STAND. COM. REP. NO. 178

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 329

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 329 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WATER POLLUTION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Extend the year by which no treated or raw sewage shall be discharged into state waters from 2026 to 2030; and

(2) Require at least fifty percent of treatment works effluent to be R-1 recycled water by January 1, 2045.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Agribusiness Development Corporation, Hawaiʻi Farmers Union United, Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau, and one individual.

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

Your Committee finds that water is a precious natural resource, requiring management through appropriate preservation and conservation efforts to ensure sustainability for future generations. R-1 recycled water is a valuable resource that can be safely used for irrigation, landscaping, and other non-potable applications. Your Committee recognizes that increasing the reuse of treated water will reduce dependency on finite freshwater supplies and allow farmers to maintain production levels while safeguarding overall water resources. Your Committee further finds that extending the year by which no treated or raw sewage shall be discharged into state waters will provide additional time for those impacted to comply with this critical mandate.

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 S.B. No. 329 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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MIKE GABBARD, Chair