HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
202 |
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015 |
H.D. 1 |
|
STATE OF HAWAII |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, AND THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU TO TAKE NECESSARY STEPS TO EXPEDITE CONSTRUCTION FOR THE EXPANSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE REPLACEMENT WASH-DOWN STATIONS AT MAUNALUA BAY.
WHEREAS, Maunalua Bay in Hawaii Kai on the island of Oahu is a favorite spot for canoe paddlers, boaters, kayakers, fishers, and picnickers; and
WHEREAS, Maunalua Bay once had four wash-down stations, located away from the vehicle traffic of the bay, where boaters could safely wash their boats and other belongings after returning from the ocean; and
WHEREAS, deterioration of the wash-down area pavement, and Department of Health regulations prohibiting water run-off from draining directly into the ocean, forced the State to relocate the wash-down stations to a different location at Maunalua Bay; and
WHEREAS, the new wash-down stations can only accommodate three boats and are configured so that usually only two boats can use the stations at one time; and
WHEREAS, the new wash-down stations lack proper lighting, are located in an area of high vehicle traffic, add to the traffic congestion of the bay and Hawaii Kai Drive, and are dangerous to use; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Land and Natural Resources is working toward expanding and improving the new wash-down stations, but is encountering difficulty due to some of the land for the proposed expansion area being owned by the City and County of Honolulu; and
WHEREAS, expansion and improvement of the new wash-down stations require certification from the Department of Health that any resulting discharge will not violate applicable water quality standards, in accordance with section 401(a)(1) of the federal Clean Water Act; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Health is required under state law to adopt rules specifying a maximum time period to grant or deny a business- or development-related permit, license, or approval; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Health has adopted rules providing that if the Director of Health fails or refuses to act on a request for certification within one year after receipt of a complete water quality certification application, then specified certification requirements must be waived with respect to the concurrently required federal application; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Health's responses to government and private sector applications are often issued more than two years following the submission of a complete application; and
WHEREAS, the time required to obtain a water quality certification is unreasonably long, is not consistent with the intent set forth in section 91-13.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and results in costly delays to both government and private applicants; and
WHEREAS, the timely approval or disapproval of applications is a reasonable expectation and is necessary for applicants to accurately budget for and implement capital improvements and natural resource management projects; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Health, and City and County of Honolulu are urged to take necessary steps to expedite construction for the expansion and improvement of the replacement wash-down stations at Maunalua Bay; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, the Director of Health, and the Mayor and Council Chairperson of the City and County of Honolulu.
Maunalua Bay; Wash-Down Stations; Repair; DLNR; DOH; Honolulu