STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3082

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2303

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2303, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE WAHIAWA DAM AND RESERVOIR,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds and to direct the Department of Land and Natural Resources Engineering Division Dam Safety Program to develop and implement an emergency intervention plan for the Wahiawa dam and reservoir.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, and Department of Emergency Management of the City and County of Honolulu.

Your Committee finds that developing an emergency intervention plan for the Wahiawa dam and reservoir would assist dam owners, operators, and relevant state and City and County of Honolulu agencies to identify triggers, unsafe conditions, and response actions necessary to minimize risks to downstream communities during a potential emergency event.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Department of Land and Natural Resources should "develop" but not "implement" the emergency intervention plan;

(2) Clarifying that the role of the planner V is to aid in the development of the Wahiawa dam and reservoir emergency intervention plan and to assist in carrying out dam inspection, repair, and maintenance oversight;

(3) Providing that moneys appropriated for safety emergency intervention equipment may include certain equipment;

(4) Requiring and appropriating funds for the Department of Land and Natural Resources to study the feasibility of acquiring the Wahiawa dam and reservoir and to submit a report of its findings to the Legislature; and

(5) Making a technical nonsubstantive amendment for purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2303, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2303, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair