STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1702

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                   

 

RE:     S.C.R. No. 67

        S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 67 entitled:

 

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING PUBLIC WATER AND SEWER UTILITIES TO CONSIDER THE DISRUPTION TO TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION AS A CRITERION IN PLANNING FUTURE MAINTENANCE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request public water and sewer utilities to consider the disruption to traffic and transportation as a criterion in planning future maintenance.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply.

 

     Your Committee finds that more than one thousand five hundred water main breaks were reported from 2012 to 2017.  Traffic mitigation efforts to alleviate the flow of traffic are often done improperly and interrupt daily commutes.  This measure therefore requests public water and sewer utilities to consider the disruption to traffic and transportation as a criterion for planning future maintenance to help mitigate traffic congestion and delays.

 

     Your Committee notes that the City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply has a pipeline replacement prioritization program that considers a number of criteria when evaluating risk of failure and identifying the high risk pipelines that should be replaced first.  The age of the pipe, type and size of the water main or pipe, depth, growth of corrosion, soil corrosion, and location and number of breaks are among the criteria.  A Water Master Plan adopted in October 2016 provides a roadmap for long-term water system planning on Oahu for the next thirty years.  The plan is intended to be an amendable document, allowing for flexibility in its implementation through periodic updates and adjustment of projects as conditions and needs change.

 

     Your Committee also notes the testimony from the City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply, that sewer utilities are not within the purview of the Board of Water Supply.  Therefore, amendments to this measure are necessary.

 

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Clarifying that public water utilities are requested to consider the disruption to traffic and transportation as a criterion in planning future maintenance, rather than public water and sewer utilities;

 

     (2)  Updating the title to reflect its amended purpose; and

 

     (3)  Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 67, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 67, S.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

 

 

 

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair