CALL TO ORDER: Acting Chair Edward Laws called the meeting to order at 6:50 pm.

MEMBERS PRESENT: Jeff Harris, Mark Heckman, Alex Ho, Ed Laws, Fred Madlener, Toby Rushforth and Christine Woolaway. There was a quorum.

EXCUSED:  Steve Holmes

CONSULTANT: Eugene Dashiell.

CSF: Judy Nakamura.

GUESTS: Randy Rush (State Dept of Health), Steve Kubota (Ahupua’a Action Alliance), Doug Kroll, Susan Miller and Wendy Wiltse (Kailua residents), Jennifer Frederick (Hawaii Pacific University – Marine Environmental Science Program), Barbara Brooks (Dept. of Health, Toxicology Dept), Lisa Ferentinos (Waimanalo Health Center) and Keith Endow (student intern).

COMMENTS FROM THE COMMUNITY:

Steve Kubota – Ko`olaupoko Sustainable Communities Plan – A draft Ko`olaupoko Sustainable Communities Plan (SCP), June 1999, has been released by the Department of Planning and Permitting, City and County of Honolulu. It has been prepared in accordance with City Charter requirement for "Development Plans" but because Ko`olaupoko is envisioned to remain relatively stable, the plan has been entitled "Sustainable Communities Plan."

The vision of Ko`olaupoko focuses on protection of natural, scenic, cultural, historic and agricultural resources and the improvement of public facilities to support a relatively stable population with changing needs.

A key element of the vision is the adaptation of the "ahupua`a" concept in land use and natural resource management. The ahupua`a system recognizes the interconnected relationship between land-base and marine-base natural resources, especially in an island environment. Adapting and implementing the concept will require significant cooperation and integration of efforts among the various units of government whose jurisdictions encompass all or part of each ahupua`a.

The Ko`olaupoko SCP will be submitted to the Planning Commission which will hold public hearings before sending the SCP to the City Council for adoption by Ordinance.

Information can be downloaded from: http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/Mayor/vision/plans/

Steve recommended that KBAC participate in the up-coming public hearings and consider submitting testimony on matters that will impact water quality issues in Ko`olaupoko. He also suggested that KBAC should consider using the framework of the City’s Plan to develop a "Ko`olaupoko Ahupua`a Resources Management Plan" to complement the City’s effort and to focus on BMP’s and Traditional and Customary Practices (TCP’s) that empower Ahupua`a Based Communities to implement water quality improvement projects.

For more information please contact Steve at: Phone 235-1279

TECHNICAL PROGRAM REPORT - Eugene Dashiell Coordinator

Gene introduced Keith Endow. He is one of the interns selected to help implement the Technical program this summer. He will be using ArcView to use the tax key maps to extract information for the DOT erosion control.

Randy Rush (Dept. of Health) – Under the Federal Unified Watershed Assessment Plan, Koolaupoko has been identified as priority #1 for Oahu. $10,000 is available to KBAC to use to procure a contractor who would be able to meet EPA and the State DOH guidelines. After reviewing Dashiell’s "Preliminary Water Quality Problem Identification" report, Randy noted that the document falls short on restoration. It is missing a time-line to address the issues and cost estimates to complete the project. Eugene will continue to meet with Randy and report back at the next meeting,

Technical program report:

Erosion control initiative – Eugene and member Holmes met with George Tonaki of DOT-Highways to discuss erosion control initiatives. One of the student interns will be tasked to ascertain ownership of selected sites then Gene will return to DOT with the information to meet again, probably with other planners.

Kailua-Enchanted Lake – Gene is continuing work on this subject and has been in contact with city personnel. One of the student interns is assisting to assemble information on this issue in preparation for the fact sheet.

Stream GPS work – An expert with GPS/GIS is willing to work one day a week with student interns to help train them and to complete the stream mapping work. Gene will proceed to get this work underway.

GIS – The contractor, GDSI, provided meta-data advice. Meta-data are short files which describe the quality and type of data (the who/when/where) which is the basis for a GIS layer.

TMDL (Temporary Maximum Daily Load) - Sterling Yong of DLNR described the Flood Control/Stream Water Quality contract which DLNR intends to initiate very shortly with a local firm. This project will be completed in about 18 months and have a community involvement component. The outcomes of this work will be beneficial to KBAC in that this is a basic engineering project which will describe flooding, the alternatives to remedy flooding, and include discussions on water quality and non-point source pollution and potential remedies.

Newsletter – The newsletter will be edited and revised and sent to the council members again for input before final printing and distribution to the communities.

Roots and Wings - This organization has been providing assistance to some elementary schools in Kaneohe with subject matter on streams, watersheds and land use. Amy Luerson will be meeting with Gene to inform him of the groups’ agenda.

VOLUNTEER WATER QUALITY MONITORING COORDINATOR – Donna Ashizawa Coordinator

Watershed mapping – No new streams were surveyed during the past month but workshops on the subject of GPS data transfer and GIS map building were presented to teachers, volunteers, student interns, and a State DLNR individual.

Universities Council on Water Resources’ Conference "Water: Lessons of World Development", June 29-July 2, 1999 – Donna attended this conference held at Waikoloa, Hawaii, to present a paper with Dr. Dave Krupp on "Using GIS and the Internet for Watershed Education and Outreach" and also gave a live demonstration using the ESRI ArcView software.

ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS – Chair Ed Laws presiding

Approval of June 8, 1999 minutes. The minutes were approved.

Barbara Brooks (toxicologist with the Dept. of Health) – Barbara handed out brochures (written in five languages) that warns people of contaminated fish and shellfish. It states that fish and shellfish from Pearl Harbor and urban streams in Honolulu may contain chemicals that can be hazardous to ones health. The brochures have been handed out to students to take back to their parents.

Comprehensive studies on fish advisories for the Ala Wai Canal and Pearl Harbor along with a risk assessment of the Ala Wai Canal have been done. They have concluded that eating fish over a long period of time would pose a risk if one ate the fish. What should be done? Signs have been posted along the canal and a brochure has been distributed to the schools. Even with the advisories out, people are continuing to fish and eat the fish from the canal. Barbara guesses that the other urban streams would have the same problems as the Ala Wai but data is not available.

Lisa Ferentinos (Project Coordinator, Waimanalo Community Water Quality Project) – A partnership was proposed with KBAC to address concerns identified by the community which overlap with "The Preliminary Water Quality Problem Identification" report drafted by Gene Dashiell. They are seeking support from KBAC to create a full-fledged watershed restoration action that would meet EPA and DOH guidelines so that they can qualify for federal funding available under the Clean Water Action Plan. After much discussion it was decided that Lisa would produce a time line and document what they intend to accomplish and continue to communicate with KBAC.

Letter of resignation – Member Holmes has e-mailed a letter of resignation to Chair Laws.

The following are tentative KBAC dates for future meetings to be held at Windward Community College:

                    Aug. 16, 1999 (MONDAY) Hale Alakai #118

                    Sept. 14, 1999 Tuesday                 "

                    Oct. 12, 1999 "                         "

                    Nov. 9, 1999 "                         "

                    Dec. 14, 1999 "                         "

ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned by Acting Chair Edward Laws at 10:30 pm.



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