Hawaii Water Resources Act of 2005

Madame Speaker, I rise today to support, S. 264, the Hawaii Water Resources Act of 2005. This legislation will authorize Federal funds for three urgently needed water projects in the State of Hawaii.

Madame Speaker, several years ago our State suffered through 5 years of drought conditions. Due to dangerous drops in our water levels, water usage was restricted to prevent saltwater from entering our pumps. Today, there is no drought and water conservation measures continue to be taught in schools and publicized. However, these three water development projects will make tremendous strides in ensuring a stable water supply for our growing island State and conserve the limited water supplies we do have. Because of the importance of these projects, I introduced the companion measure, H.R. 843, and wholeheartedly support this legislation.

H.R. 843/S. 264 would authorize three projects that would help the State of Hawaii implement long-term management plans for our most limited natural resource, fresh water. The Kalaeloa Desalination Project would be built on Oahu, home to 72 percent of the State's population. It is estimated that water use rates on this island will begin exceeding recharge rates in 2018. This problem is particularly evident on the western side of Oahu which has a secondary urban center, Kapolei, which has experienced a population explosion in recent years. Kapolei is a planned community whose population is expected to increase by 70 percent in the next 20 years. The Board of Water Supply for the City and County of Honolulu has successfully implemented conservation measures and special programs which have lowered water consumption. This project would help meet Kapolei's projected demand, conserve limited groundwater, avoid impacts to the environment from wells drilled in forested watersheds, increase system reliability and minimize saltwater intrusion when water levels drop in drought conditions--Oahu experienced a 5-year drought from 1998 to 2002. This facility would also be capable of future expansion, an important aspect for this heavily populated island.

The second project is located on the western side of the big island of Hawaii. This area sees very little rainfall and is very similar to the high arid regions of the mainland United States. The Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Project would utilize wetlands to naturally clean the effluent being discharged by the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant. Once the effluent water quality is upgraded and the maximum amount of flow diverted for use onsite in the wetlands, a distribution system would then convey the recycled water to potential users. A conventional tertiary treatment system would be cost prohibitive for a facility of this size. Moreover, the discharge of treated water could lead to the degradation of coastal water quality in an area that is known for its beautiful beaches and is a popular tourist destination. This project is an ecologically friendly alternative that would also provide habitat for two endangered bird species which are currently nesting on land adjacent to the Keahole International Airport.

The third project that would be authorized is the Lahaina Recycled Water Distribution System Expansion Project located on the island of Maui. Over the last decade, Maui has worked to build a solid foundation for a water recycling program. Currently, it is able to use approximately 25 percent of the recycled water it produces, about 4 million gallons per day. The main impediment to using more recycled water is the lack of infrastructure to distribute the recycled water to the commercial enterprises that could use it. A key example of this problem is in West Maui where recycled water is used to irrigate the Kaanapali Golf Courses. The pipeline that leads to the golf courses also passes a number of other commercial enterprises that are interested in using recycled water but the infrastructure is not adequately developed to allow these properties to connect to the system. Authorizing this project for Federal assistance will allow for expansion at a much faster rate and result in a greater savings of potable water.

The State of Hawaii is addressing its problems of limited water and trying to implement solutions. The next time a drought comes, it may be too late to act. This bill will help us protect Hawaii's environment, meet our growing water needs, and maintain our quality of life. I urge my colleagues to support this vitally important measure.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of prompt passage of S. 264, the Hawaii Water Resources Act of 2005. Congressman Abercrombie and I co-introduced a companion bill in the House, H.R. 843. The bill is identical to one that passed the Senate in the 108th Congress by unanimous consent.

S. 264 amends the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize three important water reclamation projects in my State. The three projects authorized in S. 264 would help Hawaii better manage its water resources, particularly in key areas where water is becoming increasingly scarce.

Two of the projects are in my Second District on the islands of Hawaii and Maui, and the third, which would provide a reliable source of potable water for the island of Oahu, also impacts my district, which includes most of that island except for urban Honolulu. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply has projected that on Oahu freshwater use will exceed recharge rates by 2018.

The project on Oahu would provide a reliable source of water through resource diversification to meet existing and future water demands in the Ewa area of Oahu, where water demands are exceeding the availability of drinking water. The proposed project is a 5 million gallon-per-day seawater desalination facility. Seawater Reverse Osmosis Membrane Technology is proposed, in which approximately 11 million gallons per day of seawater are needed to produce 5 million gallons per day of potable water.

The second project, north of Kona on the island of Hawaii, would address the issue of effluent being discharged into a temporary disposal sump from the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant. The effluent has a particularly high suspended solids content. The proposed project will utilize subsurface wetlands to reduce the suspended solids prior to disinfection. Retrofitting an existing lagoon and completing construction of an additional lagoon would create subsurface wetlands. An open surface wetland would also be constructed to reduce the effluent disposal, create habitat for two endangered species, and provide recreational opportunities for the public. Once the effluent water quality has been upgraded and the maximum amount of flow diverted for use onsite in the constructed wetlands, a distribution system would be needed to convey the recycled water to potential users.

The final project, in Lahaina on the island of Maui, would facilitate the use of recycled water by extending the County of Maui's main recycled water pipeline. The county has been one of the water recycling leaders in the State of Hawaii, but increased use of recycled water is limited by the lack of adequate infrastructure to distribute recycled water to additional users.

Hawaii has been experiencing drought conditions since 1998. And the National Weather Service has indicated that due to a mild El Nino effect in the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii may again experience another period of drought. Although many people have an image of Hawaii as a lush, tropical rainforest, in fact the leeward sides of all of our islands are typically dry, not unlike the high desert conditions in the western United States. A 2003 GAO report placed Hawaii among 16 States that are expected to face regional freshwater shortages in the next decade.

S. 264 builds on Senator Akaka's Hawaii Water Resources Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-566) that authorized the Bureau of Reclamation to survey irrigation and water delivery systems in Hawaii and identify new opportunities for reclamation and reuse of water and wastewater for agriculture and non-agricultural purposes. That act resulted in the development of the initial Hawaii Drought Plan in 2000, which was updated this past year to incorporate comments and recommendations made by the Bureau of Reclamation. The expertise of the Bureau of Reclamation has been invaluable in helping our State to address these vital resource issues.

I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 264) to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize certain projects in the State of Hawaii.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 264, the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

S. 264, sponsored by Senator Daniel Akaka and supported by our Hawaii colleagues in the House, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to undertake three water projects in the State of Hawaii.

Although surrounded by water, the Hawaiian islands are not immune to water scarcity issues. In fact, parts of Hawaii have very limited potable water supplies due to natural and population factors.

The projects authorized in this legislation will help Hawaii better manage its scarce water resources. Each project will serve a different purpose through desalting, recycling or other water supply technologies. The Federal cost-share of these projects will not exceed 25 percent.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 264, the Hawaii Water Resources Act of 2005. I commend my good friend Senator Akaka for introducing this bill in the Senate, and my friends and colleagues here in the House of Representatives from the Hawaii delegation, Mr. Abercrombie and Mr. Case, for their strong support.

Due to the scarcity of water in Hawaii, the state has a strong need for resource management projects such as the ones proposed in this bill. The desalination project in Honolulu County, the wastewater treatment plant project outside Kona, and the recycled water project in Lahaina, will all serve the vital needs of the people of Hawaii in their efforts to provide for their increasing water demands.

Again, I commend Senator Akaka for his leadership on this important initiative. Enacting

this bill will help Hawaii to manage its water resources more efficiently, particularly in the areas where water is increasingly scarce.

I support this legislation and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of S. 264.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

We support the passage of S. 264. The gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie), our colleague on the Committee on Resources, has introduced a companion bill in the House, H.R. 843. We commend the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie) for his hard work to secure authorizations for these important projects.

The projects identified in this bill will be eligible for limited financial assistance under the Bureau of Reclamation's title 16 water recycling program.

Water recycling and desalination projects are proven technologies that can help stretch limited water supplies in areas such as Hawaii, and the Virgin Islands I might add.

I want to express our full support for this legislation, and I offer congratulations to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie) for his leadership and persistence as this legislation proceeds to the White House.