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From: Kehau Freitas
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2023 8:08 PM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Testimony re: Resolution 372-23
Aloha Chair Kimball and members of the Hawai'i County Council,
My name is Kehaulani Freitas and I live in Captain Cook. I am writing to you today to urge you to reject the funds
requested by the mayor to hire outside counsel to fight Hui lama Honokohau v. County of Hawaii and instead,
approve the restricted use of the funds for the sole purpose of hiring outside counsel to negotiate a settlement with
Hui Mama Honokohau.
For decades,the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment plant has released millions of gallons of treated sewage into the
groundwater that flows into our Honokohau Harbor,causing irreversible damage to the surrounding nearshore
waters and the countless lives that depend on them.
Maui County spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over eight plus years fighting a similar lawsuit over their Lahaina
Wastewater Treatment Plant,to ultimately lose in the US Supreme Court.County of Maui v. Hawai'i Wildlife Fund has
now set the precedent for Kealakehe and many other groundwater polluters.
Please do not let Mayor Roth make the same mistake as Mayor Victorino. Do not approve the funds requested by the
mayor and use your powers to urge the administration to settle the litigation, upgrade the Kealakehe Wastewater
Treatment Plant,and do what is right for Hawai'i's environment and people.
Sincerely,
Kehaulani Freitas
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Comm. No. (I I a
Ref. To: LVII(�l
Ref. Date ! ;.-C — 6 2023