitude of extreme rains; and

WHEREAS, groundwater resulting from extreme rainfall can become polluted with silt, debris, and other pollutants; and

WHEREAS, polluted ground water often washes into coastal areas and damages marine reefs; and

WHEREAS, in 2002 and 2018, runoff from extreme rains on Kauai devastated nearby reefs, leading to a twenty percent reduction in the local fish population and a forty percent reduction in the local urchin population; and

WHEREAS, Molokai's southern reef, which is the longest continuous fringing reef in the United States, has suffered extensive damage from runoff pollution in recent years; and

WHEREAS, damage from ground water pollution and runoff has been especially common in areas where owners of large tracts of land use those lands for activities that destabilize the soil; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, that the Department of Health is requested to prioritize enforcement with penalties of water pollution control regulations in rural areas where there are existing reports of runoff; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is requested to prepare and submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including actions taken, progress made, and any proposed legislation to the Legislature no later than thirty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Landowners; Runoff; Department of Health; Prioritization