LIHU‘E — The County of Kaua‘i was honored by the Hawai‘i Senate for its adoption of a new Sea Level Rise Constraint District.
Senate President Ron Kouchi, who is home for the holidays, delivered the Senate honor on Tuesday to Planning Director Ka‘aina Hull and the Planning Department.
“Understanding the vulnerability of the island’s coastal communities and to minimize the threat to public health and safety due to sea level rise that increases the impacts of annual high wave run up and passive flooding, the County of Kaua‘i implemented a geographic information system based scientific model known as the SLR Constraint District Viewer Tool as the basis for adopting the SLR Constraint District to illustrate rising sea levels,” the Senate honor states.
“The County of Kaua‘i’s use of the SLR District Viewer Tool makes it the first county in the state of Hawai‘i to integrate scientific modeling for climate change hazards into zoning and land use regulation.”
Kouchi said climate change and sea level rise are topics that are becoming more relevant and talked about by people.
“The Senate of the Thirty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawai‘i hereby recognizes and congratulates the County of Kaua‘i for its proactive approach to community resilience and its efforts to protect coastal communities from potentially devastating climate impacts,” the honor states.
The county adopted a new Sea Level Rise Constraint District within its Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance in October 2022. That led to the Planning Department earning the APA 2023 National Resilience & Sustainability Award.
Only one planning program nationwide is selected annually for the award, which recognizes the exemplary work of planners to build policies or plans addressing resiliency and sustainability, the county said in announcing the SLR Constraint District.
“Kaua‘i is no stranger to coastal erosion and flooding as we’ve seen first-hand how climate change is affecting our community,” said Mayor Derek S. K. Kawakami said in October 2022.
The passage of the Sea Level Rise Constraint District bill is the culmination of nearly five years of scientific study, community engagement and stakeholder input.
The Constraint District is also unique in its integration of Geographic Information Systems-based modeling. Kaua‘i is one of the first counties in the nation to implement scientific modeling for climate change hazards into zoning and land use regulations.
“By acting thoughtfully and decisively to locate new structures out of harm’s way, the County of Kaua‘i provides an important example of how to make our communities safer and reduce the damage and costs of a changing climate,” said APA Awards Jury Chair Ben Hitchings.
“The effective use of scientific data, and web-based technology to support this initiative creates a transparent and innovative approach that others can emulate.”
