Schatz Convenes Water Sustainability Forum
Over One Hundred People Attend Event on Hawai‘i’s Water Supply and Infrastructure
Honolulu, HI—Over a hundred people gathered today to attend an open forum on water sustainability that Senator Brian Schatz convened in Honolulu. The forum focused on current and future water supply and management issues. In convening this discussion, Senator Schatz aims to ensure that his legislative priorities are supportive of Hawai‘i’s most urgent needs and that policymakers in Hawaii are aware of relevant federal resources.
“Thank you to the panelists and concerned citizens who attended today’s forum on water supply and infrastructure in Hawai‘i,” said Senator Brian Schatz. “By working with our communities and federal and local agencies, I am confident that we can come up with forward-looking solutions. And as the chair of the Senate Energy Committee’s Subcommittee on Water and Power, I am committed to ensuring water sustainability in Hawai‘i.”
Topics and invited speakers at today’s event included:
1) An overview of water resources and water management issues in Hawaii.
-William Aila – Chairman, State Commission on Water Resources
-Bill Tam – Deputy Director, State Commission on Water Resources
-Ernie Lau – Manager and Chief Engineer, Honolulu Board of Water Supply
-Neil Hannahs – Director for Strategic Integration of the Land Assets Division, Kamehameha Schools
2) Climate change implications for water supply and management.
-Dr. Charles Fletcher – Associate Dean, University of Hawaii School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology
-Dr. Victoria Keener – Research Fellow, East-West Center and manager of the Pacific Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments program
-Richard Wallsgrove – Program Manager, Blue Planet
3) Federal resources available to help address water supply and management issues in Hawaii.
-Stephen Anthony – Director, U.S. Geological Survey Water Science Center
-Debbie Solis – Project Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil & Public Works Branch
-Loyal Mehrhoff – Field Supervisor of Pacific Islands Office, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
-Chris Kanazawa – State Director, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development
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