Hawaii approved Amendment 5, an addition to the state’s constitution that authorizes the sale of special purpose revenue bonds meant to fund the improvement or maintenance of dams and reservoirs to current safety standards.
There are 138 dams in the inventory of Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), according to the agency. Of those, 77% of the regulated dams are privately owned and 35 regulated dams are owned by government entities (six have been either removed or breached).
A similar measure was defeated by voters in 2012.
The Waita Dam on Kauai is the state’s largest dam and it has a maximum storage of 9,900 acre-feet and a surface area of more than 420 acres. Wahiawa Dam is second largest, with a maximum storage of 9,200 acre-feet and a surface area of about 300 acres.
Alexander Dam, also on Kauai, is the state’s tallest dam with a 113-foot embankment height. Water from this dam is used for irrigation as well as hydropower.
The longest facility, Kualapuu Reservoir — also known as Molokai Reservoir — is of earthen construction and it has a recorded dam embankment of 7,100 feet.
Hawaii passes dam safety funding legislation - HydroWorld
No comments:
Post a Comment