[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6158680,"mediaKeyId","5457759-23d0f95947a6f4d2c0274fd0e6fb12d2","parentId",5457759,"title","City facility maintenance briefs council on stream maintenance challenges and proposed stormwater master planning","audioSeconds",3940,"startMs",4408000,"endMs",8348000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5457759-23d0f95947a6f4d2c0274fd0e6fb12d2&start=4408&end=8348","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5457759-23d0f95947a6f4d2c0274fd0e6fb12d2/thumbnail_4408000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6158680/Honolulu-City/Honolulu-County/Hawaii/City-facility-maintenance-briefs-council-on-stream-maintenance-challenges-and-proposed-stormwater-master-planning","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6158680-6e491e9c50bed1236cd4a0bbeb5ffa5a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770951743&Signature=BCgnG2ifmmVis0uo37sunSst0u7PivETWAsyW9CMiQr4pGDA9s6ad7Vhpt6icVrZzGGIJNph23z0Dfkc8hncpDIMNbGZTGlPBWdKIRTYUedPWKzS0zHl1iSY8h1Dw8mAMK4zLzxHGCEe4wyxOm2C-h9gq48HyXVXhPRtlvtGb2JxNXDeTD78r~3mbAhUA66lPMiQwEL~Um0vapOCWuoprLWd2Mu37LXoispEyTCM9rE3TPfxDhI~6LZ6KTawbhS5I8rqrYFDiUz68KEkOHzbE7JBddiIhSbvgEgPUqLi0nyJ-zgfZS4-L3RMxqoNBLztP5gkWLPwCfIOZntrryFOeQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Honolulu, HI","date","2025-07-24T04:03:00.49Z","article","The Honolulu Department of Facility Maintenance on July 23 told the City Council Committee on Infrastructure, Transportation and Technology that aging streams and stormwater infrastructure, limited equipment and operator resources, and staffing vacancies constrain the city’s ability to maintain drainage and stream channels.

Gene Albano, director and chief engineer for the Department of Facility Maintenance, summarized the department’s role and said stormwater has been less resourced than drinking water or wastewater. The department presented current maintenance practices, permitting constraints and a proposed three‑part master‑planning process that it says will support long‑term asset management.

Chief Tyler Sugihara and drainage engineer Thomas Takeuchi described how routine stream maintenance is carried out under U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits and state water‑quality certifications. Takeuchi said the city’s stream maintenance permit issued in September 2019 covered 92 streams and had a five‑year term that was administratively extended while the Army Corps updates permit rules; another dredging permit issued in February 2022 remains effective through its five‑year term.

“Some of our city easements that get access to these streams are then removed because of development,” Albano said, adding that limited public access points and changing development patterns complicate maintenance scheduling.

Department staff showed examples of permitted “stream‑out” dredging where long‑reach excavators remove sand plugs at stream mouths and non‑permitted maintenance where crews clear vegetation and debris from drier channel segments. Staff said the city must notify the Corps and the Department of Health for permitted maintenance and that emergency stream‑mouth openings — to reduce imminent flood risk — are coordinated with the Department of Emergency Management.

Randall Wakimoto, program administrator for stormwater quality, presented cost estimates and planning needs. He said the city currently spends about $116 million per year on stormwater services (capital and operations) and projected that near‑term needs could raise the annual average to about $173 million. Wakimoto said deferred maintenance and emergency repairs are more expensive than proactive replacement: unplanned emergency response can cost seven to eight times more than proactive work.

Wakimoto outlined three complementary planning efforts the department is pursuing: a drainage/flooding and climate‑adaptation master plan funded from the city’s Climate Resiliency Fund (CRF), a condition assessment of pipes and culverts funded from stormwater operating budgets, and a green stormwater infrastructure plan funded with EPA Clean Water State Revolving Funds. The department said it hopes to execute the drainage/climate contract and the asset‑condition work in the coming year and to begin the green‑infrastructure planning toward a loan agreement in 2026.

Road Division officials said progress has been made on staffing: vacancy rates in road maintenance have fallen from about 45% to roughly 33% over two years, and the department is hiring equipment operator trainers and pursuing in‑house commercial driver’s license certification to accelerate workforce readiness. The division also reported recent purchases of long‑reach excavators and plans to add a second long‑reach machine in November to increase maintenance capacity.

The department is implementing CityWorks as a work‑order and asset‑management platform to track inspections, materials, equipment use and labor time for stream and drainage work. Staff said CityWorks will help quantify resources needed for future schedules and that historical gaps — including a long pause in permitted heavy‑equipment work while permits were renewed — left the department catching up.

Council members asked about: coordinating maintenance where jurisdiction is split between state and county, scheduling and triggers for emergency stream‑mouth openings, and whether increased emergency calls disrupt regular maintenance plans. Department staff said emergency authorizations from DEM are typically granted within hours for imminent flood risk, and crews reprioritize work as conditions require.

Albano and staff asked the committee for continued council support and funding to allow the master planning work to proceed and to reduce emergency repairs by investing in condition assessments and prioritized capital projects. The department said better data and sustained funding will allow more proactive maintenance and address the long‑term backlog of aging drainage infrastructure.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025-07-23 Infrastructure, Transportation & Technology","oneSentenceSummary","The Department of Facility Maintenance told the council committee that stream permitting, aging infrastructure and equipment and staffing shortages limit maintenance work; the department is pursuing a data‑driven stormwater master plan and has identified funding sources for phased planning and condition assessments.","taxTitle","Honolulu City, Honolulu County, Hawaii","taxId",61746,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6158686,"State DOT outlines draft Energy Security and Waste Reduction Plan, extends public comment period",3883,499000,4382000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5457759-23d0f95947a6f4d2c0274fd0e6fb12d2&start=499&end=4382","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5457759-23d0f95947a6f4d2c0274fd0e6fb12d2/thumbnail_499000.jpg","/articles/6158686/Honolulu-City/Honolulu-County/Hawaii/State-DOT-outlines-draft-Energy-Security-and-Waste-Reduction-Plan-extends-public-comment-period","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6158686-95108239ac3c18099f89dce41fdb5091/orig.mp4?Expires=1770951743&Signature=i0pDMvaEjbJmZ1dsDylOGrp2JXgnkrwbypnlVHh25qd0sKHIdKRPqXYdjRPdDPCQ0Ba704y-dH6mwuqhlwZS7Kky4ryGo6yZrMMkhFASzGDpNk7Jct2E52pQ5j5moCmNAHHWFBtaT8EIEZrlWGLcJmh47hygnEZSKfHQ6099xBzcUh1X9-hJmWY66PW8pzdnNtRSbDJAHB8yvUOwllk1Nw3NqXqPKOqjEErYsnbckIAVWkFLToZLxHRsg9lS9LN-vhZ6Jd6jBTnEDfr-5qWJzHkoRsgHmO44qJrl8auYLL1b-rScxMSkYT0BThGwKCON1z27WUgh3QF2L3GfYPwxiA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Hawaii Department of Transportation on July 23 briefed the Honolulu City Council Committee on Infrastructure, Transportation and Technology on its draft Energy Security and Waste Reduction Plan and said the public comment period has been extended to Aug. 31.

The plan, presenters said, is intended to align the department’s actions with state climate targets that call for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 and for net‑negative emissions by 2045. Laura Kaʻakua, HDOT Energy Security and Community Outreach Manager, told the committee the draft will be revised annually for the first five years and that the department is scheduling additional community meetings focused on rural and underserved communities.

HDOT officials said transportation accounts for roughly half of Hawaii’s emissions and that the plan rests on three pillars: emissions reduction, energy security and affordability. The draft ranks strategies by expected impact across modes: clean fuels for aviation and marine, electrification for ground transportation and fuel‑demand reductions through multimodal options.

“[The plan] formalizes Hawaii Department of Transportation’s commitment to electrify and decarbonize transportation to meet the state's climate targets already set in law,” Kaʻakua said. Genevieve Hilliard Sullivan, HDOT resilience coordinator, noted that the plan is meant to be implemented in partnership with counties, industry and the public.

Priority actions HDOT listed for ground transportation include: expanding public electric‑vehicle charging; incentives to increase EV purchases; planning for EV battery recycling and disposal; working with rental car fleets and airport parking operators to promote fleet turnover to EVs; and coordinating county and state fleet electrification. The department said it already has public charging stations open in Kahului and at Aloha Tower and expects further stations across islands in the coming year.

Presenters said the draft sets interim electrification benchmarks for light‑duty vehicles and supportive policies: an 81% share target for new light‑duty vehicle sales to be electric by 2030 and a goal for 100% battery‑electric light‑duty vehicle sales by 2035. They identified complementary measures such as infrastructure incentives, sales‑tax exemptions and preferential registration rates for EVs, while acknowledging the need for an EV battery recycling plan before broad adoption.

The plan also proposes clean‑fuel strategies for aviation and marine sectors, including incentives or tax credits to increase the supply of sustainable aviation fuel and short‑term use of renewable diesel for ships, paired with longer‑term transitions to fuels such as e‑methanol or hydrogen. HDOT said some marine measures under discussion include limiting cruise calls and transitioning maritime operations to lower‑carbon fuels.

Representative Darius Kila, chair of the state House Transportation Committee, testified in person and urged that decarbonization not leave low‑income residents behind. Kila warned that some clean‑fuel options and port electrification carry higher near‑term costs and that the state and counties must consider impacts on small businesses, rental car operators and workers. He said rental car companies have in some cases tried EV fleets and found operational limits, and he raised concerns about supply, workforce training and the potential for higher costs to be passed to consumers.

Councilmember Dos Santos Tam (committee member) discussed declining fuel‑tax revenue as vehicles electrify and travel patterns change, noting Honolulu’s per‑county fuel tax has not been increased since 1989. HDOT and the council members discussed revenue alternatives such as road‑usage charges and congestion pricing as possible long‑term responses to shrinking fuel taxes.

Kaʻakua closed by repeating the department’s outreach schedule: two statewide Zoom public meetings set for the weekend of July 27 (afternoon) and July 28 (evening) and additional meetings targeted at rural or underserved communities in mid to late August. The department said the final plan is expected to be published in mid‑October. HDOT posted the draft and meeting information as Miscellaneous Communication 375 (2025).

HDOT asked for feedback from the council and county partners as the department finalizes the plan and continues consultations with the legislature, counties, utilities and industry.

Looking ahead, HDOT staff said the department plans to package several legislative measures into a clean‑transportation bill to support cleaner fuels, tax incentives and infrastructure investments, and that some measures will require coordination with the legislature and county partners.

Bottom line: The state DOT is advancing a multipronged draft that balances electrification, clean fuels and multimodal demand reductions, has extended its comment period to give more time for input, and seeks coordinated county‑state implementation while acknowledging cost, supply and equity challenges.","The Hawaii Department of Transportation presented a draft Energy Security and Waste Reduction Plan to the Honolulu City Council committee, highlighting targets for emissions reductions, electrification and clean fuels and announcing an extension of the public comment period to Aug. 31, with a planned final plan in mid‑October.","actionData","errors"]

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City facility maintenance briefs council on stream maintenance challenges and proposed stormwater master planning

State DOT outlines draft Energy Security and Waste Reduction Plan, extends public comment period