Bill > SB848

This bill establishes a Desalination Planning Task Force within the Department of Land and Natural Resources to comprehensively study the potential for using desalination (a water treatment process that removes salt from seawater to make it drinkable) as a water source in Hawaii. The task force will include representatives from various state agencies, including health, agriculture, water resource management, Hawaiian affairs, and county water supply departments. Their mandate is to conduct a detailed study examining water demand across housing, agriculture, and industrial sectors, assess the feasibility of desalination for supplementing existing water resources, and evaluate potential challenges such as environmental impacts, energy consumption, cultural site preservation, and brine disposal. Specifically, the task force will investigate how desalination could help meet future water needs and improve water system resilience, particularly in light of recent water crises like the Red Hill Fuel Storage Facility contamination. The group is required to submit a comprehensive report with findings and recommendations to the legislature by early 2026 and will dissolve on June 30, 2026. Task force members will serve without compensation but will be reimbursed for necessary expenses, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources will provide administrative support.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Budget and Finance

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=848&year=2026