THE SENATE S.C.R. NO. 118 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 STATE OF HAWAII SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Requesting the department of health to convene a working group to assess the feasibility of ALLOWING business owners IN THE STATE to utilize filtered water collected by water catchment systems for business activities.
THE SENATE S.C.R. NO. 118
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII
THE SENATE
S.C.R. NO.
118
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII
SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
Requesting the department of health to convene a working group to assess the feasibility of ALLOWING business owners IN THE STATE to utilize filtered water collected by water catchment systems for business activities.
WHEREAS, there is an imminent potable water shortage threat that has left many individuals across the State without direct or convenient access to safe drinking water; and WHEREAS, due to recent high-profile petroleum leaks coupled with drought conditions, the Board of Water Supply of the City and County of Honolulu was forced to take precautionary measures and shut down the Hālawa Shaft, Hālawa Wells, and Aiea Wells, further restricting access to potable water for local communities; and WHEREAS, access to water is a prerequisite to addressing many of the State's current problems relating to developing affordable housing, empowering local businesses, diversifying the economy, and improving the economic stability of the State's most vulnerable residents; and WHEREAS, pursuing innovative solutions to decrease use of the State's limited aquifers is critical to addressing the fragility of the State's water system; and WHEREAS, water catchment systems are one innovative solution that can supplement potable water systems and conserve natural resources by efficiently capturing and utilizing rainwater while maintaining existing state water infrastructure, including both municipal water and stormwater systems; and WHEREAS, while a significant number of people in the State are dependent on rainwater catchment as their primary domestic water source, existing law allows captured water for personal use only and prohibits the use of captured water for business activities; and WHEREAS, revised guidelines from the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resiliency at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa outline a safe process for utilizing water captured for personal use that can be appropriately applied to business activities under certain regulatory conditions; and WHEREAS, studying the feasibility of allowing business owners in the State to utilize filtered water collected by water catchment systems for business activities is critical to decrease Hawaii's dependency upon stressed aquifer and water systems and assist in the diversification of the State's water sources; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Health is requested to convene a Business Activity Water Catchment System Working Group for business activities; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to consist of the following members: (1) One member of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate, who is requested to serve as co-chair of the working group; (2) One member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who is requested to serve as co-chair of the working group; (3) Director of Health, or the Director's designee; (4) One representative from each county's board or department of water supply or department of water; (5) One member representing the public, appointed or invited by the President of the Senate; and (6) One member representing the public, appointed or invited by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to assess and make recommendations on: (1) The feasibility of allowing business owners in the State to utilize filtered water collected by water catchment systems for business activities, including the types and sizes of businesses that are best suited to implement water catchment systems for business activities; (2) The feasibility of establishing a Business Activity Water Catchment System Testing Program within the Department of Health that provides or otherwise assists business owners in conducting annual testing of filtered water produced from a water catchment system for business activities, including determining the types of chemicals or substances, in addition to lead and copper, that need to be tested to ensure the safety of the filtered water for business activities; (3) How the State and counties can cooperate in ensuring that water catchment systems utilized for business activities are in compliance with applicable plumbing codes; and (4) Possible means by which the State can assist business owners in safely utilizing filtered water from a water catchment system for business activities; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Business Activity Water Catchment System Working Group is requested to report 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 2027; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Business Activity Water Catchment System Working Group is requested to dissolve on June 30, 2027; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mayors of each county, Manager and Chief Engineer of the Board of Water Supply of the City and County of Honolulu, Director of the Department of Water Supply of the County of Maui, Manager-Chief Engineer of the Department of Water Supply of the County of Hawaii, and Manager and Chief Engineer of the Department of Water of the County of Kauai. OFFERED BY: _____________________________ Report Title: DOH; Business Activity Water Catchment Working Group; Water Supply
WHEREAS, there is an imminent potable water shortage threat that has left many individuals across the State without direct or convenient access to safe drinking water; and
WHEREAS, due to recent high-profile petroleum leaks coupled with drought conditions, the Board of Water Supply of the City and County of Honolulu was forced to take precautionary measures and shut down the Hālawa Shaft, Hālawa Wells, and Aiea Wells, further restricting access to potable water for local communities; and
WHEREAS, access to water is a prerequisite to addressing many of the State's current problems relating to developing affordable housing, empowering local businesses, diversifying the economy, and improving the economic stability of the State's most vulnerable residents; and
WHEREAS, pursuing innovative solutions to decrease use of the State's limited aquifers is critical to addressing the fragility of the State's water system; and
WHEREAS, water catchment systems are one innovative solution that can supplement potable water systems and conserve natural resources by efficiently capturing and utilizing rainwater while maintaining existing state water infrastructure, including both municipal water and stormwater systems; and
WHEREAS, while a significant number of people in the State are dependent on rainwater catchment as their primary domestic water source, existing law allows captured water for personal use only and prohibits the use of captured water for business activities; and
WHEREAS, revised guidelines from the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resiliency at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa outline a safe process for utilizing water captured for personal use that can be appropriately applied to business activities under certain regulatory conditions; and
WHEREAS, studying the feasibility of allowing business owners in the State to utilize filtered water collected by water catchment systems for business activities is critical to decrease Hawaii's dependency upon stressed aquifer and water systems and assist in the diversification of the State's water sources; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Health is requested to convene a Business Activity Water Catchment System Working Group for business activities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to consist of the following members:
(1) One member of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate, who is requested to serve as co-chair of the working group;
(2) One member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who is requested to serve as co-chair of the working group;
(3) Director of Health, or the Director's designee;
(4) One representative from each county's board or department of water supply or department of water;
(5) One member representing the public, appointed or invited by the President of the Senate; and
(6) One member representing the public, appointed or invited by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to assess and make recommendations on:
(1) The feasibility of allowing business owners in the State to utilize filtered water collected by water catchment systems for business activities, including the types and sizes of businesses that are best suited to implement water catchment systems for business activities;
(2) The feasibility of establishing a Business Activity Water Catchment System Testing Program within the Department of Health that provides or otherwise assists business owners in conducting annual testing of filtered water produced from a water catchment system for business activities, including determining the types of chemicals or substances, in addition to lead and copper, that need to be tested to ensure the safety of the filtered water for business activities;
(3) How the State and counties can cooperate in ensuring that water catchment systems utilized for business activities are in compliance with applicable plumbing codes; and
(4) Possible means by which the State can assist business owners in safely utilizing filtered water from a water catchment system for business activities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Business Activity Water Catchment System Working Group is requested to report 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 2027; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Business Activity Water Catchment System Working Group is requested to dissolve on June 30, 2027; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mayors of each county, Manager and Chief Engineer of the Board of Water Supply of the City and County of Honolulu, Director of the Department of Water Supply of the County of Maui, Manager-Chief Engineer of the Department of Water Supply of the County of Hawaii, and Manager and Chief Engineer of the Department of Water of the County of Kauai.
OFFERED BY: _____________________________
OFFERED BY:
_____________________________
Report Title:
DOH; Business Activity Water Catchment Working Group; Water Supply