Why Conserve Water? Or, Let them drink Perrier

posted in: August 1990 | 0

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply says O`ahu residents should cut back. The daily newspapers exhort us to go easy on the lawn sprinklers, put a brick in the toilet tank, and make sure the faucet is not running as we brush our pearly whites.

No one should waste water, or any other resource. But are these sacrifices being asked of everyone — or, instead, is conservation being asked of those toward the bottom of the economic ladder so that those further up can pursue indulgent, water-wasteful customs?

A letter in a recent issue of WorldWatch magazine made the point nicely. Referring to what has happened in southern California, the writer, Michael D. DeLapa of Monterey, notes that “water conservation without growth management is simply an accommodation for more development. There must be demonstrable benefits for shorter showers and fewer car washes, not just the promise of another water-efficient shopping mall” — or, in Hawai`i, another: resort, golf course, or luxury home development.

But are the sermons on water conservation here matched by any mention of a rein on growth? The various documents that make up the Hawai`i Water Plan would most likely be the place to find that partnership, if it exists. Unfortunately, one can go through those reports with a fine-tooth comb and come up empty-handed so far as any linkage between growth and water is concerned.

What the county plans do is look at where growth is anticipated and work backwards from there. We have allowed for development that will increase water demand by so many million gallons a day, the county plans say. Now the only question is where or how do we get that water?

In a rational world, development would chase water. In Hawai`i, however, development flees water. Tourists like to golf in dry weather and have sunny days on the beach. But they want their fairways to be lush and resort grounds to be green — or so received wisdom has it. The result is water-intensive development in areas where natural water supplies are limited.

No proposal to banish or limit golf courses or place a moratorium on resort development will get very far. But there are ways of making sure that the people who make Hawai`i home are given as much consideration in the distribution of sweet water as are the foreign developers and their clients.

The single most important action people can take is to become involved in the ongoing development of the Hawai`i Water Plan. Workshops and public hearings are presumably going to be held over the next year. No calendar is available yet, but if you let the Division of Water Resource Management know you are interested, people there can place your name on a mailing list to receive information and schedules. Call or write the Division of Water Resource Management at the Department of Land and Natural Resources, 548-7619 (O`ahu).

At the local level, people can work with members of the County Councils, neighborhood boards and even developers themselves to try to condition permits for development on sound water-use planning. Landscaping should be appropriate to the setting. When possible (and not simply when cheap), brackish water or water from secondary sewage treatment plants should be used for irrigation.

At the state and county levels, building codes should be changed so that all new construction employs low-volume flush toilets and water-saving shower heads (with interruptible flow buttons). (A bill requiring low-volume toilets in new housing was heard at the Legislature this past session, but was opposed by the construction industry and the state housing agency.)

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply is to be commended for encouraging “xeriscaping” — landscaping with succulents and other not-so-thirsty plants. It might go a step further and encourage people to try to incorporate native species in their landscapes. Sometimes propagation of them is difficult, but it should be encouraged nonetheless.

Bottoms-Up Planning

Through public hearings, the state Commission on Water Resource Management has provided for a self-correcting process of plan development. Through review of the consultants’ reports, the public can point out problems and areas of concern. The Commission has given the public good reason to believe that the final Hawai`i Water Plan will take full account of these comments.

But this process is cumbersome, costly and time-consuming. Frequently that seems to be accepted as a necessary condition of democratic decision-making. But is it really?

Why not involve from the outset members of the public who are interested, knowledgeable and concerned? Consultants may still be hired to coordinate workshops and draft reports. But no longer would the same public that regularly reviews plans, environmental impact statements, and other ponderous policy documents have to wade through poorly written, poorly organized and padded reports. (Conscientious public officials would also be spared the same chore, we would note.)

The Hawai`i Stream Assessment proceeded along these lines. The result is a report that is cheaper and more reputable than any of the elements of the Hawai`i Water Plan.

The preliminary work to develop an Ocean Resources Management Plan seems to be headed in this direction also. Public workshops in all counties were held in late June, where the Hawai`i Ocean and Marine Resources Council encouraged all interested people to express their concerns and suggestions regarding any aspect of ocean or coastal activities. For more information, call the Ocean Resources Branch of the Department of Business and Economic Development, 548-7711 (O`ahi).

Volume 1, Number 2 August 1990

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