Neil Abercrombie: “I rise today to support, S. 264, the Hawaii Water Resources Act of 2005. This legislation will authorize Federal funds…”

“I rise today to support, S. 264, the Hawaii Water Resources Act of 2005. This legislation will authorize Federal funds for three urgently needed water projects in the State of Hawaii. Madame Speaker, several years ago our State suffered through 5 years of drought conditions. Due to dangerous drops in our water levels, water usage was restricted to prevent saltwater from entering our pumps. Today, there is no drought and water conservation measures continue to be taught in schools and publicized. However, these three water development projects will make tremendous strides in ensuring a stable water supply for our growing island State and conserve the limited water supplies we do have. Because of the importance of these projects, I introduced the companion measure, H.R. 843, and wholeheartedly support this legislation. H.R. 843/S. 264 would authorize three projects that would help the State of Hawaii implement long-term management plans for our most limited natural resource, fresh water. The Kalaeloa Desalination Project would be built on Oahu, home to 72 percent of the State's population. It is estimated that water use rates on this island will begin exceeding recharge rates in 2018. This problem is particularly evident on the western side of Oahu which has a secondary urban center, Kapolei, which has experienced a population explosion in recent years. Kapolei is a planned community whose population is expected to increase by 70 percent in the next 20 years.…”