THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

649

THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING to water conservation.

 

 

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

 


     SECTION 1.  As an island state, Hawaii has limited access to natural fresh water.  Competition for fresh water, increasing population and development pressures, the rising awareness of environmental and cultural water needs, and the impacts of climate change require that Hawaii become as efficient as possible in its uses of limited fresh water supplies.  The legislature finds that a water conservation program that provides financial assistance to county-owned public water systems and their customers to help implement water conservation measures and practices will reduce water use or waste.  County-owned public water systems supply approximately two hundred million gallons per day or eighty per cent of drinking water in Hawaii.

     The purpose of this Act is to establish a financial assistance pilot program to provide county-owned public water systems with resources to implement conservation measures.

     SECTION 2.  There is established within the commission on water resource management a two-year water conservation financial assistance pilot program to provide financial assistance to county-owned public water systems to implement their respective water conservation incentive programs.

As used in this Act:

     "Commission" means the commission on water resource management.

     "Public water system" has the same meaning as that term is defined in section 340E-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

     SECTION 3.  To carry out the purposes of this Act, the commission shall:

     (1)  Solicit proposals from county-owned public water systems describing their proposed water conservation incentive programs;

     (2)  Ensure that county-owned public water systems administer and manage their water conservation incentive programs and furnish information to the commission documenting the total estimated amount of water conserved under this program;

     (3)  Prioritize awards pursuant to this section for county-owned public water systems where state funds are matched or leveraged with non-state funds; and

     (4)  Provide financial assistance pursuant to this section to county-owned public water systems on a reimbursable basis through contracts or agreements.

Reimbursements made pursuant to this Act shall not exceed fifty per cent of the total cost of each county water conservation incentive program, including administrative costs.

     SECTION 4.  A county-owned public water system water conservation incentive program may include:

     (1)  Rebate programs where county-owned public water systems refund customers no more than fifty per cent of the cost to install water conserving technologies in residential, commercial, institutional, or industrial settings; and

     (2)  Direct replacement programs where county-owned public water systems pay for the total cost to install water conserving technologies for customers in residential, commercial, institutional, or industrial settings.

As used in this section, "water conserving technologies" means equipment, appliances, and supplies that materially and predictably reduce potable water use as determined by the commission and may include rain barrels and cisterns, hot water circulation pumps, soil moisture sensors, smart irrigation controllers, turf grass replacement, air conditioning condensate capture, multi-unit water sub-meters, WaterSense labeled water saving products, high-efficiency toilets, grey-water systems, and other devices, apparatus, or materials as determined and approved by the commission on water resource management.

     SECTION 5.  In order to evaluate a program's effectiveness, the commission shall:

     (1)  Review the county-owned public water system water conservation incentive programs and determine the amount of non-state matching funds;

     (2)  Determine the impact of the county-owned public water system water conservation incentive programs on water conservation in terms of water saved; and

     (3)  Make a recommendation to the legislature on whether funding for the water conservation financial assistance program should be expanded, extended, or discontinued.

The commission shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2021.

     SECTION 6.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $           or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2019-2020 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2020-2021 for the two-year water conservation financial assistance pilot program.

     The sums appropriated shall be expended by the commission on water resource management for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 7.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2019, and shall repeal on June 30, 2021.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

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Report Title:

Water Conservation Rebate Program; Pilot Program; Appropriation

 

Description:

Establishes a two-year water conservation financial assistance pilot program to provide financial assistance to county-owned public water systems.  Appropriates funds.  Repeals June 30, 2021.

 

 

 

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