LIHUE ยป New state rules on dam safety could be too costly for landowners, several people testified yesterday at the first of four public hearings this week on proposed changes.
The main users of water from Hawaii’s reservoirs are farmers, and “farmers are struggling. It’s not a good time to tack on new fees,” said Howard Greene, representing major Kauai landowner Gay & Robinson.
Greene estimated that paying higher fees for dam safety requirements for its 13 reservoirs would cost Gay & Robinson $50,000 to $60,00 a year.
Proposed rules from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources will align the agency responsible for monitoring dam safety with laws on dam safety passed in 2007, said Edwin Matsuda, the department’s flood control and dam safety section chief.
The proposed rules include several new fees for dam owners, which help fund dam safety inspections, Matsuda said. There are also provisions for administrative fines and criminal penalties if there are violations.