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Committee backs DLNR-led desalination task force study, agrees to extend reporting deadline to 2027
Summary
The House Committee on Water & Land approved SCR 54 with the Department of Land and Natural Resources' requested amendments to extend the task force's reporting deadline to 2027. DLNR and water utilities said the study will rely on existing county and utility research; witnesses urged inclusion of cultural and historical preservation concerns.
The House Committee on Water & Land voted to pass SCR 54 (with DLNR amendments) to convene a statewide desalination planning task force and to push the report deadline back to 2027. The hearing took place April 10, 2025, in Conference Room 411 at the State Capitol.
Why it matters: Several island counties rely on groundwater aquifers and are considering desalination as a supplement to freshwater supply. DLNR told the committee the scope and complexity of a statewide assessment requires additional time and staff resources; the department requested the deadline be moved to the 2027 legislative session to allow a more comprehensive report.
What officials said
- Kira Kahane of the DLNR Commission on Water Resource Management said DLNR "support[s] the intent of this task force" but urged extending the reporting deadline because a statewide desalination study is a substantial effort. She noted standing committee report 1428 from a prior committee concurred with a time extension.
- Kathy Mitchell of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply testified in support and said the Board already operates desalination work and will be available to assist.
- Melody Young, testifying for CARES, urged planning that accounts for watershed and cultural protections; she recommended including the Oahu Historic Preservation Commission and Office of Hawaiian Affairs in planning because desalination facility siting and construction could affect historical and cultural sites.
DLNR's approach and constraints
DLNR told the committee it plans to rely on existing studies by county water boards and the Department of Health and to coordinate with counties that have already commissioned desalination feasibility work. DLNR also said the resolution does not include an appropriation; the agency is asking for more time because the task requires staffing and resources not currently appropriated to the department.
Committee action
The committee adopted DLNR's technical amendments to change the report deadline to 2027 (HD1) and voted to pass SCR 54 SD 1 out of committee with those amendments.
What the resolution does not do
SCR 54 creates or urges a planning and study process; it does not appropriate funds for construction or commit any county to implementing desalination projects. DLNR described the resolution as a direction to study and coordinate rather than a funding authorization.
Next steps
DLNR will compile the study, drawing on county and utility research, and return a report under the amended schedule. The committee recorded the vote to pass SCR 54 SD 1 with the HD1 extension to 2027.
