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Page 1 of 1 <br /> Murashige, Laura <br /> _ <br /> ---,-o_...__ <br /> From: GeoMikeS@att.net <br /> _w, <br /> Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 2:45 PM <br /> To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us <br /> Cc: Ford, Brenda <br /> Subject: Testimony for Bill 51 Foodplain management r~ <br /> <br /> TESTIMONY ON BILL 51 <br /> I urge the County Council to consider very thorough and comprehensive use of Bill 51 regazding <br /> floodplain management control especially when development occurs on current open lands. <br /> Permit me to provide an example of a present situation where development will extensively modify <br /> lands that are within a floodplain area and impact known flood zones. <br /> Recently, the Planning Commission approved an SMA Permit for Sunstone Kona LLC to develop over <br /> 40 acres of vacant land makai of Kuakini, mauka of Ali'i Drive, and south of Ali'i Sea Villas. Currently <br /> this parcel allows water from the collection shed mauka of Kuakini to flow across it and disperse makai <br /> over the expanse of the 40 acres. <br /> The development proposal plans constraining this flow by the use of a channel that will be constructed. <br /> This channel prevents the water from flowing over the property and directs the water makai toward a <br /> known, FEMA identified flood plain. <br /> It does not take a rock scientist to understand the impact of the hydrologic modification here. Very <br /> conservatively, meaning conditions well short of those of a hundred year flood, if there are just 12 acres <br /> of the water collection area makai of Kuakini, a common heavy rain squall of just one inch will produce <br /> an acre foot of water (about 350,000 gallons) that now entirely is forced into the channel. If the water <br /> collection area is comprised of 1,200 acres and there is typical burst of rainfall of two or three inches in <br /> an hour or two from a tropical storm, then over 35,000,000 gallons of water are available for this <br /> channel. <br /> This much additional water passed into a known floodplain will change the boundary of the floodplain, <br /> widening it considerably and in this case, toward existing housing complexes. This could then lead to a <br /> hazard and flood insurance being required where none was before. Without proper settling traps, one <br /> can only guess how much sediment will be carried to the ocean, less than a quarter of a mile away. <br /> To further complicate this scenazio, a paved road is planned that will be within the floodplain (existing <br /> as well as potentially expanded) to provide entrance to the proposed development. Although an <br /> environmental impact statement, a document that would have studied these issues, could have been <br /> required by the Director of the Planning Department, the Commission chose not to recommend it. <br /> This is the type of problem I hope the Council can help ameliorate with the use of Bill 51. The impact <br /> of development to an entire area must be considered, not just a particular property. <br /> Michael Reimer Z <br /> Kailua Kona Comm• W j ~ L <br /> GeoMikeS@att.net Ref. To: 2007 <br /> Ref. Uate <br /> 3/20/2007 <br /> <br />