STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2563

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2653

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 2653 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a task force to investigate the environmental, infrastructure, public health, and economic consequences of the Red Hill Underground Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (Red Hill Facility) water crisis and include a recommendation plan that also considers water rationing; and

(2) Appropriate funds to support the work of the task force.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply, and two individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committees find that in November of 2021, petroleum was detected in the drinking water supply on Oahu resulting from a petroleum leak from the U.S. Navy's Red Hill Facility. Since the contaminated drinking water was discovered, the City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) and the Department of Health have worked to address the consequences of the contamination, including water testing, remediation, and studying sites for future wells. This response has included closing the Halawa Shaft and both Halawa and Aiea wells, which has limited BWS' ability to provide sufficient fresh water to its customers. The closure of these wells could lead to a scarcity of water, which would require Oahu to ration water during the summer months. This measure establishes a task force to investigate the consequences of the Red Hill Facility fuel leak and create a recommendation plan that considers water rationing.

Your Committees acknowledge the testimony of the Department of Health, which requested to co-chair the task force, given its duty to regulate the State's water quality, and to require the task force to conduct a wastewater reuse study in anticipation of future water scarcity caused by the Red Hill Facility fuel leak and contamination.

Therefore, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Replacing the representative from the BWS as co-chair of the task force with a member from the Department of Health while retaining the representative of the BWS as a member;

(2) Requiring the task force to conduct a study regarding wastewater reuse;

(3) Clarifying that members invited to participate in the task force are not subject to chapter 84, Hawaii Revised Statutes, solely by virtue of their membership of the task force;

(4) Inserting a task force dissolution date of June 30, 2024; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2653, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2653, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Water and Land,

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair