2017-11-27 South Kohala Community Development Plan Action Committee Minutes - FINAL

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Cecile Walsh, assistant marine coordinator at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) presented research on the resiliency of coral reefs along the South Kohala shoreline. She defined resilience as the capacity of a reef to resist or recover from degradation. In 2015 TNC recorded record-breaking ocean temperatures in South Kohala. Since 2015 they have been conducting annual surveys in 20 locations along the West Hawai‘i coastline. Their studies looked at resistant coral species, coral recruitment, coral diversity, hard coral cover, herbivore biomass, herbivore diversity, coral disease and bleaching, algae cover, and topographic complexities. On a projector screen, she displayed photos of their surveys to show the extent to which the coral was bleached by the rising temperature. In 2015, 38-92% of the coral colonies surveyed were bleached. The bleaching in South Kohala appeared worse as they moved north along the coastline. The two most abundant species of coral were affected the most. Ms. Walsh presented some of the data they had collected, using Kailapa as an example. Methods to reduce the impact of the changing climate on coral reefs include: reducing greenhouse gases, active restoration, and reducing local stressors. A current strategy includes prioritizing areas for restorative and/or impact reductive action, and attempting to identify the environmental stressors. Ms. Walsh explained that they hope to be able to isolate what causes some areas to experience more bleaching than others as a way to try to determine what solutions might best mitigate the problem. Next steps would include continuing to analyze the data they collected; look further into what factors may be causing the most coral bleaching; engage the community; and collaborate with the State, County, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and community groups. Committee Members discussed harmful environmental factors such as boating activity and sewage; the importance of coral reefs as a foundation of the ecosystem; and the harmful effects of oxybenzone. 7. Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Budget Overview and Action Committee Recommendation Strategy: Chair Mueller opened the discussion up for any new additions to the previously discussed CIP recommendation letter. Committee Member Robertson moved to add a recommendation for a Puakō wastewater treatment system in the amount of five million dollars by means of a Community Facilities District (CFD) to the letter. Second by Committee Member Tanimoto. Committee Member Robertson explained that the idea would be for residents of Puakō to pay the five million dollars requested back to the County over time. They would be requesting an additional five million from Hawai‘i State, and five million from the federal government to cover the rest of the costs for the 15 million dollar project. He referenced a video produced by the Coral Reef Alliance, which describes the degrading health of the environment Puakō. He also referenced studies done by Cornell University and the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo on the water quality in the area. Committee Member Robertson stressed the longevity of the issue which is evidenced by the fact that the South Kohala CDP talked about wastewater issues in Puakō when it was first drafted in 2008. www.hiplanningdept.com southkohala@hawaiicounty.gov Page 3