HI SR36

Request that the Department of Land and Natural Resources convene a Desalination Planning Task Force to examine whether desalination is feasible for large-scale water consumption in Hawaii.

Task Force composition includes the Chairperson of the Commission on Water Resource Management (as Chair), Director of Health, Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, Chief Executive Officer of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, legislative committee chairs on water and land, and county water supply directors.

Task Force shall conduct studies on state water demand, examine desalination feasibility as a supplement to groundwater and surface water, assess impacts on future water needs and system resiliency, and determine integration with overall water management plans.

Task Force must evaluate environmental concerns including high energy consumption and brine disposal, and consider effects on historical sites, Native Hawaiian cultural sites, burial sites, and Native Hawaiian practices.

Task Force shall submit findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the 2026 Regular Session and dissolve on June 30, 2026.