HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0721.005 2012-2014 National Park Service Kaloko-Honok6hau 73-4786 Kanalani Street#14
"ATONwk U.S.Department of the Interior National Historical Park Kailua-Kona,Hawai'i 96740
808 329-6881 Phone
808 329-2597 Fax
Kaloko-Honok®hau COUNTY OF HAWAPI
March 18, 2014 RECEIVED
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Aloha Chairwoman Wille and Committee Members. Date R'•`�a�^'t• --
My name is Peter Fahmy and I work for the National Park Service as an advisor on water rights
and water resource issues. I have also worked as a water rights attorney for over twenty-five
years, first for the State of Colorado and then for the National Park Service. I am delighted to be
here today to listen to Mr. Young's presentation and follow your earnest deliberations regarding
your county's stewardship of its unique cultural and natural resources. Having had the distinct
pleasure of watching the webcast of your last meeting on this matter, I came away gratified by
the deep level of engagement of the entire Council in this important matter of public policy.
In your role as crafters of the county's future, I know that you confront a vast assortment of
important public policy challenges. Yet, I would venture to say that there are few issues that are
more important to a community than the security of its water resources and the ability of those
resources to meet the economic, social, environmental, and cultural needs of the community. In
my experience,the issue of water security has become increasingly urgent given the probability
of changes,man-made or otherwise, in long-term weather patterns and sea levels. This sense of
urgency spans the globe,prompting even local decision-makers such as a city councilman in Fort
Collins, Colorado,to question that city's water carrying capacity.
To the first Hawaiians,the necessity of managing an island's water resources to ensure water
security was self-evident. As successors to the resourceful former inhabitants of Kaloko-
Honok6hau National Historical Parks,the National Park Service seeks to honor their wisdom by
working with all interested persons, businesses, and organizations to strengthen the water
security of this special part of Kona. The citizens of Hawaii County recognized the importance
of this task when they voted to approve an amendment to the County's charter that mandated the
development and use of its water resources in a manner consistent with the protection of the
County's public trust resources.
Of course, an essential element of promoting water security is the "precautionary principle."This
proactive approach to safeguarding water resources was stressed by the Hawaii Supreme Court
when it declared that"[w]here scientific evidence is preliminary and not yet conclusive
regarding the management of fresh water resources which are part of the public trust, it is
prudent to adopt"precautionary principles' in protecting the resource." This admonition guides
the National Park Service's management of all of the resources in its care. The National Park
Service, like this council, is a guardian of irreplaceable natural and cultural resources of
inestimable value to the residents of this island.
In my career with the National Park Service, I have participated in numerous collaborative
processes to strengthen the water security of areas in and around national parks. Fundamental to
each successful outcome was a framework to manage the development and use of the area's
water resources. The National Park Service stands ready to assist the county council as it
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embarks on fulfilling the County Charter's vision of the implementation of an approach to the
development and use of the island's water resources that ensures the protection of public trust
resources and,thereby honors the wisdom borne from the experience of the island's first
Hawaiians. ,
Thank you for your time and attention.
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'The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage,