COM 0598.006 2006-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Hamakua Soil and Water Conservation District 154 Waianuenue Avenue, Room 322 Hilo, HI 96720 August 16, 2007 rte: Council Chair Pete Hoffmann and Council members 333 Kilauea Ave. _ Hilo, HI 96720 Dear Chair & Council members: The Hamakua Soil and Water Conservation District does not support Bill 151 as a whole. We support the intent of the bill, however we need more time to consider the implications of the parts of the bill that exceed the NFIP minimum requirements. If this bill will specifically address the needs of the NFIP, it will be highly supported. Bill 151 as written is very confusing. The definition of development can include normal farm operations. There is a $1,000 fine per day for non-compliance. This is scary to present to day farmers and potential new farmers. Furthermore, the "one size fits all" nature of the bill does not consider the fact that although the Hamakua district include areas that have extremely high rainfall, in excess of 140 inches per year, the drainage is extremely efficient. So efficient that, an hour after very heavy rain, most of the water drains off with hardly any residual effect. Yet, the amount of water that those in the Hamakua district will need to catch to prevent flooding is very high because the base rainfall is high. This is yet another barrier to those who want to farm. A farmer on 20 acres of land will need to make a large hole in order to catch 540,000 gallons of water. This represents just 10 inches of rain. There are many other areas that are unclear and worrisome for farmers. We suggest that future work on flooding issues be done on a community by community basis. After all they are the people who know their conditions the best. We do not support Bill 151. But, we do agree that a bill should be introduced to address the specific needs of the NFIP. Sincer ly, / 4 WI Lesley H I Chairwoman Comm. bla, $ • jO LH/jr Ref. Tom. Ref. Date 2~.