| 41 | | - | WHEREAS, each property owner is responsible for stream maintenance on the portion of a stream that crosses through or along their property, but maintenance along the length of any stream is rarely coordinated between neighboring property owners; and WHEREAS, the land ownership along the length of a stream may include multiple private, public, and governmental owners, none of which has authority to maintain the entire stream; and WHEREAS, the lack of coordinated stream maintenance often leads to clogged, overgrown or debris-filled streams that function poorly, especially during rain events, and result in local flooding; and WHEREAS, the Waiahole Stream is an example of a stream that is overgrown with hao, albizia, and other fast-growing vegetation that increase siltation and stream breaches that flood adjacent properties and impair water flow to the stream and historical auwai; and WHEREAS, the majority of the Waiahole Valley area is owned by the State through the Departments of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaiian Home Lands, Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, and City and County of Honolulu; and WHEREAS, the ownership of majority of the land by the State provides a unique opportunity to study jurisdictional obstacles, challenges to effective watershed management, and possible recommendations for a coordinated approach to stream maintenance; and WHEREAS, such a study would provide a road map for improving the health of Waiahole Stream and assist with flood hazard mitigation and stream maintenance policies statewide; now, therefore; BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, that the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, in consultation with the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Commission on Water Resource Management, and City and County of Honolulu, is requested to identify jurisdictional obstacles to coordinated stream maintenance and offer recommendations to improve stream maintenance and flood hazard mitigation policies; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study shall address the following: (1) The effects of landowner decisions on surrounding landowners and the community with a focus on flood risk; (2) The obligations of government branches, private landowners, and the larger community; (3) Hazards to public and private property, agriculture, and safety; (4) Flood hazards related to stream management and overgrowth; (5) Jurisdiction of public and private entities, including: (A) Private landowners; (B) State departments and agencies; and (C) Federal property; (6) Limitations on active management by landowners and public entities; (7) Permitting; (8) Environmental conservation; (9) Best management practices for flooding at Waiahole Valley and implications for other drainage basins; (10) Recommendations to address issues identified by the study; and (11) A cost benefit analysis of establishing permanent staff to coordinate stream management across landownership boundaries in the State; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development is requested to 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 2023; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, Chairperson of the Commission on Water Resource Management, Administrator of the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu. Report Title: Flood Hazard Reduction; Study; Department of Land and Natural Resources; Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; Commission on Water Resource Management; City and County of Honolulu |
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| 41 | + | WHEREAS, each property owner is responsible for stream maintenance on the portion of a stream that crosses through or along their property, but maintenance along the length of any stream is rarely coordinated between neighboring property owners; and WHEREAS, land ownership along the length of a stream may include multiple private, public, and governmental owners, none of which has authority to maintain the entire stream; and WHEREAS, the lack of coordinated stream maintenance often leads to clogged, overgrown or debris-filled streams that function poorly, especially during rain events, and result in local flooding; and WHEREAS, the Waiahole Stream is an example of a stream that is overgrown with hao, albizia, and other fast-growing vegetation that increase siltation and stream breaches that flood adjacent properties and impair water flow to the stream and historical auwai; and WHEREAS, the majority of the Waiahole Valley area is owned by the State through the Departments of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaiian Home Lands, Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, and City and County of Honolulu; and WHEREAS, ownership of majority of the land by the State provides a unique opportunity to study jurisdictional obstacles, challenges to effective watershed management, and possible recommendations for a coordinated approach to stream maintenance; and WHEREAS, such a study would provide a road map for improving the health of Waiahole Stream and assist with flood hazard mitigation and stream maintenance policies statewide; now, therefore; BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, that the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, in consultation with the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife and Commission on Water Resource Management, is requested to identify jurisdictional obstacles to coordinated stream maintenance and offer recommendations to improve stream maintenance and flood hazard mitigation policies; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study shall address the following: (1) The effects of landowner decisions on surrounding landowners and the community with a focus on flood risk; (2) The obligations of government branches, private landowners, and the larger community; (3) Hazards to public and private property, agriculture, and safety; (4) Flood hazards related to stream management and overgrowth; (5) Jurisdiction of public and private entities, including: (A) Private landowners; (B) State departments and agencies; and (C) Federal property; (6) Limitations on active management by landowners and public entities; (7) Permitting; (8) Environmental conservation; (9) Best management practices for flooding at Waiahole Valley and implications for other drainage basins; (10) Recommendations to address issues identified by the study; and (11) A cost benefit analysis of establishing permanent staff to coordinate stream management across landownership boundaries in the State; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development is requested to 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 2023; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, Chairperson of the Commission on Water Resource Management, and Administrator of the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife. OFFERED BY: _____________________________ Report Title: Flood Hazard Reduction; Study; Department of Land and Natural Resources; Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; Commission on Water Resource Management |
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