2024-09-02 Rebecca Melendez Testimony-2

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From a Water Supply news release: https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2023/10/05/drought-conditions-on-hawai%CA%BBi-island-prompt-water-supply-message/ U.S. Hawaii is "on the verge of a greater catastrophe," locals say, as water crisis continues By Li Cohen Updated on: April 11, 2024 / 8:23 AM EDT / CBS News And recent years have seen compounding problems: less rain, leading to significant droughts, and repeated jet fuel leaks and PFAS chemical spills contaminating water systems. All of this significantly limits available water use for locals, many of whom say tourism is only worsening the situation. Just months ago, the world's largest surfing wave pool opened up on the island — filled with freshwater. "They're not using it to drink or to support life, they're using it to make money. They're commodifying it," said Healani Sonoda-Pale, who is Native Hawaiian and a member of advocacy group O'ahu Water Protectors. "… We are on the verge of a greater catastrophe." "We are in a water crisis, that has to be made very clear," Wayne Tanaka, director of Sierra Club of Hawai'i, told CBS News, saying that if the reasons for this crisis aren't soon addressed, "We may come to a point where we have to decide … who gets water and who doesn't." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaii-water-crisis-climate-change/ Because this is an island, parts need to be shipped. The power plant currently has generators that are not working, and because of this (and other reasons), the Big Island needs to seriously conserve power so that everyone will have power. If this problem of shipping parts can happen once, it can and will happen again. UPDATE: HELCO asks for continued energy conservation BY SPECTRUM NEWS STAFF HAWAII ISLAND UPDATED 6:28 PM ET APR. 16, 2024 PUBLISHED 9:05 AM ET APR. 15, 2024 HILO, Hawaii — Hawaiian Electric continues to urge Hawaii Island customers to reduce their electricity use to prevent the need for rolling outages. In a news release Tuesday afternoon, the utility stated that Monday saw a reduced demand of approximately 5 megawatts. That, combined with increased wind and solar battery storage prevented the need for rolling blackouts on Monday. HELCO credited conservation efforts, particularly those by large businesses and government customers, for the reduction in electricity demand. “We’re grateful for our customers’ efforts to conserve electricity, especially between 5 to 9 p.m., when electricity us is highest, because it does make a difference,” said Hawaiian Electric spokesperson Kristen Okinaka. “By working together, we’re helping to ensure that enough power can be available for all customers and prevent or minimize the impacts of rolling outages.” Hawaiian Electric announced Monday afternoon that it may initiate rolling outages in parts of Hawaii Island because of the unavailability of several generators and lower than normal wind and solar resources. In a news release, the utility said that outages could start as early as 6:30 p.m. and rotate around the island for 30-minute intervals. The impacted areas and the timing of the outages will be based on wind generation and the amount of electric demand that needs to be reduced. Individuals who are dependent on electrically powered life support medical equipment are advised to arrange for a backup power supply. The outages are being done to prevent power loss to even more customers, who are all being asked to conserve electricity throughout the month. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/hi/hawaii/news/2024/04/15/heco-customers-on-hawaii-island-asked-to-conserve-power- Big power supply problems continue to plague Hawaii Island Apr 8, 2024 The company has been facing an unusual situation with mechanical problems at three of the island's five largest power plants while part of the largest plant undergoes an annual overhaul. All four of these affected power plants are owned by the utility or an affiliate of its parent company. Also contributing to the trouble is lower output from a geothermal plant, which has the third-largest generation capacity on the island and is owned by an independent operator. "This is an unusual situation, driven mainly by the unavailability of several large generators that have experienced mechanical problems, are at reduced output, or are undergoing maintenance, " Hawaiian Electric said in its March 25 announcement asking customers to use less electricity, especially on weekdays from 5 to 9 p.m. The company explained that it faces an "extremely tight " supply of power at peak use periods, especially when production from wind, solar and hydroelectric facilities is lower than normal. Those sources of variable, renewable energy can supply up to 15% of electricity needs on the island. "Without enough supply to meet electricity demand, the company may initiate rolling outages of up to an hour around the island, " the March 25 announcement said. https://energycentral.com/news/big-power-supply-problems-continue-plague-hawaii-island Hawaii Island customers urged to reduce electricity use through April BY SARAH YAMANAKA HILO PUBLISHED 9:00 AM ET MAR. 26, 2024 What You Need To Know -Hawaii Island customers may see alerts asking them to conserve energy, especially on days when there isn’t much wind that generates up to 15% of electricity -When alerts are issued, Hawaiian Electric is asking customers to take immediate action to minimize electricity use -Even when no alerts are issued, customers — including hotels and large retailers — are urged to reduce electricity use as much as possible, especially between 5 and 9 p.m. on weekdays -If there is not enough electricity to meet demand, Hawaiian Electric may initiate rolling outages of up to an hour around the island https://spectrumlocalnews.com/hi/hawaii/news/2024/03/25/hawaii-island-customers-urged-to-reduce-electricity-use-through-april FURTHERMORE: TRAFFIC, LACK OF RESOURCES, AND FATALITIES A Resort Development WILL Increase Traffic on Already Severely Trafficked Roads. Are there traffic study reports for this EIS? A development with 150 rooms comes with over 150+ cars. Employees, guests, and visitors will all have cars, plus the regular locals who go there to paddle and enjoy the bay. All this could range in over 300 cars a day because of this resort development. The Big Island already has a serious traffic issue due to a lack of infrastructure. This is in part due to poor planning, and in part due to geography challenges. The articles below by different NEWS companies highlight the point that many traffic issues stem from lack of infrastructure and resources. Adding more cars to the road by building another resort in an area that is already stressed, will only increase the already mounting problems with traffic. This NEWS article by Hawai'i News Now, "Report shows alarming surge in Hawaii Island traffic deaths The Hawaii Police Department’s Traffic Services Section released a new report showing a dramatic increase in both major crashes and fatal accidents from last year. The startling statistics show a dramatic increase in the number of year-over-year traffic fatalities on the Island of Hawaii, revealing major crashes are up more than 12% and traffic fatalities are up more than 100%." Watch the video on their link below as it is a professional report on Big Island traffic problems. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/05/18/new-report- shows-hawaii-island-traffic-fatalities-are-up-over-100-last-year/ With more tourists there will be more accidents, more traffic, and more traffic deaths. Please read this article by KHON 2 NEWS, "Hawaii Island has most traffic fatalities in state. This time last year Hawaii Island was at five traffic deaths, as of April 1, 2024, they’re at 14. Seven of which happened in the last two weeks. Chief Moszkowicz said the police force is small compared to the size of the island and response times can take 15 to 20 minutes. “We don’t have the resources like in the small space of Oahu where you can saturate an area to control speeding, that just doesn’t exist here,” he added." https://www.khon2.com/local-news/7-traffic-f atalities-for-hawaii-island-in-march/ The traffic on Big Island has increased drastically and safety issues and infrastructure needs to be addressed before adding more resort developments. Please read this article because what it says about Oahu is a mirror for Big Island. The traffic problems they discuss are the same issues here on Big Island; and it also gives one Big Island example, "On the Big Island, the mayor had to issue an emergency order shutting down Waipio Valley Road due to overuse and poor prior maintenance." This is happening all over Big Island. https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/02/angry-over-island-traffic-jams-lets-talk-about-solutions/ The news video below shows aerial footage in Hilo. The footage shown is the same thing that is happening on Alii Drive and Queen K Highway, and for all the same reasons: All of these roads only have two lanes! There are two developments already on Alii Drive being built as of today; and more are scheduled for this road in the near future. Alii Drive and Queen K Highway are the roads Kamehameha Schools Bungalow Resort will be using if approved, and they are already seriously congested. These roads have the exact same traffic congestion as Hilo, with the exact same problems. Traffic is extremely slow because of so many people who now live here and all the visitors that come yearly. In addition, the concern on Kona side is tsunami evacuations rather than lava evacuations. In this kind of traffic, not everyone will be able to get to safer ground, especially if you allow another resort to be developed in this area when traffic is already at a crawl every weekday and often on weekends as well. Here is the news article by KITV NEWS that highlights the traffic issues discussed above: "Hawaii Island traffic jams could have safety impact. In the event of an evacuation, Mayor Mitch Roth acknowledges that will make the Traffic Jam up even worse. But says, he is working with The State on a solution." https://www.kitv.com/news/local/hawaii-island-traffic-jams- could-have-safety-impact/article_b06a5374-5a6a-11ed-8d23-8313ef8c4c19.html There was a crash recently on Alii Drive (see video below). When there is an accident on Alii Drive, it turns the already small two-lane road into only one lane that requires a flagger to help direct traffic. Kamehameha Schools wants to add a resort on this tiny road that will increase the traffic by hundreds of cars. Here is the Island News video on the crash on Alii Dr. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FQSsnPDji8 Please see from these articles that traffic on Big Island is deadly already and adding another resort will be devastating to the island. Read this Path article, HAWAI’I COUNTY’S VISION ZERO INITIATIVE: A motorcyclist is in critical condition after a collision with a car. A driver accidentally hits and kills a pedestrian. It seems that not a day goes by without the news reporting on a traffic crash on Hawai’i Island... Here are some other statistics that are even more staggering: -28% of roadside crashes were the result of someone leaving the roadway and going into barriers or trees -13% of pedestrians hit at 20 mph actually suffer fatality -73% of pedestrians hit at 40 mph suffer fatality -25% of fatal crashes were the result of distracted driving… So PLEASE put those cell phones away and pay attention to the road! -56% of fatal crashes were the result of alcohol or drugs -41% of fatal crashes occurred in light trucks and vans -49% of crashes occur during the day, outside of peak traffic hours -Of all the crash fatalities, most were males between 20 to 24-years old. “That’s just Big Island traffic,” is a common sentiment. But what if we didn’t have to accept this endangerment of vehicle drivers, motorcyclists, and pedestrians as a way of life?" This was taken from Path https://pathhawaii.org/hawaii-countys-vision-zero-initiative/ MORE ARTICLES HIGHLIGHTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESOURCE DEFICITS, INCLUDING WATER, TRASH, ELECTRIC and WASTEWATER: 1) Hawaii Deals with Burgeoning Waste Management Problem As landfills face closure and waste-to-energy projects stall, various counties in Hawaii are dealing with waste management issues. Waste360 Staff January 10, 2020 “Hawaii Island is in the enviable position of having a landfill with anywhere from 20 to 100 years of capacity left to take in trash. But the island still wrestles with significant issues like plastic products that are no longer being recycled.” https://www.waste360.com/landfill/hawaii-deals-with-burgeoning-waste-management-problem 2) "Big Island Now readers seem to agree that there’s likely no single solution for slowing down the timeline of the West Hawai‘i Sanitary Landfill reaching capacity. The West Hawai’i Sanitary Landfill, the only remaining landfill on the Big Island, is forecast to reach capacity within the next 20 to 25 years." https://bigislandnow.com/2023/09/17/big-island-now-po ll-no-27-results-more-than-one-solution-needed-to-help-extend-life-of-west-hawaii-landfill/ 3) Hawaii Island Has Decades of Landfill Space But Still Faces Challenges In Dealing With Its Waste Hawaii Public Radio Published January 9, 2020 at 5:00 AM HST “Hawaii Island is in the enviable position of having a landfill with anywhere from 20 to 100 years of capacity left to take in trash. But the island still wrestles with significant issues like plastic products that are no longer being recycled. For the past four decades, trash from the East side of Hawaii Island has been dumped in a landfill outside of Hilo. But now trash from all parts of the island is being trucked to a facility north of Kona.” https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2020-01-09/hawaii-island-has-decades-of-landfill-space-but-still-faces-challenges-in-dealing-with-its-waste 4)“What happens to Hawaii Island’s trash and recyclables? BY MICHELLE BRODER VANdyke HAWAII ISLAND PUBLISHED 11:30 AM ET DEC. 17, 2022 By Michelle Broder Vandyke Hawaii Island PUBLISHED 11:30 AM ET Dec. 1The future of the landfill The West Hawaii Landfill will be full in about 20 years. Finding a location for the next landfill is a concern, according to the DEM officials. They said it will be challenging to find a location for a future landfill because of stringent regulations and costs related to planning, environmental regulations, design and construction that will take many years to complete. It will also require community support.” https://spectrumlocalnews.com/hi/hawaii/news/2022/12/15/what-happens-to-hawaii-island-s-trash-and-recyclables-- 5) “The overwhelming plastic waste Hawaii visitors leave behind By Natasha Bourlin Aug 24, 2023 Hawaii saw more than 9 million visitors last year. Those tourists’ first stops are often big-box and convenience stores, where they buy bottled water, plastic sand toys, single-use bodyboards, noodles, floaties and inner tubes for their trips.” https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/article/plastic-waste-hawaii-visitors-leave-behind-18286076.php 6) “A County commission drafts ordinance aiming to ban recyclables at West Hawai‘i landfill By Megan Moseley September 6, 2023 · 1:00 AM HST * Updated September 6, 2023 · 2:02 PM Hawai‘i County’s Environmental Management Commission is developing an ordinance that aims to prohibit the amount of recyclable materials ending up in the island’s only working landfill.” https://bigislandnow.com/2023/09/06/new-draft-ordinance-aims-to-ban-recyclables-at-west-hawaii-landfill/ 7) ” Hawai‘i County issues mandatory 25% water restriction for North Kona August 7, 2023 · 5:21 PM HST A mandatory 25% water restriction has been issued for various communities in North Kona due to the failure of the Honokhau Deepwell over the weekend.” https://bigislandnow.com/2023/08/07/hawaii-count y-issues-mandatory-25-water-restriction-for-north-kona/ 8) “Hawaii Water Supply Closely Monitored As Severe Drought Continues by Big Island Video Newson Nov 6, 2023 at 3:28 pm STORY SUMMARY HAWAII COUNTY - Officials say a special focus will be placed on the South Kohala Water System, which is more susceptible to drought conditions.” https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2023/11/06/water-su pply-closely-monitored-as-hawai%CA%BBi-under-severe-drought/ 9) “Big Island Concerns About Water Quality Prompt A Lawsuit Over A Kona Sewage Plant Kealakehe sewage plant discharges more than 1 million gallons of wastewater into a lava pit near the ocean. By Paula Dobbyn / February 6, 2024 Settlement talks are scheduled in an environmental lawsuit involving a county-operated Big Island sewage plant in Kona.” https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/02/concerns-about-water-quality-prompt-a-lawsui t-over-a-kona-sewage-plant/