HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-01-16 George MagoonFrom: George Magoon
To: W PCtesti mono
Cc: LPCtestimonv
Subject: County of Hawaii General Plan testimony 1-17-2025
Date:Thursday,January 16,2025 3:29:57 PM
County of Hawaii General Plan
George Magoon testimony
1-17-2025
My Name is George 'Keoki" Magoon, born and raised in Honolulu Hawaii and familiar with
visiting Kona Hawaii as a keiki since 1956 pre State Hood. I would like to provide testimony on
the County of Hawaii General Plan.
I am very familiar with the lands and ocean of the Big Island from living full time off and on the
island since 1970. 1 own a home in Kohala and a farm in Keopu Hawaii.
The unique Big Island has some very dynamic concerns because it is made mainly out of
volcanic rock, ash and cinder. It's also a very large island with active volcanic activity, quakes,
shakes and movement. This factor does create some very serious and different environmental
concerns from a development stand point. The fact is that the land is porous, and all liquids/
pollutants quickly drop down into the lower levels below the island and enters or drains into
the ocean very quickly. Sewage and other pollutants can quickly affect and kill coral and affect
other marine life. Golf course fertilizers, nitrogen, soap and cleansers, house hold and yard
cleaners, pesticides, does have a direct impact on the shoreline because of run off either on
the surface or underground. An example is high levels of nitrogen or other toxins is killing the
coral, or other recent impacts that create algae blooms supporting ciguatera toxin growth
have affected the reef fish, poisoning the fish. We never had to worry about eating reef fish
before major development took place on the island. There are also the more recent serious
concerns from the human sewage entering the oceans and water ways creating new toxins
and resistant bacterium that are dangerous to Human health, such as the flesh eating
bacteria. Some of the new bacteria can eat bone, plastic and metal. I have personally gotten a
scratch from an ophi shell next to the Milolii shoreline and am now dealing with a bacterium
eating at my bone next to my knee replacement implant. This is a new serious concern that
can affect all of us especially people with implants, including other kinds of implants. I don't
want our keiki swimming in pollution. This is not a joke and is a real concern only to get
worse!
In my opinion, and for the well being of the people on this island, this sewage concern is too
important to be left up to the individual home owner or small developer to provide sewage
treatment plants , and maintenance . I think that all sewage plants should be built and
maintained by the city and county, State and Federal level for all the houses, businesses,
development on the Big island so only clean water enters the ocean. We can no longer
expect the small developers to provide sewage treatment plants and services. It's not realistic
or cost effective for the small guy to provide these multi million dollar services. On the Island
of Hawaii, there are cesspools or septic tank scattered around the island that are leaching
into the water table. In my opinion, This General Plan and the County of Hawaii plan has not
done enough and needs to coordinate a large share of county funds to address the federal
clean water act goal of obtaining zero or near zero micro pollutants by 2045.
There is also the concern about all the ships, cruise ships, private and navy ships that are not
required to pump their sewage into shoreline sewage treatment plants. I believe that this is a
major environmental and hazardous concern to all of the people of Hawaii and the marine life
because of their minimal requirements dumping their affluent into the ocean. One of our main
food sources is swimming in pollution. We need to do more to clean up our oceans, it is one
of our most precious resources that has been overlooked for too long! This General Plan
needs to address all of the island resources!
On a separate note,
Water Catchment needs to stay. It reduces the cost of providing power and maintenance to
pumps that has to suck water up from the water table to tanks fifteen hundred feet in
elevation. It is a readily available resource that benefits a huge number of residents. There are
many legal subdivisions that currently depend on catchment. There is not enough capacity to
provide the piping and pumps to provide additional water services to all of the houses relying
on catchment. There is no money for this and it would be unfair to impose additional, very
expensive requirements on catchment users.
Thank You for allowing me to voice my concerns about the General Plan.
Respectfully Submitted by email,
George Magoon
1-17-2025
George Magoon
808-640-0309