House bill includes $30M in additional funding for Lahaina rebuild, watershed assessment

This year’s biennial water resources bill developed in US Congress would provide another $30 million for Maui County to rebuild damaged infrastructure as well as authorize an assessment of Lahaina’s watershed, if it passes, according to US Rep. Ed Case.

“This assessment that I requested jointly with Congresswoman Tokuda will identify ways infrastructure can be improved to reduce risks and damage from future natural disasters,” said Rep. Ed Case. “It will aid the community in rebuilding and improving damaged infrastructure after the August 2023 wildfires.

The bill would also authorize projects to expand and upgrade Honolulu Harbor, conduct a full review of Honolulu Harbor’s role in national defense and security, expedite the Ala Wai Canal flood risk management project, include Hawai‘i in USACE studies involving the Pacific Region, expand eligibility for federal assistance for coastal communities dependent on key ports, among other projects related to rivers, harbors, oceans and water infrastructure.

These requests by US Rep. Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1) and Rep. Jill Tokuda (Hawai‘i – District 1) are included in S. 4367, the Water Resources Development Act of 2024. The House approved this Congressional bill by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 399-18. The Senate is expected to approve the bill in the coming days and send it to the President, who is expected to sign the bill into law.

Proposed projects on Maui County and elsewhere in Hawaiʻi and the United States are conducted in partnership by US Army Corps of Engineers, local and state agencies, non-government organizations and tribal nations.

The full bill text is available here.