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Honorable Brenda Ford, Chairperson <br /> IIawai'i County Council Public Works Committee <br /> 25 Waupun St. <br /> Hilo, Hawaii'i 96720 <br /> Testimony on Bill 51 DRAFT 2; Proposed Amendment to Chapter 27 of the HCC <br /> Deaz Chairperson Ford and Members of the Hawaii County Council Public Works Committee: <br /> I previously submitted testimony regazding Bill 51 Draft 2 via email after attending the Public <br /> Works Committee meetings on February 21. I attended the March 20, 2007 and provided both <br /> written and oral testimony at that meeting. Hydrology and hydraulics can be very complex and <br /> there seems to be some confusion regazding existing drainage regulations and how to improve <br /> the County codes to provide additional protection from potential flood damage. <br /> 1 am a civil engineer and have 22 years of experience with drainage and hydrology. I was quite <br /> concerned with some of the statements made by council members at the last Public Works <br /> Committee meeting on March 20, 2007. It seemed that council members were promising to <br /> enact legislation to protect all residents from flooding. I listened to much testimony from the <br /> <br /> public in which folks blamed their upstream neighbors for causing flooding and council <br /> members assured the public that they could prevent further flooding problems by enacting <br /> legislation. I believe that the council is providing the citizens with a false sense of security when <br /> making such statements. <br /> The truth is that even if there is no upstream development most properties are still in inherent <br /> danger of experiencing flood damage from a major storm if the properties are not designed to <br /> route flood waters safely away from structures. The public should be made awaze that although <br /> developers are required to mitigate increases in runoff, runoff from upstream properties will still <br /> affect their properties. Homeowners and business owners need to be aware of potential runoff <br /> and design accordingly. The question is not if a storm will cause excessive runoffto cross <br /> properties but when. T believe the best way to protect the public is to provide education <br /> regarding storm water design so that they don't create a problem for themselves or their <br /> neighbors. <br /> Increases in runoff caused by development should be mitigated. We aze extremely fortunate on <br /> <br /> the Big Island that the subsurface geology for the most part has very good infiltration <br /> <br /> characteristics and we are able mitigate increases in runoff through the use of drywells. <br /> <br /> However, residents of the island need to be aware that we live on a mountain with steep <br /> <br /> watersheds which can and do produce significant amounts of runoff from high intensity tropical <br /> storms. `Chore is no possible way to infiltrate ail runoff from all storms. The quantity of runoff <br /> water is just too lazge. <br /> Property owners need to be aware of upstream and downstream. conditions and do all that is <br /> possible to prevent runoff from upstream properties (whether developed or not) from damaging <br /> their homes and businesses. Homeowners, farm owners, and developers also need to provide <br /> mitigation such as drywells, infiltration basins and trenches and other measures to minimize <br /> <br />