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Home My WebLink About2024-03-12 PL-SMA-2023-000046 Rebecca Melendez Opposition Testimony From: Rebecca Melendez To: WPCtestimony Subject: Oppose SMA PERMIT TO DEVELOPE PUNALU"U BLACK SAND BEACH Date: Tuesday, March 12,2024 6:18:29 AM Please, say NO to SMA PERMIT TO DEVELOPE PUNALU'U BLACK SAND BEACH because not only will the wild life there like the endangered Honu turtle be affected negatively, but the amount of people in the ocean will affect the coral reef there as well, and the toxic sprays from the developer's landscapes, and golf course will run right into the ocean there and pollute this area drastically, and the Big Island's resources are already having negative issues from all the development that has already been approved. Please, read all the articles below because they show that Big Island resources are being seriously negatively affected by all the developments that have been approved. Plus, you have approved even more developments for future years to come and the island needs to slow down development to learn how its resources will be affected in the future, because right now the island's resources are being affected negatively and we can't afford to approve even more development without considering what is happening to the Big Island's resources. What is happening to Big Island Resources 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- rop blem 2) Hawaii Island Has Decades of Landfill Space But Still Faces Challenges In Dealing With Its Waste Hawai'i 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 3)"What happens to Hawaii Island's trash and recyclables? BY MICHELLE BRODER VAN DYKE HAWAII ISLAND PUBLISHED 11:30 AM ET DEC. 17, 2022 By Michelle Broder Van Dyke 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 4) "The overwhelming plastic waste Hawaii visitors leave behind By Natasha BourlinAug 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-hawai i-visitors-leave-beh i nd- 18286076.php 5) "A county commission drafts ordinance aiming to ban recyclables at West Hawaii landfill By Megan Moseley September 6, 2023 • 1:00 AM HST * Updated September 6, 2023 • 2:02 PM Hawaii 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://bi0island now,com/2023/09/06/new-draft- ord i nance-aims-to-ba n-recyclables-at-west-hawaii-landfill/ 6) " 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 Honok6hau Deepwell over the weekend." https:Hbigislandnow.com/2023/08/07/hawaii-county-issues-mandatory-25-water- restriction-for-north-kona/ 7) "Hawai`i 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.bigisiandvideonews.com/2023/11/06/water-supply-closely-monitored-as- hawai%CA%BBi-under-severe-drought/ 8) "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.civiIbeat.org/2024/02/concerns-about-water-qual ity-prompt-a-lawsuit- over-a-kona-sewage-plant/ 9) "Researchers find sewage from an oceanfront Big Island community reaches nearshore waters Hawaii Public Radio I By Russell Subiono, Sophia McCullough Published December 20, 2021 at 5:56 PM HST There are nearly 50,000 cesspools on the Big Island, with tens of thousands posing a risk to water resources, according to the Hawai'i Department of Health." https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/the-conversation/2021-12-20/researchers-find- sewage-from-an-oceanfront-big-island-community-reaches-nearshore-waters 10) Has this issue been fixed? It's going on 3 years since this article was written. "Kona coast faces stark wastewater tradeoffs Current situation There are approximately 88,000 cesspools across the state, releasing more than 200,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day to the environment. https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2021/09/1 0/kona-stark-wastewater-tradeoffs/ 11) "BIG ISLAND NEWS HECO restores power after initiating emergency outages on Big Island by: Elizabeth 'Ufi Posted: Jan 30, 2024 / 09:43 AM HST Updated: Jan 30, 2024 / 04:15 PM HST An unexpected loss of several large Hawaii Electric generators left some residents on Big Island without power for parts of the morning on Tuesday, Jan. 30." https://www.khon2.com/big-island-news/heco-initiates-30-min-rolling-outages-after- loss-of-generators/ 12) Hawai'i State News Update: Hawaiian Electric initiates rolling outages throughout Big Island February 13, 2024 5:23 PM HST * Updated February 14, 2024 4:21 PM The emergency outages are being initiated in various areas around the entire island to prevent loss of power to an even greater number of customers. The timing and extent of the outages will depend on the amount of demand on the system and the availability of generators." https://big island now,com/2024/02/13/hawaii-island- customers-asked-to-red u ce-electricity-use/ 13) "LOCAL NEWS HECO issues rolling power outages around Big Island by: Emily Cervantes Posted: Feb 13, 2024 / 05:11 PM HST Updated: Feb 13, 2024 / 09:12 PM HST Hawaiian Electric initiated rolling outages for Big Island after several large generators became unavailable and reduced output Tuesday night." https://www.khon2.com/local-news/heco-releases-conservation-alert-for-big-island/ 14) "Here's how power outages can have repercussions for HawaiTs water supply Hawaii Public Radio I By Savannah Harriman-Pote Published February 13, 2024 at 10:59 AM HST Water departments on Oahu and Hawaii Island have advised customers to conserve water ahead of possible storm-related power outages this month. But what does the power grid have to do with the water supply? It is impossible to separate Hawai`i's power system from its water system, said Kawika Uyehara, deputy director of Hawai'i County's Department of Water Supply." https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2024-02-13/residents-on-hawaii-island- and-oah u-are-asked-to-conserve-water-amid-power-outages These articles show that Big Island resources are currently being affected negatively from the development on island, there are years of new developement that has already been approved, and even more development is still being approved before learning if the island's resources can handle more development. Please say NO to this and other developments. Please start to research what is happening to the Big Island Resources before approving future developments. Thank you, Sincerely, Rebecca Melendez