HI HB905

Requires the University of Hawaii, in consultation with the Commission on Water Resource Management, to develop a scope of work and cost analysis for a flexible groundwater model.

The groundwater model must propose methods for determining the needs of traditional and customary Native Hawaiian practices, climate change projections, and groundwater dependent ecosystems.

University of Hawaii must submit a report with findings, recommendations, scope of work, costs, and any proposed legislation to the legislature no later than November 1, 2023.

Addresses concerns that current sustainable yield determinations use oversimplified models that fail to account for uncertainties related to freshwater recharge and other factors affecting groundwater quality and quantity.