HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0620.032 2022-2024 p/Councc[
Gomm. 62o
From: Ann Kobsa
Sent: Sunday, December 03, 2023 10:11 AM
To: Council Testimony "J
Subject: Testimony on Resolution 372-23 m �
Note:This testimony was emailed yesterday with an incorrect reso.#, so this is a correction of that email. r—
Aloha Council Members,
I urge you to defeat this resolution, which intends to try to prevent the County from being forced to comply with the
Clean Water Act.
I urge you to reject the funds requested by the mayor to hire outside counsel to fight Hui Ma/ama Honokohau v.
County of Hawaii.
For decades, the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment plant has released millions of gallons of treated sewage
into groundwater that flows into our Honokohau Harbor, causing irreversible damage to the surrounding
nearshore waters and the countless lives that depend on them. There are so many resorts over there needing
water for their landscaping; that treated sewage could be recycled to water and fertilize the plantings and golf
courses.
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. Instead, please use your powers to urge the administration to settle the litigation, make the
necessary changes to Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant, and do what is right for Hawai'i's environment
and people.
Mahalo nui loa,
Ann Kobsa, PhD Biologist
Koa'e, Puna
Comm. •. 0 •
Ref. To:
1 Ref. Date .v1; _ b