THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

48

THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

urging the department of agriculture to restrict the development of another dairy farm on the current big island dairy site in ookala, hawaii.

 

 


     WHEREAS, for the last seven years, the Big Island Dairy has been wantonly polluting the land surrounding its dairy farm located in Ookala, Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, residents of Ookala have long complained about releases of manure-laden water from the Big Island Dairy into the nearby gulches that run through or next to the Ookala community; and

 

     WHEREAS, a discharge in May 2018 released more than two million gallons of rain and wastewater during a period of three days; and

 

     WHEREAS, in August 2018, heavy rain from Hurricane Lane caused a wastewater pond at the Dairy to overflow, sending untreated effluent into a nearby gulch; and

 

     WHEREAS, on December 24, 2018, the Big Island Dairy discharged nearly six hundred thousand gallons of wastewater into Kaohaoha Gulch; and

 

     WHEREAS, a lawsuit was filed against the Big Island Dairy alleging violations of the Federal Clean Water Act, and the Big Island Dairy has since reached a legal settlement and must shut down dairy operations on or about April 30, 2019; and

 

     WHEREAS, the land of the former Big Island Dairy is still currently polluted and should remain unused for dairy purposes; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Agriculture is urged to disallow any other dairy from operating on the same site as the Big Island Diary located in Ookala, Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is urged to not issue any environmental permits for the current Big Island Dairy site located in Ookala, Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture and Director of Health.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Department of Agriculture; Department of Health; Big Island Dairy; Dairy; Pollution; Wastewater; Environmental Permit