Report Title:

Salt Lake Waterway; Grant-In-Aid to City and County of Honolulu

Description:

Appropriates funds for a grant-in-aid to city and county of Honolulu to clean up Salt Lake waterway. Requires city and county of Honolulu to provide matching funds. (SD1)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1363

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

S.D. 1


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

making an appropriation for a grant-in-aid to the city and county of honolulu to clean salt lake waterway.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the Salt Lake waterway is a habitat for several endangered species. It is also a drainage basin for runoff from lands owned by the city and county of Honolulu, the State, the federal government, and private landowners, that discharges into Moanalua Stream and eventually into Keehi Lagoon. A significant portion of the Salt Lake waterway consists of stagnant water that poses serious health risks. The Aliamanu Military Reservation has been discharging sewage effluent, silt, debris, and trash into the Salt Lake waterway since the 1950s, with construction in the area contributing to the problem.

The department of health and the city and county of Honolulu have made several efforts to address the problems of discharge and water quality in the Salt Lake waterway, including citing the Aliamanu Military Reservation for several wastewater-related violations. This has resulted in repairs to the wastewater collection system, improvements to the wastewater pump stations, provisions to capture overflow, and a public outreach program to reduce the introduction of grease into the system. However, there has been no comparable program for nonpoint source pollution. There have been three clean-up efforts of the Salt Lake waterway.

The department of health and the city and county of Honolulu have also taken enforcement actions against private firms and individuals for discharging pollutants and the city and county has cleared vegetation and performed maintenance dredging for a part of the waterway.

The legislature finds that the cleaning of the Salt Lake waterway will extend over a number of years and must be done through a partnership among the stakeholders involved: the State; the city and county of Honolulu; private landowners; and the federal government. Therefore, costs of the cleaning should be shared between the stakeholders. With the promise of federal participation in cleaning efforts, there is a need to demonstrate a commitment from the State, in partnership with the city and county of Honolulu and private landowners, to fund the clean-up of the Salt Lake waterway.

The purpose of this Act is to demonstrate the State's participation in the partnership by providing a grant-in-aid to the city and county of Honolulu to clean up the Salt Lake waterway.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2003-2004, as a grant-in-aid to the city and county of Honolulu for the cleaning of the Salt Lake waterway pursuant to this Act; provided that no state funds shall be expended unless matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by the city and county of Honolulu.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the city and county of Honolulu.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2003.