Bill Text: HI SCR201 | 2013 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii Senate Concurrent Resolution 201 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Water; Water Recycling; Task Force.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2013-04-15 - Referred to WAL, FIN, referral sheet 54 [SCR201 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2013-SCR201-Introduced.html

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	201
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

requesting the establishment of a task force to study and make recommendations on the re-use of r-1 water for agricultural purPoses in central oahu.

WHEREAS, through the natural water cycle, the earth has recycled and reused water for millions of years, and modern water recycling uses technology to speed up these natural processes; and

WHEREAS, recycled water can satisfy most water demands, provided it has been adequately treated to ensure water quality that is appropriate for its corresponding use, and thus saves money and increases the effective water supply; and

WHEREAS, there is a long history of water recycling activities in the United States, and regulatory oversight at the state and federal levels has ensured the safety of various water recycling projects undertaken in this country; and

WHEREAS, no documented cases of human health problems due to contact with recycled water that has been properly treated to standards, criteria, and regulations have been reported, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and

WHEREAS, recycled water is most commonly used for non-potable purposes, such as agriculture, landscaping, golf course irrigation, dust control, and construction activities; and

WHEREAS, with regard to agriculture, a number of other states already use recycled water for agricultural purposes, such that a significant amount of imported produce sold in Hawaii is produced with recycled water of the R-1 grade, and large-scale agricultural users of recycled water in other states have been passing audits that anticipate the implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii consumes the most water per capita in the U.S., eighteen per cent higher than the national average; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan calls for, among other things, measures to encourage greater production and use of recycled water; and

WHEREAS, land use in Central Oahu is currently in transition following the decline of the sugar and pineapple industries, and agriculture must compete with other users of non-potable water such as military housing and new urban development; and

WHEREAS, R-1 water is the highest designation for recycled water being used in Hawaii and is approved for agricultural use on low-lying crops, unlike R-2 water, which is of lower quality and restricted to use in circumstances where human contact is minimized; and

WHEREAS, various sources of recycled water exist on Oahu but are under-utilized, such as water from the U.S. Army Schofield Barracks Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is treated and brought up to an R-1 designation, only for the excess to be drained into a ditch; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to establish a Task Force to consider and make recommendations on the re-use of R-1 water for agricultural purposes in Central Oahu; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, more specifically, the Task Force is requested to consider and make recommendations regarding:

(1) The feasibility of increasing the amount of R-1 water available for agricultural use;

(2) Methods by which to pump and transport the water to Central Oahu for agricultural use while maintaining the water's R-1 designation;

(3) The location(s) to which the R-1 water should be pumped, based on both need and practicality;

(4) The possibility of a pilot program implementing agricultural use of R-1 water from the Schofield Barracks Wastewater Treatment Plant, and if successful, further use of the pilot program as a model for statewide implementation with other wastewater treatment plants;

(5) Ways to increase public awareness about the safety and benefits of using R-1 water for agricultural purposes; and

(6) Any other relevant factors; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to determine, at its discretion, who shall serve on the Task Force; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to submit a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2014, containing the recommendations of the Task Force, including any proposed legislation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to be dissolved on June 30, 2014; 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.