Bill Text: HI HCR34 | 2018 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Urging The Division Of State Parks Of The Department Of Land And Natural Resources To Assess Potentially Hazardous Ocean Conditions At Beach Parks And Ensure That Safety Concerns Are Addressed Prior To Undertaking Access Improvements That Will Increase Use, And To Provide Information About Potentially Hazardous Conditions At State Beach Parks On The Division's Website And In Its Printed Materials.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-1)
Status: (Passed) 2018-04-27 - Resolution adopted in final form. [HCR34 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2018-HCR34-Amended.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
34 |
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TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
URGING THE DIVISION OF STATE PARKS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO ASSESS POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS OCEAN CONDITIONS AT BEACH PARKS AND ENSURE THAT SAFETY CONCERNS ARE ADDRESSED PRIOR TO UNDERTAKING ACCESS IMPROVEMENTS THAT WILL INCREASE USE, AND TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS AT STATE BEACH PARKS ON THE DIVISION'S WEBSITE AND IN ITS PRINTED MATERIALS.
WHEREAS, the Division of State Parks of the Department of Land and Natural Resources is tasked with the management, maintenance, and development of park facilities, including beach parks; and
WHEREAS, beach park improvements, such as paved access roads, restrooms, showers, and picnic tables, tend to greatly increase the use of those parks, particularly by visitors who are less likely to go to remote beaches that are not easily accessible and have no amenities; and
WHEREAS, improvements were made in 2005 at Kua Bay in North Kona on the Island of Hawaii, and these improvements greatly increased the use of this beach, particularly by visitors who are inexperienced with the ocean; and
WHEREAS, although it is common knowledge among local residents that Kua Bay can experience rip tides, strong currents, rough shore break, and generally dangerous conditions, the environmental impact statement for the access road and other improvements to Kua Bay did not include any consideration of potentially hazardous ocean conditions; and
WHEREAS, the Division of State Parks website describes Hapuna Beach as having "dangerous rip currents and pounding shore breaks during periods of high surf. Waves over 3 feet high are for experts--all others should stay out of the water and out of the shoreline", but describes Kua Bay as "a section at the north end of the park that has been developed with a paved access road, parking lot, and comfort station with an outdoor shower", with no mention of the frequent rough and dangerous conditions at Kua Bay; and
WHEREAS, there have been three drownings and twenty-eight emergency calls from the Kua Bay area since 2013, as well as seven spinal cord injuries between 2009 and 2013; and
WHEREAS, Kua Bay is one example of the types of safety concerns that are common at state beach parks in every county; and
WHEREAS, drownings at state beach parks accounted for five percent of the total fatal injuries in Hawaii for residents and forty-nine percent of the fatal injuries for non-residents between 2010 and 2014; and
WHEREAS, conducting a thorough assessment of potential hazards before making remote beaches more accessible could provide insight that would save lives; and
WHEREAS, these safety assessments should include input from residents who can provide local knowledge about potential hazards, information regarding the distance from hospitals, as well as medical data from emergency medical services to advise the Division of State Parks regarding high-risk locations and past incidents; and
WHEREAS, a safety assessment of a location should also include a recommendation of whether a lifeguard is necessary there, whether access should be improved if a lifeguard cannot be stationed there, and whether improved access is not advisable; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the Senate concurring, that the Division of State Parks of the Department of Land and Natural Resources is urged to conduct an assessment of potentially hazardous ocean conditions at beach parks prior to undertaking access improvements that will increase use, and to provide information about potentially hazardous conditions at state beach parks on the Division's website and in its printed materials; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, the Administrator of the Division of State Parks of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Chief of the Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch of the Department of Health, the Director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency of the Department of Defense, and the President of the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association.
DLNR; Division of State Parks; State Beach Parks; Hazardous Ocean Conditions
