HAWAI‘I DAIRY FARMS

FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

VOLUME 3 AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS

COMMENT LETTERS AND RESPONSES

This environmental document is prepared pursuant to Hawaiÿi Revised Statutes, Chapter 343, Environmental Impact Statement Law and Chapter 200 of Title 11, Administrative Rules,

Department of Health, Environmental Impact Statement Rules.

SUBMITTED BY:

JANUARY 2017

HAWAI‘I DAIRY FARMS

FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

VOLUME 3 AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS

COMMENT LETTERS AND RESPONSES

SUBMITTED BY:

PREPARED BY:

Architecture • Planning & Environmental Services • Interior Design • Civil Engineering 925 Bethel Street, 5th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813 (808) 523-5866

This environmental document is prepared pursuant to Hawaiÿi Revised Statutes, Chapter 343, Environmental Impact Statement Law and Chapter 200 of Title 11, Administrative Rules,

Department of Health, Environmental Impact Statement Rules.

JANUARY 2017

HAWAI‘I DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT LIST OF VOLUMES

VOLUME

1 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

2 TECHNICAL APPENDICES

3-7 COMMENTS AND RESPONSES TO THE DEIS

3 AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS COMMENT LETTERS AND RESPONSES

4 FRIENDS OF MĀHĀ‘ULEPŪ COMMENT LETTER, APPENDICES, AND RESPONSES

5 KAWAILOA DEVELOPMENT COMMENT LETTER, APPENDICES, AND RESPONSES

6 INDIVIDUAL COMMENT LETTERS AND RESPONSES (PART 1 OF 2)

7 INDIVIDUAL COMMENT LETTERS AND RESPONSES (PART 2 OF 2)

8-9 COMMENTS AND RESPONSES TO THE EISPN

8 COMMENTS AND RESPONSES TO THE EISPN - PART A

9 COMMENTS AND RESPONSES TO THE EISPN - PART B

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

i

Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

Received DEIS

Comments Received

DEIS

Received FEIS

A. Federal Agencies or Affiliates Environmental Protection Agency Region IX Pacific Islands X

Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service X X

Department of Commerce National Marine Fisheries Service X

Department of Homeland Security Coast Guard 14th District X

Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration X

Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration X

Department of Transportation Federal Highways Administration X

Department of the Navy X National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Pacific Island Regional Office

X X X X X

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Honolulu District X X X X

U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands X X X X X

Department of Interior, Geological Survey, Pacific Islands Water Science Center X X X

Department of the Interior National Parks Service, Pacific Islands X

B. State Agencies Department of Accounting and General Services X X X X

Department of Agriculture X X X X Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) X X

DBEDT, Office of Planning X X X X

DBEDT, Strategic Industries Division X X

Department of Defense X X X

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands X X Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) X X X X

DLNR, CWRM X X X X

DLNR, Engineering Division X X X X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

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Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

Received DEIS

Comments Received

DEIS

Received FEIS

DLNR, Historic Preservation Division X X X X X

Kaua‘i/Ni‘ihau Island Burial Council X X X X

DLNR, Land Division, Kaua‘i District X X X X X DLNR, Soil and Water Conservation District, West Kaua‘i

X X

Department of Health (DOH) via Environmental Planning Office X X X X X

DOH, Clean Air Branch X X X X

DOH, Clean Water Branch X X X X

DOH, Communications Office X

DOH, Compliance Assistance Office X DOH, Environmental Health Services Division (EHSD) X

DOH, EHSD – Food & Drug Branch – Indoor & Radiological Health Branch X

DOH, EHSD – Food & Drug Branch – Sanitation Branch X

DOH, EHSD – Vector Control Branch X DOH, Environmental Management Division X

DOH, Environmental Resources Office X DOH, Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office X

DOH, Health Resources Administration X

DOH, Kaua‘i District Health Office X DOH, Planning, Policy, and Program Development Office X

DOH, Safe Drinking Water Branch X

DOH, Sanitation X X X X

DOH, Solid & Hazardous Waste Branch X

DOH, State Laboratories Division X

DOH, Wastewater Branch X X X X

Department of Transportation (DOT) X X X X

Kaua‘i/Ni‘ihau Island Burial Council X X

Office of Environmental Quality Control X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

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Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

Received DEIS

Comments Received

DEIS

Received FEIS

Office of Hawaiian Affairs X X X X University of Hawai‘i, Environmental Center X X

University of Hawai‘i, Water Resources Research Center X

C. County of Kaua‘i

Department of Parks and Recreation X X

Department of Planning X X X

Department of Public Works X X X X

Department of Water X X X X

Fire Department X X

Office of Economic Development X X

Office of the County Clerk X X X

Police Department X X

Transportation Agency X X

E. Elected Officials

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz X X

U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono X X (former) U.S. Representative Mark Takai 1st District X

U.S. Representative Colleen Hanabusa 1st District X

U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard, 2nd District X X

Council Chair, Mel Rapozo X X X X

Council Vice Chair, Ross Kagawa X X X X

Councilmember, Arryl Kaneshiro X X

Councilmember, Gary L Hooser X X X X X

Councilmember, JoAnn A. Yukimura X X X X

Councilmember, KipuKai Kuali‘i X X

Councilmember, Mason K. Chock X X X X

Honorable Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho, Jr. X X

Representative Dee Morikawa, House District 16 X X

Representative Councilmember, X X X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

iv

Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

Received DEIS

Comments Received

DEIS

Received FEIS

Derek S.K. Kawakami House District 14 Representative James K. Tokioka, House District 15 X X

Senator Ronald D. Kouchi, Senate District 8 X X

F. Media

Honolulu Star Advertiser X X

Hawai‘i Tribune Herald X X

West Hawai‘i Today X X

The Garden Island X X X

Maui News X X

Moloka‘i Dispatch X X

Honolulu Civil Beat X X

H. Libraries Department of Education Hawai‘i State Library Hawai‘i Documents Center

X X

Hawai‘i Kai Regional Library X X

Hilo Regional Library X X

Kahului Regional Library X X

Kaimuki Regional Library X X

Kāne‘ohe Regional Library X X

Legislative Reference Bureau X X Library of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism X

Līhu‘e Regional Library X X X

Hanapepe Public Library X X

Kapa‘a Public Library X X

Kōloa Public and School Library X X

Princeville Public Library X X

Waimea Public Library X X

Pearl City Regional Library X X

University of Hawai‘i Hamilton Library X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

v

Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

Received DEIS

Comments Received

DEIS

Received FEIS

University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Edwin H. Mo‘okini Library X X

University of Hawai‘i Kaua‘i Community College Library X X X

University of Hawai‘i, Maui College Library X X

I. Community Interest Groups and Individuals

Aha Moku Advisory Committee X X

Center for Biological Diversity X X

Center for Food Safety X X

Contractors Association Kaua‘i X X X X

Friends of Māhā‘ulepū X X X X X

Grove Farm X X X X X

Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, Inc. X X Hawai‘i Chapter of the Sierra Club Kaua‘i Group X X X X X

Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce X X X X

Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau X X X X

Kaua‘i Economic Development Board X X

Kaua‘i Filipino Chamber of Commerce X X

Kaua‘i Planning and Action Alliance X X

Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau X X

Kawailoa Development X X X X X

Kohola Leo X X

Kōloa Community Association X X

Kōloa Landing X X

Malama Kōloa X X

Malama Māhā‘ulepū X X X X X

Maui School Garden Network X X

Poiʻpū Bay Golf Course X X

Po‘ipū Beach Resort Association X X X X

Po‘ipū Crater Homeowners’ Association X X X X

Po‘ipū Kai X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

vi

Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

Received DEIS

Comments Received

DEIS

Received FEIS

Rotary Club of Po‘ipū Beach X X

Surfrider Foundation, Kaua‘i Chapter X X X X X

Whalers Cove Resort X X

J. Individuals

Albert, Martin, M.D. X X X X

Albert, Phyllis X X X X

Albrecht, Arnold and Jane X X X X

Alexander, Mary X X

Amsterdam, Jo X X X X

Anderson, Gary R. X X X X

Andrade, Mac X X

Anthony, John X X

Aqui, Emeline X X

Ascuena, Jodi X X X X X

Ascuena, Victor X X

Ashkenazy, Janet X X X X

Baldwin, Peter X X

Bandsma, Gloria X X

Barich, Terese X X X X

Barnard, Bill X X X X

Baron, Chris X X X X

Bartlett, Tom and Mary X X X X X

Basile, Jude X X X X

Basler, Sabra X X X X X

Bator, Bonnie P. X X X X X

Bay, Greg & Shelley X X X X X

Beall, Allan X X

Beall, Charlotte X X

Beall, Charlotte and Allen X X X X

Beam, Craig X X X X

Bedwell, Curtis J. X X X X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

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Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

Received DEIS

Comments Received

DEIS

Received FEIS

Bell, Betty X X X X X

Bell, Masai X X X X

Beuttell, Jack X X

Blaich, Beryl X X X X X

Bishop, Roger X X X X X

Blessing, Alison K. & Breckenridge, Robert L. X X X X

Blessing, Phillip L. and Kathleen L. X X X X

Boll, Sharon X X X X

Boyd, Carylee X X X X

Boyle, Cornelia X X X X X

Brendel, Judith E. X X X X

Britzmann, Katy X X X X X

Brockett, Kyle X X

Brockett, Sonja X X

Bronzino, Edna X X

Brouchoud, Bob & Kathy X X

Bulder, Liedeke & Wright, Dick X X X X

Burkhardt, Joanne X X X X

Burnham, Deborah X X

Burns, Mrs. Robert E. X X X X

Calipjo, Lesther X X

Carrick, Donna X X X

Carrick, George X X X

Carrick, George and Donna X X X X

Cassidy, Andrea X X X

Cassidy, Michael and Andrea X X X X

Caylor, Carolyn X X X X

Cerioni, Lee X X X X

Clark, Kat X X

Clune, Constance A. X X

Coe, Charlie X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

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Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

Received DEIS

Comments Received

DEIS

Received FEIS

Collison, David H. V. X X X X

Coon, Michael M. X X X X

Coon-Waymen, Michael & Jenica X X X

Cowden, Felicia X X X X X

Cox, Carroll X X

Crawford, Brenda S. X X X X

Curtis, Mya X X

Dalton, Judy X X X X

Davis, Amy Boudreau X X

Davis, Eric X X

Davis-Briant, Carol Ann X X X X

Decker, Lori X X X X X

DeMarco, Richard X X

DeMichiel, Catherine X X X X

DeMichiel, Robert P. X X X X

deVries, Diane X X X X X

Deyden, Myra VanOrnum X X

DeZerega, David X X X X

DeZerega, Sara X X X X

Di Pietro, Jeri X X X X

Diamant, Michael X X X X

Dorrance, Jay X X X X

Ebata, Ellen X X X X X

Eckberg, Ronalee and Eric X X X X

EerNisse, Errol P. X X

Ellul, Beverley and Joseph X X X X

Erichsen, Andrew X X

Faraldi, Russell X X X X

Farias, Bronwyn X X

Farias, Robert X X

Farrell, Cheryl Ann X X X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

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Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

Received DEIS

Comments Received

DEIS

Received FEIS

Faye, Alan X X X X

Fehring, Bruce X X

Feldmeir, Matthew & Susan X X

Ferguson, James & Susan X X X X X

Fleming, Collin and Factor, Kim X X X X

Forbes, Micha X X

Forer, Karl X X X X

Freeman, Margery X X X X X

Fry, Robert X X

Garcia, Shawn X X

George, Heather X X

Gia, Debborrah X X

Gipson, Farouz X X

Goeggel, Cathy X X

Goodwin, Sharon X X X X

Gottlieb, Alan X X

Grace, Yojana X X X X X

Grant, Amy X X X X

Gudoy, Gina X X

Hadwin, Jim X X X X X

Hadwin, Kathleen X X X X

Hagan, Beth X X X X

Hagan, Pat X X X X

Hagensen, Julie M. X X X X

Hager, Vivian X X X X

Halliday, John & Terri X X X X X

Hammerquist, Bridget X X X X X Hanohano, Kalanikumai Ka Maka ‘uli ‘uli ‘O Na Ali‘i X X X X

Hartman, Diann X X

Hartman, Lisa X X X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

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Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

Received DEIS

Comments Received

DEIS

Received FEIS

Hashimoto, Danny X X

Hayden, Chris & Diana X X

Hayes, Terrie and Kaohelauli'i, Billy X X X X X

Heacock, Donald E. X X X X X

Healy, John T. X X X X

Hee, Stephen X X X X

Heinen, Gary and Jackie X X X X

Heller, Larry X X X X

Hennessy, Tom and Ann X X X X

Herndon, Herb X X X X

Herndon, Joyce X X X X

Hibbitt, Mindy X X

Hiraoka, Joy X X

Hoff, John R. X X X X X

Hokupaa X X

Holl, Sherrie X X

Holt, Howard & Maureen X X X X X

Horak, Joe X X

Houby, Jens X X X X

Howell, David & Linda X X X X X

Hubner, Andy X X

Hurley, Marisa X X X X

Ito, Y. Marvin X X

James, Michael X X

Janai, Kapua X X X X X

Jarrett, Nancee X X

Jerdal, Larry and Karen X X X X

John, Ronald O. X X X X X

Jones, Ruthann X X

Jones, Vince and Fran X X X X

Jorgens, Gayle and Wai, Stanley X X X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

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Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

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Comments Received

DEIS

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Judd, David X X X X Kalanikumai Ka Makauliuli O Na Alii Hanohano X X

Kallai, Hope X X

Kanna, Jacqueline K. X X

Kashiwaeda, Suzanne X X X X X

Kaui, Trinette X X

Kawahara, Dawn Fraser X X X X

Kawahara, Delano H. X X X X

Kawahara, Lani X X X X

Kaye, Melanie X X

Keamoai, Hoku X X

Kechloian, Eileen X X X X X

Kechloian, John (Jay) X X X X X

Kelley, MaryLu X X X X

Kelly, Frank and Marilyn X X X X

Ken (no last name) X X X X

Khalsa, Dr. H.S.S. X X

Kinsey, Sinclair W. X X X X

Kroll, Jean X X

Kuala, Marty X X X X

Lauryn, Steven X X X X

Lawrence, Jr., Delton X X

Lee-Jackson, Debra X X X X

Leininger, Susan X X X X

Levy, Joan X X X X

Lo, Karl & Catherine X X X X

Lott, Jacquelynn K. X X

Low, Kristen X X

Lucas, Paul X X X X

Lynam, Christina X X X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

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Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

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Comments Received

DEIS

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Macdougall, Sandy X X X X

Malapit, Lon X X

Maple, Stuart & Lynne X X X X

Martin, Marianne X X X X

Masters, Jeff and Deborah X X X X

Matsumura, Lynne X X

McCaslin, Candace X X X X

McCoubrey, Sharon X X X X X

Meboe, Ellen F. X X X X X

Meboe, Joe X X X X X

Meyer, Ira & Rayme X X X X X

Mikaila, Taressa X X

Miller, John W. X X X X

Mills, Mary P. X X X X

Miner, Imogene X X X X

Mizumoto, Lance C. X X X X

Mizuo, Kenneth & Lynette X X

Montgomery, Yuri X X X X

Morey, Lee X X X X

Mukai, Richard & Victoria X X

Muller, Jan X X X X X

Muller, John T. Jr. X X X X X

Murguia, Kathleen X X X X

Muzik, Katherine X X

Neudorffer, Mary X X X X X

Nishek, Jerry X X

Nishimura, Randall X X

Norman, Rita X X X X

O'Connor, Tim X X X X

Oliver, Polli C. X X X X

Olry, Michele X X X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

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Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

Received DEIS

Comments Received

DEIS

Received FEIS

Olson, Dick and Maria X X X X

Osterer, Lorraine X X X X X

Oxford, Patty X X X X

Oyama, Mark X X

Patterson, John X X X X

Perez, Kymry X X X X

Pescaia, Carol X X X X

Petersen, Greg X X X X

Pilaria, Rowland X X X X X

Pilaria, Shari X X X X X

Pilaria, Val X X X X

Pinzon, Crystal X X

Plotkins, Pierra A. X X X X

Poindexter, James M. X X X X

Pollock, Sherry X X

Powers, Eve X X X X

Purdy, Ken X X

Purdy, Susie X X

R, Liz X X

Rachap, Allan X X X X X

Rachap, Judith X X X X X

Ray, Robert X X X X

Rees, Gerald and Hannah X X X X X

Riley, Mark and Simpson, Ann X X X X

Rogers, Puanani X X

Rose, Mike and Laurie X X X X

Rosen, Gail C. X X X X

Rosen, Henry and Sara X X X X X

Rosener, Matt X X X X X

Rowe, Rupert X X

Rozelle, Linda M. X X X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

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Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

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Comments Received

DEIS

Received FEIS

Ruchaber, Krista X X

Rullman, Charles X X X X

Russell, Richard X X X X X

Saiki, Michael X X

Salazar, Tiffany L. X X

Santos, Ivy X X

Sauve, Joe X X X X

Scamahorn, Elizabeth X X

Schimmelfennig, William X X X X

Schwartz, Ken and Stephanie X X X X X

Shablow, Janette X X X X

Shaffer, Jamie H. X X X X

Sheffield, Kathy X X

Sherman, Dr. Irene & Douglas X X X X X

Simms, Shelby X X

Sindt, Ed X X X X X

Smith, Annick X X

Smith, Sarah X X

Smith, Stephen E. X X X X

Snyder, Eleanor X X X X X

Sparks, Norma Doctor X X X X

Sparks, Stephen A. X X X X

Stecher, Steven & Igarashi, Portia X X X X

Stein, Jerry and Wendy X X X X X

Steinhagen, James & Susan X X X X

Sterns, Nancy X X X X

Stone, Mary Isabella X X X X

Stone, Rebecca X X X X

Street, Nicole X X

Sullivan, Don X X X X

Sullivan, James X X X X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

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Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

Received DEIS

Comments Received

DEIS

Received FEIS

Summerfield, Yvonne X X X X

Sussman, Jay X X X X

Suzie X X

Swanson, Ashley X X X X

Swanson, William X X X X X

Sweeney, Sean Keoki X X

Sylvester, Linda X X

Talaber, Cynthia & Dave X X X X X

Taylor, Gabriela X X

Taylor, Ken X X X X

Taylor, Terry X X X X

Thompson, Tayemi Susan X X X X X

Thurston, Anne X X X X

Tilley, Karen X X X X

Trapp, Max X X X X

Trentlage, Sheri & Dave X X X X

Trevino, Luis X X X X X

Valentini, George & Littlefield, Pam X X X X X

Valenziano, Beth X X X X X

Varnel, Deboragh X X

Vernon, Ian X X

Viluan, Tia X X

Vlach, Robert X X X X

Walden, Diane X X X X

Walden, Terry X X X X

Waldrop, Mark X X X X

Waldrop, Mary X X X X X

Waybright, Liz X X

Weil, Martin X X X X

Weiner, Jill X X

Welti, Cynthia X X X X

HAWAIʻI DAIRY FARMS Final Environmental Impact Statement

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Consulted Parties

Respondents and Distribution

Early or Ongoing Consultation,

Presentation, or Notification

Comments Received

EISPN

Received DEIS

Comments Received

DEIS

Received FEIS

Werner, Mariah X X

Wesland, Coni X X X X

White, Allan B. X X X X

Whitney, William X X X X

Wiener, Susan X X X X

Wilcox, Mark X X X X

Wildman, Kelly X X X X

Wildman, Randall X X X X

Williams, Bob X X

Williams, Bob and Jeanette X X X X

Williams, Carol X X X X

Williams, Jeanette X X

Williams, Laura X X X X

Wollin, Pearl X X X X

Wolny, Kerry X X X X

Wolny, Pam X X X X X

Wry, Diane X X

Wyeth, Hau'onalani X X X X X

Yamada, Debbie X X

Yamamoto, James X X

Yamasaki, Morton X X

Yatsuoka, Vanessa X X

Yeo, Gwen X X X X

Zelkovsky, Robert X X X X X

Zepeda, Joy X X

Zimmerman, Jack X X X X

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izeto

200

0 w

hen

the

dairy

is u

nder

full-

scal

e op

era

on.

On

Janu

ary

30, 2

015,

NM

FS fo

rwar

ded

our c

omm

ents

aer

a re

view

of t

he d

ra E

ISPN

. Our

com

men

ts w

ere

offer

ed u

nder

four

hea

ding

s us

ed in

the

EISP

N as

env

ironm

enta

l se

ngs-

Sur

face

Wat

er R

esou

rces

, Roa

dway

and

Traffi

c, D

rain

age

and

Stor

m W

ater

Run

off, a

nd W

ater

Sup

ply.

Resp

onse

s to

our

com

men

ts w

ere

offer

ed b

y Gr

oup

70.

The

follo

win

g is

a p

arap

hras

ing

of N

MFS

com

men

ts, a

nd th

e re

spon

ses

mad

e by

Surfa

ce W

ater

Res

ourc

es -

NMFS

com

men

ted

that

the

proj

ect c

ould

resu

lt in

an

incr

ease

in n

utrie

nt lo

ad to

the

mar

ine

envi

ronm

ent,

and

the

prop

onen

t sho

uld

deve

lop

mi

gaon

/avo

idan

ce m

easu

res

to p

reve

nt it

.

Resp

onse

- Na

tura

lly g

row

ing

gras

s will

pro

vide

70

% o

f the

die

t for

the

dairy

farm

her

d. N

utrie

nt re

quire

men

ts fo

rth

e pa

stur

e gr

ass w

ill b

e gr

eate

r tha

n th

at p

rovi

ded

by c

ale

man

ure

and

efflue

nt fr

om th

e m

ilkin

g pa

rlor.

Tosu

pple

men

t thi

s nut

rient

defi

cien

cy, f

erliz

ers w

ould

be

appl

ied.

Bas

ed o

n co

nser

vave

ana

lysis

up

to 2

per

cent

of

tota

l nitr

ogen

and

one

per

cent

of p

hosp

horu

s may

pas

s thr

ough

the

soils

and

end

up

in th

e m

arin

e en

viro

nmen

t,re

sul

ng in

100

00 p

ound

s of n

itrog

en a

nd 9

00 p

ound

s of p

hosp

horu

s int

rodu

ced

into

nea

rsho

re m

arin

e w

ater

san

nual

ly. B

y co

mpa

rison

, the

cur

rent

nitr

ogen

inpu

t fro

m so

urce

s alo

ng th

e Po

ipu

shor

elin

e ar

e 38

510

poun

ds,

whi

le p

hosp

horu

s inp

ut st

ands

at 1

260

poun

ds. T

o m

iga

te th

e nu

trien

t inp

ut, t

he p

ropo

nent

pro

pose

s to

esta

blish

35 fo

ot se

tbac

ks fr

om th

e to

p of

dra

inag

e w

ays w

here

cow

s wou

ld b

e ex

clud

ed.

Road

way

and

Traffi

c - N

MFS

com

men

ted

that

the

proj

ect c

ould

resu

lt in

an

incr

ease

in im

perm

eabl

e su

rface

s,re

sul

ng in

gre

ater

runo

ff an

d se

dim

enta

on, a

nd th

e pr

opon

ent s

houl

d in

clud

e m

anag

emen

t mea

sure

s to

avo

idor

min

imize

it.

Resp

onse

- Th

e da

iry fa

rm fa

cili

es w

ill o

ccup

y ap

prox

imat

ely

10 a

cres

(of t

he n

early

600

acr

e fa

rm) o

n th

ew

este

rn b

ound

ary

of th

e sit

e. T

he d

evel

oped

are

a w

ill re

sult

in m

inim

al im

perm

eabl

e su

rface

s.

Drai

nage

and

Sto

rm W

ater

Run

off -

NMFS

com

men

ted

that

exi

sng

and

futu

re d

rain

age

cond

ion

s sh

ould

be

cons

ider

ed a

nd m

easu

res

deve

lope

d to

avo

id o

r min

imize

runo

ff an

d di

scha

rge.

Resp

onse

- Gu

ers,

curb

s and

swal

es w

ould

be

used

with

in th

e da

iry fa

cilit

y, an

d ru

noff

from

the

build

ings

will

be

dire

cted

to g

roun

d le

vel a

nd d

irect

ly in

to g

rass

surro

undi

ng th

e bu

ildin

gs. R

un-off

from

the

1.75

acr

e ar

ea g

roun

dsw

ould

be

rout

ed to

stor

age

pond

s. Cu

lva

on o

f a g

rass

that

ch fo

r com

plet

e ve

geta

ve c

over

thro

ugho

ut th

e da

irypa

ddoc

k w

ould

cap

ture

rain

fall.

Fen

ces w

ould

be

erec

ted

alon

g th

e se

tbac

ks to

pre

vent

cow

s fro

m a

cces

sing

thos

ear

eas.

Wat

er S

uppl

y - N

MFS

com

men

ted

that

the

chan

ges

in th

e hy

drol

ogy

(mor

e ac

cura

tely,

the

hydr

olog

ical

cyc

le) o

fth

e lo

cal m

arin

e en

viro

nmen

t may

occ

ur d

ue to

wat

er u

sage

and

dis

char

ge fr

om th

e da

iry o

pera

on, a

nd th

atth

ese

chan

ges

shou

ld b

e an

alyz

ed.

Resp

onse

- On

ce fu

lly o

pera

onal

, the

dai

ry w

ould

use

300

00 g

allo

ns o

f gro

undw

ater

/day

for a

her

d siz

e of

699

cow

s, an

d 84

800

gallo

ns/d

ay fo

r her

d siz

e of

200

0 co

ws.

Exis

ng o

n sit

e w

ells

prod

uce

3,00

0,00

0 ga

llons

/day

. All

pota

ble

wat

er u

sed

as w

ash

wat

er w

ill b

e re

-app

lied

to p

astu

re la

nds.

The

shal

low

er g

roun

dwat

er a

quife

run

derly

ing

the

dairy

is a

sepa

rate

wat

erbo

dy in

cla

y al

luvi

um d

epos

its a

nd is

not

con

nect

ed to

the

deep

wat

eraq

uife

r in

unw

eath

ered

vol

cani

c ro

ck.

NMFS

is s

asfi

ed w

ith th

e re

spon

ses

and

the

mea

sure

s th

at th

e Ha

wai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s in

tend

s to

impl

emen

t with

rega

rds

to th

e En

viro

nmen

tal S

eng

s ca

tego

ries

liste

d in

the

EISP

N, e

xcep

t for

the

resp

onse

und

er S

urfa

ce W

ater

Reso

urce

s. N

MFS

is c

once

rned

that

the

poss

ible

add

ion

of 1

0000

pou

nds

of n

itrog

en a

nd 9

00 p

ound

s of

phos

phor

us a

nnua

lly fr

om ru

n-off

cou

ld le

ad to

incr

ease

d al

gae

grow

th a

long

the

Poip

u sh

orel

ine,

whi

ch in

turn

coul

d re

sult

in o

verw

helm

ing

cora

ls a

long

the

shor

elin

e. A

s po

inte

d ou

t in

the

resp

onse

, the

am

ount

of n

itrog

enan

d ph

osph

orus

ent

erin

g th

e Pi

opu

shor

elin

e is

con

side

rabl

y hi

gher

alre

ady,

but a

n in

crea

se o

f ove

r 25

% in

nitro

gen

and

near

ly 7

5 %

in p

hosp

horu

s is

sig

nific

ant.

The

prop

osed

35

foot

set

back

from

the

boun

dary

of t

hefa

rm w

ill h

elp

to re

duce

the

run-

off, b

ut N

MFS

bel

ieve

s ad

dion

al m

easu

res

may

be

nece

ssar

y, es

peci

ally

giv

enth

e pr

opos

ed in

crea

se in

the

herd

size

to 2

000

cow

s, w

hich

we

assu

me

wou

ld n

eces

sita

te th

e us

e of

mor

efe

rliz

er to

incr

ease

the

gras

s to

be

used

to fe

ed th

e he

rd.

NMFS

real

izes

that

the

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms

is n

ot re

spon

sibl

e fo

r the

cur

rent

leve

l of n

utrie

nts

ente

ring

the

Poip

ush

orel

ine,

but

we

wou

ld a

sk th

at th

e Ha

wai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s co

nsid

er im

plem

enng

add

ion

al m

easu

res

to re

duce

the flo

w o

f nut

rient

s to

the

shor

elin

e. T

hese

mea

sure

s m

ight

incl

ude

plan

ng a

ddi

onal

veg

eta

on o

r to

deve

lop

addi

onal

dra

inag

e m

easu

res

in th

e ar

ea to

be

used

as

setb

ack

to fu

rther

redu

ce ru

noff,

or t

o re

sear

ch a

ltern

ave

way

s to

gro

w th

e gr

ass

need

ed fo

r fee

d w

ithou

t hav

ing

to u

se s

o m

uch

fer

lizer

.

NMFS

wou

ld b

e ha

ppy

to m

eet t

o di

scus

s w

ays

that

the

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms

can

redu

ce th

e flo

w o

f nut

rient

s to

the

mar

ine

envi

ronm

ent.

If in

tere

sted

, the

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms

can

cont

act m

e to

arra

nge

thos

e m

eeng

s. T

hank

you

for t

he o

ppor

tuni

ty to

revi

ew a

nd p

rovi

de c

omm

ents

on

this

pro

ject

. If o

ur c

onnu

ed in

volv

emen

t will

hel

p to

faci

litat

e th

e pr

ojec

t goi

ng fo

rwar

d, p

leas

e fe

el fr

ee to

con

tact

us

at y

our c

onve

nien

ce.

-- Rich

ard

Hall

Fish

ery

Polic

y An

alys

t Pa

cific

Isla

nds

Regi

onal

Offi

ceNO

AA In

ouye

Reg

iona

l Cen

ter

1845

Was

p Bl

vd.,

Build

ing

176

Hono

lulu

, HI 9

6818

808-

725-

5018

January 3, 20

17 Mr. Ric

hard Hall

Fishery Policy

Analyst

Pacific Island

s Regional Offi

ce NOAA

Inouye Region

al Center

1845 Wasp Blv

d, Building 176

Kapole

i, Hawai‘i 9670

7 Su

bjec

t: Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Final Environ

mental Impac

t Statement (EI

S)

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

r. Hall:

Thank you for

your input d

ated August 1

, 2016 on the

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms (HDF)

Draft E

IS. To further

clarify your

comments an

d discuss reco

mmendations,

we conduc

ted a telephon

e call with you

on December

6, 2016. Than

k you very mu

ch for taking

time to discus

s the project a

nd actions to

minimize pote

ntial adverse e

ffects. Roadw

ays and Traffic

, Drainage and

Storm Water

Runoff, and W

ater Supply

We acknowle

dge your resp

onses to our

Draft EIS co

mments, and

that you are

generally sati

sfied with our

responses a

nd measures

listed in the

Draft EIS for

Roadw

ays and Traffic

, Drainage an

d Storm Water

Runoff, and W

ater Supply. Y

our comme

nts requested

further consi

deration of pl

ans to minimi

ze adverse ef

fects to

Surface Water

Resources.

Surface Water

Resources

Your primary

comments ad

dress the pot

ential for nutr

ient pass-thro

ugh from the

dairy operatio

ns into the ma

rine environm

ent, via surfac

e water disch

arge from the

Waiopi

li Ditch. As w

e discussed, th

is is an agricu

ltural ditch sy

stem that drai

ns the former

sugarcane pla

ntation lands,

and collects r

unoff from a 2

,700 acre wate

rshed includi

ng the 557-a

cre dairy site

. This ditch i

s not a peren

nial stream th

at flows

continuously o

r even regular

ly, and discha

rge into the o

cean during pe

riods of peak

precipitation

occurs on ave

rage only 10 ti

mes each year

(EIS Section

4.17.2 Su

rfac

e W

ater

Qua

lity; and E

IS Volume 2, A

ppendix E).

A recent stud

y by the State

of Hawaii Dep

artment of He

alth (DOH) (M

arch 2016)

characterized

the existing w

ater quality at

Waiopili Ditc

h based on te

sting along

several ditch

locations exte

nding to the o

cean discharg

e point. The d

itch generally

exhibit

s a low water

flow during m

ost of the year

, often with up

stream dry ch

annel conditi

ons and stagn

ant standing w

ater in the low

er reaches. Th

e DOH study s

hows elevate

d nutrient le

vels, exhibitin

g natural co

ntributions f

rom the up

slope waters

hed and the lo

wland agricul

tural areas, wi

th no dairy co

ws present on

site. The gr

oundwater en

gineer consult

ing to HDF esti

mated the pot

ential nutrient

s that could l

eave the site fr

om HDF opera

tions as two p

ercent of nitro

gen (totaling 1

0,000 pounds

per year), an

d one percent

of phosphoru

s (totaling 90

0 pounds per

year). This w

ould not occu

r as chronic d

aily releases,

rather, contri

butions woul

d be limited

to periods o

f major rainf

all events tha

t exceed 0.8 i

nches. Such r

ainfall events

are estimated

to occur, on av

erage, 10 days

annually.

Richard Hall,

Fishery Policy

Analyst, NOAA

Inouye Region

al Center

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 2

of 4

No effluent ap

plication woul

d be conducte

d two days p

rior to, durin

g, and two da

ys after such

weather

events per be

st managemen

t practice gui

delines. The e

stimate of nut

rients leaving

the site is the

same for

both the comm

itted herd siz

e of 699 matu

re dairy cows

and the conte

mplated herd

size of up to

2,000 mature

dairy cows.

Based on our

discussion, y

ou noted tha

t with implem

entation of th

e measures p

resented in th

e EIS, nutrien

ts will be ma

naged effectiv

ely for the co

mmitted dairy

of up to 69

9 mature dair

y cows. Your

comments are

further recom

mendations fo

r nutrient ma

nagement wit

h a future con

templated dai

ry with

potential her

d size of up t

o 2,000 matur

e dairy cows.

With addition

al nutrient loa

ding anticipate

d at this

level, addition

al measures c

an be taken to

minimize nut

rient inputs to

the ocean en

vironment. To

minimize

this potential,

you have mad

e several guid

ance recomme

ndations, as ou

tlined below:

• Conduct ba

seline surface

water quality

monitoring o

f Waiopili Dit

ch, particularl

y at the ocean

dischar

ge terminus, p

rior to the da

iry becoming

established, t

o measure the

range of exis

ting nutrien

t contribution

s to the marin

e environmen

t. Conduct sam

pling particula

rly during rai

ny period

s to assess the

existing nutri

ent levels in d

itch water flow

s. • Du

ring developm

ent of the dai

ry operation,

and for the o

ngoing future

operations, c

onduct a

program for

surface water

quality mon

itoring of Wa

iopili Ditch, p

articularly at

the ocean

discharge term

inus. Contin

ue this progr

am particularl

y during rainy

periods to as

sess the

nutrient levels

in ditch wate

r flows. Cond

uct periodic n

earshore ocea

n water moni

toring once

the operations

are establishe

d. • Con

duct strict ag

ronomic man

agement and d

iligent irrigati

on practices t

o minimize fe

rtilizer

applications t

o the greatest

extent practi

cable. Manag

e the fertiliza

tion of the da

iry pasture

grass to serve

the plant gro

wth requirem

ents and avoid

fertilizer rele

ases through

the soils

column or in s

urface runoff.

• Min

imize surface

runoff release

to the agricu

ltural ditches

draining the p

roperty. Impl

ement measu

res to establish

and maintain

sizable buffer

zones with w

ell-developed

natural veget

ation filtratio

n. Minimize i

mpervious su

rfaces and ha

rdscape whic

h would redu

ce infiltration

and increas

e surface runo

ff. NRCS c

onservation p

ractices will b

e used to impr

ove surface dr

ainage and pr

otect water qu

ality. Practice

s include

establishing

riparian herb

aceous cover,

grassed wate

rways and se

diment basins

(EIS Section

3.2). Manur

e from a conv

entional feedlo

t dairy opera

tion may be c

onsidered wa

ste, but in the

pasture-based

system

, 100 percent

of the manure i

s used a resou

rce with its co

nstituent com

ponents provi

ding nutrients

needed

for the forage

crop. Nutrien

t managemen

t is fundamen

tal to the HD

F operation a

nd is discusse

d throughout

the EIS, and

empha

sized in Secti

on 3.5.4.2 Nu

trient Balance

and based on

the Nutrient B

alance Analys

is contained i

n EIS Vol

ume 2, Appen

dix D. Applicat

ion of nutrient

s will corresp

ond with fora

ge uptake, soil

properties an

d weathe

r conditions,

which will all

be monitored

in the field a

nd tracked us

ing advanced

technology to

apply t

he right amou

nts in the righ

t place and at

the right time

for optimal fo

rage growth.

Richard Hall,

Fishery Policy

Analyst, NOAA

Inouye Region

al Center

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 3

of 4

To protect wa

ter quality of s

urface water a

nd downstream

areas, two typ

es of setbacks

will be establ

ished. A phys

ical setback to

exclude cows

from waterwa

ys and drainag

es will be crea

ted with padd

ock fencing se

t 35 feet

back from th

e top of bank

of drainage w

ays on site. Ex

isting vegetati

on within the s

etbacks will b

e manag

ed or restored

to reduce ero

sion, improve s

tability of ditc

h banks, incre

ase net carbon

storage, and

improve and

maintain wat

er quality (Fi

gure 3.5-2). T

he second typ

e of setback r

estricts liquid

effluent

application ne

ar water sour

ces: 50 feet fr

om the top of

the bank on e

ither side of a

waterway; a

nd 1,000

EIS Vo

lume 2 Appen

dix K, identifi

es both existin

g and propose

d conditions r

elated to stor

mwater runof

f and dr

ainage. Estim

ated Peak Flo

w where flow

s combine sou

th of the site

will be redu

ced. Proposed

conditi

ons include

roughly 80 a

cres of main

tained drainag

eways, veget

ated setback

s, cow walkw

ays topped

with soft, cru

shed, permeab

le limestone,

and farm road

s, and a thick

grass ground

cover over th

e majori

ty of the farm

: nearly 470

acres of the 5

57-acre site. W

ith organic m

atter from m

anure, the

predominately

kikuyu grass c

rop will impr

ove surface in

filtration of ra

infall and irrig

ation (Yost, 2

016, EIS

Appendix 5-A)

. Calcula

tions in the Hy

drologic Asses

sment show t

he projected

reduction by s

torm event. F

or the 10-yea

r storm

event, peak fl

ow leaving th

e project site

will be reduce

d by 257 cubic

feet per secon

d (cfs); for the

25-yea

r storm event,

reduced by 28

3 cfs; and for t

he 50-year sto

rm event, redu

ced by nearly

300 cfs.

As for the ma

rine environm

ent, a marine

water qualit

y report is in

cluded in App

endix F of the

EIS. A

supplemental

report in th

is appendix in

cludes a Nove

mber 2016 as

sessment of t

he nearshore

marine

biological com

munity. This

report state

s the nearsho

re receiving e

nvironment i

s an area typ

ified by

extreme ener

gy during all

seasons. Such

extreme ener

gy, primarily

in the form o

f waves and

currents,

serves to rapi

dly disperse i

nput from str

eam discharg

e. Hence, the t

ime that the

marine enviro

nment is

exposed to ep

isodic inputs

of storm runo

ff is very shor

t, and the lim

ited marine s

pecies that oc

cupy the

area are cap

able of with

standing such

impacts. The

re is also a

large body of

scientific lite

rature docum

enting that re

ef corals do n

ot require low

nutrient wat

er. For examp

le, a multitud

e of corals fro

m around

the Pacific Ba

sin growing a

t the Waikk A

quarium live

in high nutrie

nt marine gro

undwater and

have h

igher linear g

rowth rates t

han corals in

the wild. Hen

ce, there is n

o reason to ex

pect that a sh

ort-term e

xposure of ele

vated nutrient

s by this limit

ed benthic co

mmunity will

result in any n

egative impac

ts to cora

ls and associat

ed marine life

in the mixing

zone of Waiop

ili Ditch and th

e ocean.

HDF has estab

lished baselin

e water quali

ty monitoring

with the initi

ally compiled d

ata set includ

ed in the

EIS Volume 2,

Appendix F:

Farm

s on

Sur

face

Wat

er a

nd M

arin

e W

ater

Che

mist

ry by Ma

rine Research

Consultants,

Inc. (MRCI). M

RCI establi

shed 12 surfa

ce water quali

ty monitoring

stations in an

d around the

HDF site, as w

ell as four ocea

n sampli

ng transects d

own gradient

of the site, to

provide for r

egular water

quality monit

oring (see EIS

Health

(DOH) Clean

Water Branch

(CWB) quality

assurance/qu

ality control re

quirements, an

d results will

be made availa

ble to DOH CW

B, dairy n

Richard Hall,

Fishery Policy

Analyst, NOAA

Inouye Region

al Center

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 4

of 4

Your comment

, along with th

is response, w

ill become par

t of the public

record and w

ill be publishe

d in the

Final EIS. A co

py of the Fina

l EIS is includ

ed on a compa

ct disc with th

is letter. Whe

n published, t

he Final

EIS will be a

vailable on th

e OEQC websi

te which you

can access u

sing the follo

wing URL, an

d search

http://tinyurl

.com/OEQCKA

UAI. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly, AL, INC

. Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

January 3, 20

17 Vera K

oskelo Biologi

st Regula

tory Specialist

USACE

- Honolulu Dis

trict Buildin

g 230 Fort Sh

after, Hawai‘i 9

6856-5440

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

Respon

se to Comment

on Draft EIS

Dear Ms. Kosk

elo: Thank

you for your i

nput dated Ju

ly 18, 2016 on

the Hawai‘i D

airy Farms Dr

aft EIS.

We acknowled

ge the Corps r

esponse is the

same as the p

reviously rece

ived October

22, 2014 lett

er that stated

a Departmen

t of the Arm

y (DA) permi

t will not be

require

d, as the proje

ct is not subje

ct to regulatio

n under Sectio

n 404 in accor

dance with 33

CFR Part 323.

4. Your c

omment, along

with this res

ponse, will be

come part of t

he public reco

rd and

will be publis

hed in the Fin

al EIS. A copy

of the Final E

IS is included

on a compac

t disc w

ith this letter.

When publis

hed, the Final

EIS will be a

vailable on th

e OEQC

website whic

h you can acc

ess using the

following URL

, and search “

Hawaii Dairy

Farms”

: http://tinyur

l.com/OEQCKA

UAI. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly, GROUP

70 INTERNAT

IONAL, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

January 3, 20

17 Mr. Aar

on Nadig

Island Team M

anager

Oahu, Kaua‘i N

orth Western

Hawaiian Islan

ds, and Ameri

can Samoa

United States

Department o

f the Interior

Fish and Wildl

ife Service

Pacific Island

s Fish and Wil

dlife Office

300 Ala Moana

Boulevard, Ro

om 3-122

Honolulu, Haw

ai‘i 96850

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

Respon

se to Comment

on Draft EIS

Dear Mr. Nadi

g: Thank

you for your i

nput dated Ju

ly 25, 2016 o

n the Hawai‘i

Dairy Farms (

HDF) Draft E

IS. The follow

ing responses

are offered to

your commen

ts: HDF h

as met with y

our office and

the State Div

ision of Fores

try and Wildli

fe to follow

up on issues o

f interest to th

e agencies. HD

F is committed

to operations

that pose n

o adverse im

pacts to enda

ngered specie

s and has ag

reed to prepa

re and

finalize an End

angered Spec

ies Awarenes

s and Protecti

on Plan (ESAP

P), with input

from th

e agencies, pri

or to develop

ment and ope

ration of the d

airy. In our m

eetings,

HDF and U.S

. Fish and W

ildlife Service

(USFWS) disc

ussed facility

design and

operations as

well as minim

ization measu

res for the eig

ht endangered

species that

may occur on

or overfly the

site (four wat

erbirds, the Ha

waiian goose,

two seabirds .

The Final EIS S

ection 4.10, F

auna, has been

refined to clar

ify elements of

the ESAPP

as well as to in

corporate USF

WS comments.

H

awai

ian

Wat

erbi

rds a

nd H

awai

ian

Goos

e

The Final EIS d

ocuments the

minimization

methods that

will be furthe

r detailed in

the ESAPP. A s

peed limit of

15 miles per h

our on roadw

ays within the

HDF site will

be enf

orced, and H

DF will emp

hasize the im

portance of

endangered s

pecies awaren

ess and prot

ection throug

h a training

module that

will be cond

ucted period

ically with con

tractors and o

thers accessin

g HDF on a re

gular basis.

Per the discus

sion with Kau

ai-based USFW

S personnel, fe

ncing will vary

throughout

the site depen

dent on the res

ource to be pr

otected. HDF n

otes the USFW

S comment

regarding po

ssible attract

ion to the no

n-vegetated s

urfaces aroun

d the effluen

t settling

and storage p

onds, and to t

he managed p

astures. The e

ffluent ponds

will be

surrounded b

y woven wire

fence with ap

proximately fi

ve-inch rectan

gular spacing

at the

top that dimin

ishes in size to

wards the gro

und to preven

t waterbirds f

rom wande

ring in to the

area. All perim

eter and inter

ior fencing w

ill not utilize

barbed

wire to reduce

the risk that

birds or bats

may be harme

d by interactio

n with the

barbs on that

type of wire.

In place of ba

rbed wire on

the top and b

ottom of the

fences – tensi

oned fence wir

e will be used

and electric fe

nce strands u

sed in certain

locatio

ns.

Mr. Aaron Nad

ig Island

Team Manager

, United States

Department o

f the Interior

Fish and Wildl

ife Service

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 2

of 4

HDF will mon

itor for the pr

esence of end

angered birds

and potentia

l seasonal nes

ting, and will

provide

protection to a

ny nests by e

xcluding cows

and equipmen

t from the are

a for the requi

red duration

of time.

Monitoring fo

r avian botuli

sm within the

pond area, a

nd the action

s to be imple

mented should

any be

detected, will b

e detailed in t

he ESAPP.

HDF will work

with USFWS a

nd DOFAW to

identify a comp

rehensive pre

dator control

program to m

inimize

H

awai

ian

Hoa

ry B

at

There are almo

st no suitable r

oost trees wit

hin the dairy s

ite for the Haw

aiian hoary ba

t, however, the

Final EIS, Se

ction 4.10.2 P

roba

ble

Impa

cts

and

Miti

gatio

n M

easu

res – Fau

na states the

HDF commitm

ent to not

disturb, remo

ve or trim wo

ody plants gr

eater than 15

feet tall durin

g the Hawaiia

n hoary bat p

upping

season. No aff

ect to bats is e

xpected from a

ctivities and o

perations of th

e dairy farm.

Seab

irds

The Fin

al EIS, Section

3.3.1.7 Utilitie

s Utility

Cooperative

(KIUC)

to the site, w

ith electrical

lines to the d

airy facilities

to be run in

a concrete-e

ncased condu

it routed

underneath th

e access road

. As described

in the EIS, S

ection 4.10.2

Prob

able

Im

pact

s an

d M

itiga

tion

Mea

sure

s – F

auna

, outside lights

used at night

will utilize sh

ades to protec

t against uplig

hting and be “

dark sky com

pliant” to prev

ent possible di

sorientation o

f seabirds that

may overfly t

he site.

Arth

ropo

ds

We concur wit

h USFWS’s stat

ement that ap

proximately 0

.75 mile from

the closest po

int to the dair

y farm is

one of fourte

en units inclu

ded as critica

l habitat and

contains the

endangered

cave arthropo

ds. This

distance is do

cumented in

the Final EIS S

ection 4.11.1

Exist

ing

Cond

ition

s –

Inve

rteb

rate

Spe

cies

and

Pes

t In

sect

s. The majori

ty of the critic

al habitat doc

umented in th

e USFWS 2003

Designat

ion

of C

ritic

al H

abita

t fo

r th

e Ka

uai C

ave

Wol

f Spi

der

and

Kaua

i Cav

e Am

phip

od F

inal

Rul

e region.

Neither the b

otanical and fa

unal survey no

r the invertebr

ate survey rev

ealed any evid

ence of lava

tubes or caves

on the proper

ty, and no suc

h features hav

e been report

ed for the area

in the near su

rrounds

of the HDF si

te. Section 4.1

6.1 Hydro

logy

, and Figure 4

.16-1 Geo

logy

, illustr

ate the sig

nificantly diffe

rent geologic f

eatures of the

valley, which

is filled with a

lluvium that ge

nerally extend

s about 6

0 feet under th

e surface and

is underlain by

highly weath

ered lava at a

shallow depth

by secondary

. With r

egards to the

issue of pote

ntial impact on

the arthropo

ds due to sur

face water ru

noff from the

propos

ed dairy far

m, conveyed

downstream

by watercour

ses, HDF re

iterates the

multiple bes

t manag

ement practic

es to be empl

oyed in the da

iry’s design an

d operations

(EIS Section 3

.5.1 Padd

ocks

, Fe

ncin

g an

d Se

tbac

ks): To p

rotect water

quality of sur

face water an

d downstream

areas, two t

ypes of

setbacks will b

e established.

A physical set

back to exclud

e cows from

waterways an

d drainages w

ill be created

with paddock

fencing set 3

5 feet back fr

om the top of

bank of drai

nage ways on

site. Existing

vegeta

tion within th

e setbacks wil

l be managed

or restored t

o reduce eros

ion, improve

stability of di

tch banks,

increase net c

arbon storage

, and improve

and maintain

water quality

. Additional s

etbacks restr

ict liquid e

ffluent applic

ation within 5

0 feet of water

ways; addition

al setbacks fr

om other wat

er sources are

listed i

n Section 3.5.

4.2 Nutri

ent B

alan

ce.

Mr. Aaron Nad

ig Island

Team Manager

, United States

Department o

f the Interior

Fish and Wildl

ife Service

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 3

of 4

Further, HDF’

s invertebrate

consultant, St

even Lee Mon

tgomery, Ph.D

., provided the

following res

ponse to

potential effe

cts of runoff:

Recognizing th

at the food su

pply of the wh

olly saprophag

ic amphipod i

s organic matt

er derived fro

m roots a

nd other decay

ing plant debr

is, and since n

itrogenous an

d phosphoric

nutrients will

promote

plant growth,

their effects,

if anything a

t all, can be

expected to ex

pand the foo

d supply in t

his oligotr

ophic subterra

nean ecosystem

. The da

iry operation

is not expecte

d to impact an

y endangered

invertebrate

populations.

Sesb

ania

tom

ento

sa

The USFWS co

mment letter

to the Draft E

IS acknowledg

es the statem

ent that the p

roject will not

disturb

critical habita

t for this enda

ngered coasta

l plant. Furth

er informatio

n has been inc

luded in the F

inal EIS,

Section 4.9.1 E

xist

ing

Cond

ition

s – F

lora

, to clarify:

single individ

ual plant rece

ntly identified

in a coastal a

rea south-east

of Polihale (

USFWS, 2015)

. shoreli

ne for the end

angered ‘

for the ‘

The plant is

successfully c

ultivated from

seed, and ha

s been out-p

lanted at app

ropriate sites

throug

hout the state

, including Ma

kauwahi Cave

Reserve (USF

WS, 2010). So

while the coa

stal area

provide appro

priate habitat

for this enda

ngered plant,

no naturally oc

curring

population of

the species is

currently kno

wn to exist in

the area. Rega

rdless, activiti

es of HDF wil

l occur o

ver a mile inla

nd of the coas

tal area, and th

us will not aff

ect the critica

l habitat estab

lished for this

rare, native p

lant. The Se

ptember 2016

USFWS listin

g of 49 specie

s statewide, c

onsisting of 1

0 animal and

39 plant speci

es, occur o

n or in the nea

r vicinity of th

e HDF site.

HDF apprecia

tes the on-go

ing communi

cation with y

our agency a

nd the State

DOFAW to fin

alize a

document det

ailing all minim

ization measu

res in an ESAP

P prior to pro

ject constructio

n and operatio

ns.

Mr. Aaron Nad

ig Island

Team Manager

, United States

Department o

f the Interior

Fish and Wildl

ife Service

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 4

of 4

Your comment

, along with th

is response, w

ill become par

t of the public

record and w

ill be publishe

d in the

Final EIS. A co

py of the Fina

l EIS is includ

ed on a compa

ct disc with th

is letter. Whe

n published, t

he Final

EIS will be a

vailable on th

e OEQC websi

te which you

can access u

sing the follo

wing URL, an

d search

. Thank

you for your g

uidance and p

articipation du

ring the envir

onmental revi

ew process.

Sincerely,

GROUP 70 INT

ERNATIONAL

, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

January 3, 20

17 Mr. Ro

nald L. Rickm

an Acting

Center Direct

or U.S. Ge

ological Surve

y Pacific

Islands Wate

r Science Cent

er 1845 W

asp Boulevard

, Building 176

Honolu

lu, Hawai‘i 968

18 Su

bjec

t: Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Final Environ

mental Impac

t Statement (EI

S)

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

r. Rickman:

June 20, 2016

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Draft E

IS. We ack

nowledge you

Final E

IS. Farms”

: .

Sincere

ly,

Je

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawa

January 3, 20

17 Mr. Do

uglas Murdock

Compt

roller State o

f Hawai‘i

Department o

f Accounting a

nd General Se

rvices Post Of

fice Box 119

Honolulu, Haw

ai‘i 96810-011

9 Su

bjec

t: Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Final Environ

mental Impac

t Statement (EI

S)

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

r. Murdock:

July 26, 2016

Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Draft Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement (EI

S). We acknow

ledge

Final EIS.

Farms”:

.

Sincerely,

Je

Princip

al Planner

cc: Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Hawa

Envi

ronmental Pla

nning Office

January 3, 20

17 Leo R.

Asuncion

Director

State of Hawa

i‘i Office o

f Planning

235 South Ber

etania Street,

6th Floor

Honolulu, Haw

ai‘i 96813

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

‘i, Hawai‘i

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear D

irector Asunc

ion: Thank

you for your i

nput dated Ju

ly 25, 2016 o

n the Hawai‘i

Dairy Farms (

HDF) Draft E

IS. We acknow

ledge you hav

e received an

d read the EIS

and have note

d that the pro

ject goals

2010 Compre

hensive Econ

omic Develop

ment Strategy

on Increased

Food Securit

y and Fo

od Self-Suffici

ency Strategy.

Your le

tter notes the

environmenta

l analysis in

the EIS exami

nes various i

ssues related

to surface wa

ter and the ne

arshore marin

e environmen

t, and that the

Office of Plan

ning has no fu

rther commen

ts. Your le

tter, along wi

th this respon

se, will becom

e part of the p

ublic record an

d will be pub

lished in the

Final EIS. A co

py of the Fina

l EIS is includ

ed on a compa

ct disc with th

is letter. Whe

n published, t

he Final EIS w

ill be availabl

e on the OEQC

website

which you ca

n access using

the following

URL, and sea

r.

Thank you for

your participa

tion in the env

ironmental rev

iew process.

Sincerely,

GROUP 70 INT

ERNATIONAL

, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

January 3, 20

17 Colone

l Neal S. Mitsu

yoshi, P.E.

Chief Enginee

ring Officer

Hawai‘i Natio

nal Guard

State of Hawa

i‘i Depart

ment of Defen

se 3949 D

iamond Head R

oad Honolu

lu, Hawai‘i 968

16-4495

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

‘i, Hawai‘i

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear C

olonel Mitsuy

oshi: Thank

you for your in

put dated June

22, 2016 on t

he Hawai‘i Dai

ry Farms Draft

EIS. We ack

nowledge you

have no comm

ents at this tim

e. Your c

omment, along

with this res

ponse, will be

come part of t

he public reco

rd and

will be publis

hed in the Fin

al EIS. A copy

of the Final E

IS is included

on a compac

t disc w

ith this letter.

When publis

hed, the Final

EIS will be a

vailable on th

e OEQC

Farms”:

. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly, GROUP

70 INTERNAT

IONAL, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Princip

al Planner

cc: Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Hawai‘i State

Department o

f Health,

Envi

ronmental Pla

nning Office

January 3, 20

17 Ms. Lau

ra McIntyre, AI

CP Progra

m Manager, S

tate of Hawai‘

i Depart

ment of Health

Environmenta

l Planning Off

ice P.O. Bo

x 3378

Honolulu, Haw

ai‘i 96801

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

‘i, Hawai‘i

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

s. McIntyre:

Thank you for

your input d

ated July 25, 2

016 on the Ha

wai‘i Dairy Fa

rms (HDF) Dr

aft EIS. Th

e following res

ponses are off

ered to your c

omments:

Clea

n W

ater

Issu

es:

1.State wate

rs and criteria

: a.HD

F has designed

the project to

comply with

applicable Sta

te of Hawaii

Water Policie

s, including th

ose stated in

Hawaii Admi

nistrative Rul

es (HAR) §11

-54-1.1, §1

1-54-3, and §1

1-54-4 throug

h §11-54-8.

b.Designated

uses per HAR

section §11-

54-3 and the

classification

of waters in

and aro

und the HDF

site are identif

ied in the EIS

Chapter 4, Sec

tion 4.17 Surfa

ce

Wat

er R

esou

rces

and

Nea

rsho

re M

arin

e En

viro

nmen

t and Chapter

5, Table

5.8

. F

watershed fal

l into Class 2,

and the open

coastal water

s downgradien

t of the

project are Cla

ss A, as waters

in the area ar

e not classifie

d for special pr

otection.

2.HDF has e

stablished bas

eline water qu

ality monitori

ng with the in

itially compile

d data se

t included in

the EIS Volu

me 2, Append

ix F: Bas

elin

e Co

nditi

ons

and

an

Mar

ine

Wat

e by M

arine Resear

ch Consultant

s, Inc. (MRC

I). MRCI

established 1

2 surface wate

r quality moni

toring station

s in and around

the HDF site,

as well as fou

r ocean sampl

ing transects

down gradient

of the site, to

provide for

regular water

quality moni

toring (see EI

S Section 4.17

). The monito

ring program

and methods a

re designed to

meet the

DOH) Clean

Water Branch

quality assu

rance/quality

control requi

rements, and

results

will be mad

e available t

o DOH CWB,

dairy

community.

Laura McIntyre

Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Environmenta

l Impact Statem

ent Januar

y 3, 2017

Page 2 of 7

3.HDF unde

rstands it is re

sponsible for c

omplying with

National Pollu

tant Discharg

e Elimination

System

(NPDES) perm

it coverage un

der HAR §11-

55, Water Pol

lution Contro

l. In March 20

14, HDF met

with DOH to

determine con

struction activ

ities that wou

ld require an

NPDES permi

t and was adv

ised that

only the const

ruction of the

dairy facilities

themselves w

ould require t

he permit. Cons

truction activ

ities for the

sole purpose

of growing c

rops do not r

equire an NPD

ES permit pe

r HAR §11-55

, Appendix C.

Once HDF is i

n operation, p

er 40 CFR 122

, it is excluded

from NPDES

requirements

as a non-poin

t source

agricultural a

ctivity as defin

ed in 40 CFR 1

22.2. 4.HD

F has consulte

d with the U.

S. Army Corp

s of Engineers

(USACE) whi

ch confirmed

, in a letter da

ted Octobe

r 22, 2014, tha

t maintenance

of existing dr

ainage ditches

on an existin

g farm at the H

DF site are

not prohibited

by or otherwi

se subject to r

egulation und

er Section 404

in accordance

with 33 CFR P

art 323.4.

USACE recom

mended use o

f Best Managem

ent Practices (

BMPs) to avo

id and minimi

ze impacts

to the aquat

ic resource. A

dditional pra

ctices are an

ticipated to f

all under the

exemption

for constru

ction or main

tenance of ex

isting or new

animal walkw

ays, stream cr

ossings, and f

arm roads

with applicatio

n of BMPs.

Following USA

CE review of

the Draft EIS, t

he agency reite

rated its resp

onse of Octob

er 22, 2014 th

at a Depart

ment of the A

rmy permit w

ill not be req

uired; the em

ail and attach

ment is inclu

ded in EIS

Volume 3 unde

r Agency Comm

ent Letters.

5.EIS Sectio

n 4.17 Surfac

e W

ater

Res

ourc

es a

nd N

ears

hore

Mar

ine

Envi

ronm

ent descr

ibes BMPs to b

e followe

d by HDF t

o avoid and

minimize imp

acts to the a

quatic resour

ce. These in

clude both

management

controls and

structural con

trols to be im

plemented in

the short-term

for construct

ion. Manag

ement contro

ls will include

: minimizing ex

posure of dist

urbed surfaces

; monitoring a

nd repair of

structural con

trols; prohibit

ing leaking or

poorly-maint

ained constru

ction equipme

nt and machi

nery; and ke

eping adjacent

public, paved

streets free of

dirt and mud.

Structural con

trols to be util

ized during

construction w

ill include: si

lt fence insta

lled in key lo

cations; sand

bags barriers

in swales; a

nd geotex

tile filter fabric

and sediment

logs around d

rain inlets.

Over the long-

term, the sur

face water qu

ality in the ag

ricultural ditc

hes and Waio

pili Ditch will

be improv

ed by active m

anagement of t

he dairy site. C

ultivation of a

grass thatch

for complete v

egetative

cover throug

hout the dai

ry paddocks

will minimize

currently ex

posed soils w

ithin the site

. A Conser

vation Plan fo

r HDF prepar

ed with inpu

t from the U

.S. Departmen

t of Agricultu

re Natural

District in De

cember 2013

, identifies the

conservation

practices and

BMPs in acco

rdance with N

RCS technic

al guidance. T

hese practice

s and BMPs

are the foun

dation of the

minimization

measures

described thro

ughout the EIS

. To pro

tect water qu

ality of surfa

ce water and

downstream

areas, two t

ypes of setba

cks will be

established. A

physical setb

ack to exclude

cows from w

aterways and

drainages wi

ll be created w

ith paddoc

k fencing set

35 feet back f

rom the top o

f bank of drai

nage ways on

site. Existing

vegetation

within the set

backs will be e

nhanced to ac

t as filter strip

s to trap soil p

articles and or

ganic debris th

at may be

carried by su

rface flow tow

ards drainagew

ays thus minim

izing inputs to

stormwater

runoff.

The vegetated

setbacks will

reduce eros

ion, improve

stability of di

tch banks, in

crease net car

bon storage

, and improve

and maintain

water quality

(Figure 3.5-2

). The second

type of setba

ck restricts

liquid effluen

t application

near water so

urces: 50 feet

from the top

of the bank

on either side

of a waterw

ay; and 1,000

feet from th

e nearest Cou

nty drinking

water well,

loa F (EIS Se

ction 3.5,

).

Laura McIntyre

Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Environmenta

l Impact Statem

ent Januar

y 3, 2017

Page 3 of 7

6.The HDF p

roject purpose

is to establish

a sustainable

, pastoral rota

tional-grazing

dairy farm th

at will increas

e current loca

l milk product

ion, bolster H

awai‘i’s declin

ing dairy indu

stry, and redu

ce reliance

on imported m

ilk from the m

ainland United

States. The r

otational-graz

ing dairy syst

em utilizes 1

00 percen

t of all manu

re on-site as n

atural fertiliz

er to grow gr

ass. This cost

-effective met

hod reduces

imported fert

ilizer and feed

, and minimize

s potential imp

acts to the env

ironment.

Between 1984

and 2015, im

portation of m

ilk to Hawai‘i

rose from 0 t

o 90 percent.

The local dai

ry industr

y has been red

uced to just tw

o dairies on t

he Big Island,

and with a re

cent cut of 23

percent in

price paid to t

hose dairies b

y the processo

r, local milk p

roduction is i

n jeopardy. Co

nventional fee

dlot dairy o

perations face

management

challenges inc

luding costs o

f imported fe

ed which fluc

tuate with

grain and fuel

prices, and th

e need to stor

e manure in w

aste impoundm

ent lagoons as

a waste produ

ct. Withou

t a need to uti

lize manure as

a nutrient for

growing crops

, options for ut

ilizing manur

e produced

are limited to

drying manur

e for sale, spre

ading on lands

that can toler

ate the nutrie

nts, utilizing d

ried manur

e solids as b

edding for da

iry cows in co

nfinement, or

generating e

nergy, which

ultimately

requires treat

ment and di

sposal. The

pasture-based

dairy mode

l is a clean,

cost-effective

, and sustain

able method.

Sustainable is

defined in the

EIS as:

a.Treatment

of storm wate

r: Design of the

facility is desc

ribed in the E

IS Chapter 3, D

escription of t

he Propos

ed Action. Gut

ters, curbs and

swales will be

used within th

e dairy facility

to direct surfa

ce sheet f

low as a part

of the overal

l site stormw

ater managem

ent plan. Meta

l roofing mate

rial on

dairy building

s will be slope

d to adequate

ly sized gutter

s and downsp

outs. Run-off

from a 1.75-

acre area with

in the facility,

primarily un

covered areas

with the poten

tial for

manure to be p

resent, will be

captured in th

e effluent stor

age ponds. Effl

uent from the

ponds will be

used to

irrigate the gra

ss crop, the pr

imary forage a

nd foodstock fo

r the cows.

b.Implement

ation of metho

ds to conserv

e water: Pota

ble water wil

l be sourced

from an onsit

e well establi

shed a centur

y ago to serve

the sugarcan

e plantation. T

he battery of

wells produce

d 3 MGD

during use fo

r sugarcane ir

rigation (see

EIS Section 4.

16.2 ). The

majority of t

he estima

ted 12,163 - 3

4,800 gallons

per day used

within the m

ilking parlor, d

epending on t

he herd

size, will be c

aptured in th

e ponds and

used for irriga

tion (EIS Tab

le 4.16-2 and

4.22-1, Wate

r ).

c.Stormwat

er re-use: Agr

icultural infra

structure from

prior sugarca

ne cultivation

will be mainta

ined, or rest

ored where n

eeded, to imp

rove stormwa

ter runoff con

veyance capac

ities. Within th

e dairy

facility, which

will occupy ro

ughly 2 percen

t of the total fa

rm area, roof

run-off from t

he implement

shed, m

ilking parlor, a

nd covered se

ction of the h

olding yard w

ill be discharg

ed at ground

level directly

to grass surro

unding the bu

ildings.

d.Reduce ex

cessive runoff

and need for

fertilization:

NRCS conserv

ation practice

s will be use

d to improv

e surface dra

inage and pr

otect water q

uality. Practic

es include es

tablishing rip

arian herbac

eous cover, g

rassed water

ways and sed

iment basins

(EIS Section

3.2). Manure

in a conven

tional feedlot

dairy operatio

n may be was

te, but in the p

asture-based s

ystem, 100 pe

rcent of

the manure is

used a resour

ce with its con

stituent comp

onents provid

ing nutrients n

eeded for the

forage

crop. As suc

h, nutrient m

anagement is f

undamental t

o the HDF ope

ration and is

discussed thro

ughout

the EIS and e

mphasized in

Section 3.5.4

.2 Nutrie

nt B

alan

ce and b

ased on the N

utri

ent

Bala

nce

contained in

EIS Volume

2, Appendix D

. Application

of nutrients w

ill correspond

with

Laura McIntyre

Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Environmenta

l Impact Statem

ent Januar

y 3, 2017

Page 4 of 7

forage uptake

, soil properti

es and weath

er conditions,

which will all

be monitored

in the field an

d tracked

using advanc

ed technology

to apply the

right amount

s in the right

place and at

the right

time for optim

al forage grow

th. Enhanc

e hydraulic c

apacity: The

identifies bo

th existing an

d propos

ed conditions

related to stor

mwater runof

f and drainage

. Estimated Pe

ak Flow where

flows combin

e south of th

e site will be

reduced. Pro

posed conditi

ons include

roughly 80 a

cres of

maintained dr

ainageways, ve

getated setbac

ks, cow walkw

ays topped wi

th soft, crushe

d, permeable

limestone, and

farm roads, a

nd a thick gra

ss ground cov

er over the ma

jority of the fa

rm: nearly 470

acres o

f the 557-acre

site. With org

anic matter fr

om manure, t

he predominat

ely kikuyu gra

ss crop

will improve s

urface infiltra

tion of rainfall

and irrigation

(Yost, 2016, i

n EIS Appendi

x 5-A).

Calculations in

the Hydrologi

c Assessment

show the pro

jected reducti

on by storm

event. For the

10-yea

r storm event,

peak flow lea

ving the proje

ct site will be re

duced by 257

cubic feet per

second

(cfs); for the 2

5-year storm

event, reduce

d by 283 cfs; a

nd for the 50-

year storm ev

ent, reduced b

y nearly

300 cfs.

Safe

Dri

nkin

g W

ater

Issu

es:

1.The numbe

r of dairy em

ployees will r

ange from 5 t

o 10 fulltime e

mployees, as s

tated in EIS S

ections

4.15 and 4.21.

The number o

f employees ha

s also been ad

ded to the des

cription of the

proposed act

ion in the E

IS, Section 3.3

.1.7 Utilit

ies under

“Domestic Wa

stewater”.

2.The drinki

ng water syst

em is not expe

cted to exceed

25 or more i

ndividuals at l

east 60 days p

er year,

nor will it ha

ve 15 service

connections.

Therefore, th

e well to be u

sed by HDF w

ill be conside

red a private

well. HDF und

erstands its re

sponsibility for

ensuring the

water is safe f

or consumptio

n. 3.Ad

ditionally, to s

atisfy the DOH

Milk Rules, po

table water us

ed for milk prod

uction – in the

milking parlo

r and for

milking opera

tions – must b

e demonstrate

d to be from a

n approved sup

ply that is pro

perly located,

protected, and

operated in a

sanitary mann

er. 4.HD

F can make its

current water

quality testing

results availab

le to DOH, and

anticipates co

operating in

regular water

testing under

the Milk Rul

es. Water wil

l be tested fro

m the plumbe

d source withi

n the dairy fa

cility once em

ployees are on

site. 5.The

reference on

page 4-56 has

been correcte

d to State of H

awai‘i, Depart

ment of Healt

h, Safe Drinkin

g Water

Branch (SDWB

). 6.As

described in t

he EIS Section

3.3.1.7 Utilitie

s “Potab

le Water,” po

table water w

ill be provided

to the

milking parlor

and adjacent

buildings, as w

ell as to water

troughs in pa

ddocks,

well on site. E

IS Section 3.5

.4.1 descri

bes the irrigat

ion water, to

be sourced fr

om Waita

Reservoir, as

filtered and pu

mped to the v

arious irrigati

on component

s on the farm.

Thus the prop

osed dairy w

ill not have a d

ual water syst

em, but rathe

r two complet

ely separate s

ystems.

Und

ergr

ound

Inje

ctio

n Co

ntro

l (U

IC)

1.HDF ackn

owledges EPO

’s comments

regarding the

UIC line. Ab

ove the UIC

line, construct

ion and

operation of n

ew industrial

wastewater fro

m manufactur

ing or processi

ng operations

is prohibited.

2.HD

F does not pro

pose to condu

ct any processi

ng on site, or t

o install a was

tewater inject

ion well.

3.HDF has r

eceived appro

val for its ind

ividual waste

water system

sized at 700

gpd, which in

cludes an

absorption be

d (IWS file #5

1486).

4.HDF does

not propose co

nstruction or o

peration of a n

ew drainage i

njection for st

orm water pur

poses.

Laura McIntyre

Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Environmenta

l Impact Statem

ent Januar

y 3, 2017

Page 5 of 7

Sour

ce W

ater

Ass

essm

ent P

rogr

am (S

WAP

)

1.The minim

um setback d

istance from p

ublic drinking

water source

s for the appli

cation of efflu

ent is 50

feet per the D

OH Guid

elin

es fo

r (2010

). However, H

DF has agreed

to increase

this setback to

1,000 feet fol

l Within

this set

back, no efflue

nt will be app

lied and no an

imals will depo

sit manure as

the area will n

ot be used

for grazing (E

IS Section 3.5

.4 ).

Please see

2.Fig

ure 3.3-5

has been revi

sed as sugges

ted, to identif

y “Drinking W

ater Wells” an

d to spec

ify the separa

tion distance f

rom the

The fo

ur groundwa

ter monitorin

g wells crea

ted by HDF

will allow nu

trient and ba

cteriological

monitoring of

the shallow g

roundwater in

alluvial layer

s on the valle

y floor. Per t

he results of t

he hydrol

ogic assessme

nt prepared fo

r HDF, the sh

allow groundw

ater is compl

etely separate

from the

3.Wh

ile not requir

ed, HDF has e

lected to cons

truct the efflue

nt ponds to i

nclude a flexi

ble membran

e liner, a

s well as to pla

ce the ponds w

ithin a second

ary containme

nt berm.

4.The potent

ial contamina

ting activities

(PCA) defined

in the Source

Water Assess

ment Program

(SWAP)

defines a conf

ined animal fe

eding facility

as greater tha

n 25 head per

acre of dairy c

attle. The stoc

king rate pr

oposed by HD

F at the comm

itted herd siz

e of 699 matu

re dairy cows

utilizing 470

acres of

pasture is less

than 1.5 anim

als per acre; a

t the contemp

lated herd siz

e of up to 2,0

00 mature da

iry cows u

tilizing 470 ac

res, the stocki

ng rate is app

roximately 4.2

5 animals per

acre. Thus the

density of

the pasture-b

ased rotationa

l grazing dair

y does not m

eet the defini

tion of a PCA

. Additionally

, the SWAP

program ackn

owledges that

site-specific p

ractices inclu

ding BMPs m

ay mitigate co

ntamination

and would be

acknowledged

in any PCA as

sessment.

Section 3.4

identifies app

roximately 15

0 calves that m

ay be on site a

t any given tim

e, with ro

ughly 50 of tho

se housed with

in the calf shed

s. Manure from

the calf sheds

will be transfe

rred to

the effluent po

nds. The 100 c

alves near the

calf sheds wi

ll be on pastur

e in paddocks

that total abo

ut 2.5 acr

es. For the co

ntemplated he

rd size, calf n

umbers are e

stimated to in

crease to up t

o 500 calves,

with approxim

ately 167 in th

e calf sheds an

d the remaini

ng on pasture

(Section 3.8

Size

). 5. for two

- and ten-

loa drinking w

ater Well F an

d Well C. The

response

provided was

“GIS Data: No

t available fro

m the Departm

ent of Water.” H

owever, the tw

o- and ten-yea

r time o

f travel zones

shown in the

redacted rep

orts that wer

e provided ar

e consistent

with the EIS

Figure 4.16-3

, and the efflue

nt ponds are o

utside of the w

ell capture

zones.

The last parag

raph on page

4-56 of the D

raft EIS, now

pages 4-60 4

-61 of the Fin

al EIS, have b

een revised

to clarify wh

ich informati

on can be att

ributed to the

cited CWB p

ublication, an

d which is

attributed to t

he groundwate

r engineer con

tracted by HD

F. 6.A s

oil sampling p

rogram is part

of the nutrien

t balance anal

ysis which is fo

undational to t

he rotational

grazing dairy

model (see

5d under Clea

n Water Issu

es, above). H

DF is commi

tted to adapt

ive manag

ement of the s

ite to maintain

nutrient bala

nce for the he

alth of the cow

s, the success

of the dairy

and for protec

tion of the env

ironment.

7.The SWAP

program has b

een corrected

to be attribut

ed to the SDWB

.

Laura McIntyre

Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Environmenta

l Impact Statem

ent Januar

y 3, 2017

Page 6 of 7

Gene

ral S

afe

Dri

nkin

g W

ater

Com

men

ts

1.The pivot i

rrigation syste

m will be pro

gramed to pre

vent applicatio

n to the on-si

te potable wa

ter well

and the monito

ring wells.

2.The livesto

ck water dist

ribution syste

m in Section

3.3.2.2 has be

en corrected;

the correct se

ctions in

Chapter 4 that

document live

stock water de

mand are 4.16

.3 and 4.22.2.

3.The abbrev

iation μS/cm h

as been define

d in the text an

d was added to

the abbreviat

ions list.

4.The abbrev

iation μM has b

een defined in

the text and w

as added to the

abbreviations

list. 5.HD

F will have a

sampling tap

to allow testi

ng of water qu

ality from the

potable wate

r well. Testing

freque

ncy will be

determined u

nder DOH Ha

wai’i Adminis

trative Rules

§11-15 Milk

, which we

understand to

require testin

g by the Depa

rtment of San

itation every

six months.

Initial data on

shallow grou

ndwater const

ituents from s

ampling of the

HDF-installed

monitoring w

ells is inclu

ded in EIS Ap

pendix E

(TNWRE, 201

6). W

aste

wat

er Is

sues

1.The numbe

r of dairy em

ployees will r

ange from 5 t

o 10 fulltime e

mployees, as s

tated in EIS S

ections

4.15 and 4.21.

2.The

FEIS introdu

ction has bee

n corrected to

clarify the to

tal paddock a

rea is 469.9

acres and the

numbe

r of paddocks i

s 119. 3.The

FEIS introduc

tion has been

corrected to id

entify the amo

unt of irrigate

d pasture – 34

6.5 acres.

4.HDF ackn

owledges you

r comment tha

t an expansio

n beyond 699

mature dairy

cows may requ

ire the

issuance of a C

AFO/NPDES p

ermit by the S

tate DOH.

5.HDF ackn

owledges you

r comment tha

t daily opera

tions with 700

or more mat

ure dairy cow

s may require

additional reg

ulatory review

and permittin

g. 6.The

maximum nu

mber of peop

le expected to

be onsite at

any time could

be up to 20

; the typical

number of peo

ple expected o

nsite at any o

ne time would

be approxima

tely 4 people i

n addition to d

airy employ

ees. 7.Sec

tion 3.4 Herd

identi

fies the numb

er of calves a

nticipated wit

hin the calf sh

eds to be

approximately

50 calves at th

e committed he

rd size. Sectio

n 3.8 of the

EIS notes

the number o

f calves to be

housed in th

e sheds at an

y one time co

uld increase t

o approximat

ely 167

calves. The es

timated numbe

r of additional

calves on past

ure is also incl

uded in those E

IS sections.

8.The Depar

tment of Hea

lth Guideline

s for Livestoc

k Managemen

t reference h

as been revis

ed to correct

ly cite the refe

rence. 9.The

WMP subm

itted to WW

B covers the

699 mature

dairy cow he

rd size (refer

red to as th

e “comm

itted” herd siz

e in the EIS).

Should HDF c

ontemplate po

ssible expansio

n of the herd

following

proven succe

ss of the rot

ational-grazin

g system for

local milk pro

duction, addit

ional regulato

ry permit

s, such as a W

MP for the la

rger herd size

, may be req

uired. The EI

S provides a

side-by-side

summary of t

he impacts di

sclosed throug

hout the EIS i

n Table 4.27-

1 .

Laura McIntyre

Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Environmenta

l Impact Statem

ent Januar

y 3, 2017

Page 7 of 7

Your comment

, along with th

is response, w

ill become par

t of the public

record and w

ill be publishe

d in the

Final EIS. A co

py of the Fina

l EIS is includ

ed on a compa

ct disc with th

is letter. Whe

n published, t

he Final

EIS will be a

vailable on th

e OEQC websi

te which you

can access u

sing the follo

wing URL, an

d search

. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly, GROUP

70 INTERNAT

IONAL, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

DA

VID

Y. I

GE

GO

VER

NO

R O

F H

AW

AII

SUZA

NN

E D

. CA

SEC

HA

IRPE

RSO

NBO

AR

D O

F LA

ND

AN

D N

ATU

RA

L RE

SOU

RCES

CO

MM

ISSI

ON

ON

WA

TER

RES

OU

RC

E M

AN

AG

EMEN

T

KE

KO

A K

AL

UH

IWA

FIR

ST D

EPU

TY

JEFF

RE

Y T

. PE

AR

SON

DEP

UTY

DIR

ECTO

R -

WA

TER

AQ

UA

TIC

RES

OU

RC

ESBO

ATI

NG

AN

D O

CEA

N R

ECRE

ATI

ON

BU

REA

U O

F C

ON

VEY

AN

CES

CO

MM

ISSI

ON

ON

WA

TER

RES

OU

RC

E M

AN

AG

EMEN

TCO

NSE

RV

ATI

ON

AN

D C

OA

STA

L LA

ND

SC

ON

SER

VA

TIO

N A

ND

RES

OU

RC

ES E

NFO

RC

EMEN

TEN

GIN

EER

ING

FOR

ESTR

Y A

ND

WIL

DLI

FEH

ISTO

RIC

PR

ESER

VA

TIO

NK

AH

OO

LAW

E IS

LAN

D R

ESER

VE

CO

MM

ISSI

ON

LAN

DST

ATE

PA

RK

S

STA

TE

OF

HA

WA

IID

EPA

RT

ME

NT

OF

LA

ND

AN

D N

AT

UR

AL

RE

SOU

RC

ES

STA

TE H

ISTO

RIC

PR

ESER

VA

TIO

ND

IVIS

ION

KA

KU

HIH

EWA

BU

ILD

ING

601

KA

MO

KIL

A B

LVD

, STE

555

KA

POLE

I, H

AW

AII

967

07

July

18,

201

6

Lydi

a M

orik

awa

Land

Div

isio

nLO

G N

O: 2

016.

0137

7Ly

dia.

M.M

orik

awa@

haw

aii.g

ovD

OC

NO

: 160

7MN

05A

rcha

eolo

gy

SUB

JEC

T:C

hapt

er 6

E-8

His

tori

c Pr

eser

vatio

n R

evie

w -

EIS

Not

ice

for

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms

TM

K: (

4) 2

-9-0

01:0

01 p

or a

nd (4

) 2-9

-003

:001

por

. and

006

por

.

Than

k yo

u fo

r re

ques

ting

our

revi

ew o

f th

e dr

aft E

nviro

nmen

tal I

mpa

ct S

tate

men

t (EI

S) f

or H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s (H

DF)

, whi

ch w

e re

ceiv

ed in

our

Kap

olei

offi

ce f

rom

Lan

d D

ivis

ion

on J

une

13, 2

016.

We

rece

ntly

rec

eive

d an

d re

view

ed a

rev

ised

dra

ft of

the

arc

haeo

logi

cal

inve

ntor

y su

rvey

rep

ort

for

the

proj

ect

entit

led

“Arc

haeo

logi

cal

Inve

ntor

y Su

rvey

of

580-

oloa

Dis

tric

t, K

aua‘

i Is

land

, Haw

ai‘i

[TM

K:

(4)

2-9-

003:

001

por.

and

006

por;

2-9

-001

:001

por

.] J.

Puts

i., J

. Pow

ell,

M.C

hing

, M. D

ega,

Ph.

D M

ay 2

016.

The

orig

inal

su

bmitt

al w

as re

ceiv

ed in

the

Hon

olul

u of

fice

Sept

embe

r 25,

201

4 an

d re

view

ed b

y th

e St

ate

His

toric

Pre

serv

atio

n D

ivis

ion

(SH

PD) i

n a

lette

r dat

ed D

ecem

ber 3

, 201

4 (L

og N

o. 2

014.

0440

5, D

oc N

o. 1

410M

N02

). W

e re

ceiv

ed th

e re

vise

d co

py F

ebru

ary

20,

2015

and

rev

iew

ed i

t in

a l

ette

r da

ted

Apr

il 13

, 20

15 (

Log

No.

201

5.01

404,

Doc

N

o.15

04M

N05

). W

e re

ceiv

ed th

e th

ird d

raft

in o

ur K

apol

ei o

ffic

e on

June

1, 2

016.

We

have

req

uest

ed a

dditi

onal

rev

isio

ns t

o th

e re

port

purs

uant

to

HA

R§1

3-27

6. A

t th

is t

ime,

the

Sta

te H

isto

ric

Pres

erva

tion

Div

isio

n is

una

ble

to a

sses

s pot

entia

l im

pact

s to

hist

oric

pro

pert

ies.

Onc

e w

e re

ceiv

e an

acc

epta

ble

arch

aeol

ogic

al in

vent

ory

surv

ey (A

IS) r

epor

t, w

e w

ill b

e pr

epar

ed to

mak

e re

com

men

datio

ns re

gard

ing

pres

erva

tion

or p

oten

tial

miti

gatio

ns t

o m

inim

ize

effe

cts

to h

isto

ric p

rope

rties

. N

aone

at (

808)

271

-494

0 or

Mar

yjan

e.na

one@

haw

aii.g

ovif

you

have

any

que

stio

ns re

gard

ing

this

lette

r.

Alo

ha,

Mar

y Ja

ne N

aone

Kau

a‘i L

ead

Arc

haeo

logi

stSt

ate

His

toric

Pre

serv

atio

n D

ivis

ion

cc.

Jeff

Ove

rton,

Gro

up 7

0, je

ff@

grou

p70i

nt.c

om

January 3, 20

17 Susan L

ebo, PhD

Archaeology B

ranch Chief

State of Hawa

i‘i Depart

ment of Land

and Natural R

esources

State Historic

Preservation

Division

601 Kamokila

Blvd, Suite 55

5 Kapole

i, Hawai‘i 9670

7 Su

bjec

t: Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Final Environ

mental Impac

t Statement (EI

S)

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear D

r. Lebo:

We received a

State Histori

c Preservation

Division (SH

PD) letter fro

m Mary Jane

Naone, Kaua‘i

Lead Archaeo

logist, dated J

uly 18, 2016,

regarding the

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Draft EIS.

After subsequ

ent coordinati

on with your o

ffice, we have

since receive

d your letter

of acceptance

of the AIS dat

ed December

19, 2016. Your

letter states t

hat no further

work i

s recommende

d for the fourt

een plantation

era sites with

in the project

area. Your le

tter further st

ates that the c

urrent propos

ed project wi

ll not affect tw

o sites outside

the Project

Area assessed

as significan

t under Crite

rion d (infor

mation

potential) and

e (cultural va

lue), and no fu

rther mitigatio

n is recommen

ded for the

project. Futur

e proposed p

rojects outsid

e the current

project area s

hall require

consultation w

ith SHPD.

Your commen

t, along with t

his response,

will become p

art of the pub

lic record and

will be

published in

the Final EIS.

A copy of the

Final EIS is in

cluded on a c

ompact

disc with this

letter. When

published, th

e Final EIS w

ill be availabl

e on the OEQC

websit

e which you

can access usi

ng the followi

ng URFarms”

: http://tinyur

l.com/OEQCKA

UAI. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly, GROUP

70 INTERNAT

IONAL, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

January 3, 20

17 Carty S

. Chang, PE

Chief Enginee

r State o

f Hawai‘i

Department o

f Land and Na

tural Resourc

es Engine

ering Division

Post Of

fice Box 621

Honolulu, Haw

ai‘i 96809

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

‘i, Hawai‘i

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

r. Chang:

Thank you for

your input d

ated July 7, 20

16 on the Ha

wai‘i Dairy Fa

rms Draft EIS

. We ac

knowledge th

e Engineering

Division’s co

mments rega

rding the rule

s and regulat

ions of the Na

tional Flood I

nsurance Pro

gram (NFIP),

as well as th

e Flood

Hazard Zone X

in which the

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms projec

t is located. We

acknowledge

your commen

t that the NFI

P does not re

gulate any de

velopment wit

hin a Zone X

designation.

Your commen

t, along with t

his response,

will become p

art of the pub

lic record and

will be

published in

the Final EIS.

A copy of the

Final EIS is in

cluded on a c

ompact

disc with this

letter. When

published, th

e Final EIS w

ill be availabl

e on the OEQC

Farms”

: .

Thank you for

your participa

tion in the env

ironmental rev

iew process.

Sincerely,

GROUP 70 INT

ERNATIONAL

, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

January 3, 20

17 Marvin

Mikasa

Land Agent

State of Hawa

i‘i Depart

ment of Land

and Natural R

esources

Land Division

– Kaua‘i Distr

ict Post Of

fice Box 621

Honolulu, Haw

ai‘i 96809

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

loa District, K

aua‘i, Hawai‘i

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

r. Mikasa:

June 15, 2016

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Draft E

IS. We ack

nowledge

–

Final EIS.

Farms”:

.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Envi

ronmental Pla

nning Office

January 3, 20

17 Mr. Me

l Rapozo

Chairperson,

Kaua‘i County

Council

County of Kau

a‘i Counci

l Services Divi

sion 4396 R

ice Street, Suit

e 209 Lhu‘e,

Kaua‘i, Hawa

i‘i 96766

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

Mhulep, K

loa District, K

aua‘i, Hawai‘i

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear C

ouncilmember

Rapozo:

Thank you for

your input d

ated July 15,

2016 on the H

awai‘i Dairy F

arms (HDF)

Draft EIS. We

acknowledge y

our comments

in support of t

he HDF EIS.

Your commen

t, along with t

his response,

will become p

art of the pub

lic record and

will be

published in

the Final EIS.

A copy of the

Final EIS is in

cluded on a c

ompact

disc with this

letter. When

published, th

e Final EIS w

ill be availabl

e on the OEQC

websit

e which you

can access usi

ng the followi

ng URL, and s

earch “Hawai

i Dairy

Farms”: http:/

/tinyurl.com/O

EQCKAUAI.

Thank you for

your participa

tion in the env

ironmental rev

iew process.

Sincerely,

GROUP 70 INT

ERNATIONAL

, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

AN

EQ

UA

L O

PPO

RTU

NIT

Y E

MPL

OY

ER

CO

UN

TY

CO

UN

CIL

O

FFIC

E O

F T

HE

CO

UN

TY

CL

ER

K

Mel

Rap

ozo,

Cha

ir

Ros

s Kag

awa,

Vic

e C

hair

Jade

K. F

ount

ain-

Tani

gaw

a, C

ount

y C

lerk

M

ason

K. C

hock

Scot

t K. S

ato,

Dep

uty

Cou

nty

Cle

rk

Gar

y L.

Hoo

ser

A

rryl

Kan

eshi

ro

Kip

uKai

Kua

li‘i

Te

leph

one

(808

) 241

-418

8 J

oAnn

A. Y

ukim

ura

Fax

(

808)

241

-634

9

Em

ail

cokc

ounc

il@ka

uai.g

ov

Cou

ncil

Serv

ices

Div

isio

n 43

96 R

ice

Stre

et, S

uite

209

Lī

hu‘e,

Kau

a‘i, H

awai

‘i 96

766

Ju

ly 1

, 201

6

Gro

up 7

0 In

tern

atio

nal

Att

n: J

eff O

vert

on/H

awai

‘i D

airy

Far

ms

Via

E-m

ail:

HD

F@G

roup

70in

t.com

D

ear

Mr.

Ove

rton

:

Than

k yo

u fo

r th

e op

port

unity

to s

ubm

it co

mm

ents

in s

uppo

rt o

f the

Haw

ai‘i

Dai

ry F

arm

s’ D

raft

Env

iron

men

tal I

mpa

ct S

tate

men

t (E

IS).

I a

m w

ritin

g to

day

as

an in

divi

dual

Cou

ncilm

embe

r on

the

Kau

a‘i C

ount

y C

ounc

il an

d am

cur

rent

ly t

he

Cou

ncil’

s V

ice

Cha

ir a

nd C

hair

of t

he C

ounc

il’s

Publ

ic W

orks

/ Pa

rks

& R

ecre

atio

n C

omm

ittee

.

I w

ould

lik

e to

ack

now

ledg

e H

awai

‘i D

airy

Far

ms

for

bein

g op

en a

nd

com

mun

icat

ive

with

the

peo

ple

of K

aua‘

i ov

er t

he p

ast

seve

ral

year

s as

the

y pu

rsue

d th

eir

plan

s.

Con

duct

ing

a vo

lunt

ary

EIS

goe

s ab

ove

and

beyo

nd t

heir

re

gula

tory

req

uire

men

ts,

and

I am

app

reci

ativ

e of

thi

s ge

stur

e to

ens

ure

our

com

mun

ity th

at th

e da

iry

will

pro

tect

the

envi

ronm

ent.

Gro

win

g up

on

Kau

a‘i’s

wes

t sid

e, I

witn

esse

d fir

st-h

and

how

agr

icul

ture

can

st

imul

ate

the

econ

omy,

sup

port

loca

l peo

ple,

and

feed

fam

ilies

. W

e ha

ve lo

st a

lot o

f ag

ricu

ltura

l op

erat

ions

in

the

past

few

dec

ades

. H

awai

‘i D

airy

Far

ms

pres

ents

a

new

opp

ortu

nity

tha

t is

res

pons

ible

, mor

e su

stai

nabl

e th

an d

airi

es o

f the

pas

t, an

d us

es s

tate

-of-t

he-a

rt t

echn

olog

y to

incr

ease

food

sec

urity

, pro

vide

a fr

esh,

loca

l foo

d so

urce

for

our

peo

ple,

div

ersi

fy a

gric

ultu

re,

and

utili

ze I

mpo

rtan

t A

gric

ultu

ral

Land

s. Th

e re

sults

of t

he D

raft

EIS

sho

w th

at th

e da

iry

is w

ell-s

uite

d fo

r M

ahau

lepu

V

alle

y, a

nd s

peci

fical

ly w

ill i

mpr

ove

soil

on t

he f

arm

, pr

otec

t w

ater

res

ourc

es,

min

imiz

e fly

pop

ulat

ion,

and

not

neg

ativ

ely

affe

ct h

ome

valu

es.

Odo

r fr

om t

he

dair

y w

ill n

ot im

pact

nea

rby

visi

tors

or

resi

dent

s.

Haw

ai‘i

Dai

ry F

arm

s w

ould

be

a po

sitiv

e ad

ditio

n to

Kau

a‘i’s

eco

nom

y an

d co

mm

unity

, and

I fu

lly s

uppo

rt it

s D

raft

EIS

. Th

ank

you

for

allo

win

g m

e to

pro

vide

co

mm

ents

in

supp

ort

of H

awai

‘i D

airy

Far

ms.

Sh

ould

you

hav

e an

y qu

estio

ns,

plea

se fe

el fr

ee to

con

tact

me

or C

ounc

il Se

rvic

es S

taff

at (8

08) 2

41-4

188.

Si

ncer

ely,

RO

SS K

AG

AW

A

Cou

ncil

Vic

e C

hair

, Kau

a‘i C

ount

y C

ounc

il

January 3, 20

17 Mr. Ro

ss Kagawa

Council Vice C

hair, Kaua‘i Co

unty Council

County of Kau

a‘i Counci

l Services Divi

sion 4396 R

ice Street, Suit

e 209

Subj

ect:

Dear

Kagawa: July 1,

2016 on the

Draft S. W

. .

Sincere

ly,

Je

cc:

Janu

ary

3, 2

017

Mr.

Mas

on K

. Cho

ck

Coun

cilm

embe

r, Ka

ua‘i

Coun

ty C

ounc

il Co

unty

of K

aua‘

i Co

unci

l Ser

vice

s Div

isio

n 43

96 R

ice

Stre

et, S

uite

209

Lī

hu‘e

, Kau

a‘i,

Haw

ai‘i

9676

6

Subject:

Haw

ai‘i

Dair

y Fa

rms F

inal

Env

iron

men

tal I

mpa

ct S

tate

men

t (EI

S)

Māh

ā‘ul

epū,

Kōl

oa D

istr

ict,

Kaua

‘i, H

awai

‘i

Re

spon

se to

Com

men

t on

Dra

ft EI

S

Dea

r Cou

ncilm

embe

r Cho

ck:

Than

k yo

u fo

r yo

ur in

put

to th

e St

ate

Depa

rtm

ent o

f Hea

lth d

ated

July

5, 2

016

on

the

Haw

ai‘i

Dai

ry F

arm

s (H

DF)

Dra

ft EI

S. A

s th

e co

nsul

tant

for t

he p

roje

ct, G

roup

70

Inte

rnat

iona

l offe

rs th

e fo

llow

ing

resp

onse

s to

your

com

men

ts:

Revi

ew o

f a W

aste

Man

agem

ent P

lan

(WM

P) is

a fu

nctio

n of

the

Was

tew

ater

Bra

nch

of th

e D

epar

tmen

t of H

ealth

(DOH

) in

acco

rdan

ce w

ith th

e D

OH G

uide

lines

for W

aste

M

anag

emen

t (2

010)

. The

WM

P re

view

pro

cess

is

not

part

of

the

EIS

proc

ess

or

subj

ect t

o pu

blic

revi

ew a

nd c

omm

ent.

HD

F up

date

d th

e W

MP

to re

flect

refin

emen

ts id

entif

ied

duri

ng th

e pl

anni

ng p

roce

ss.

HD

F op

erat

ions

as

docu

men

ted

in th

e or

igin

al a

nd re

vise

d W

MP

are

refle

cted

in th

e EI

S, a

nd a

re c

onsi

sten

t with

the

disc

lose

d Ap

pend

ix D

, Nut

rien

t Bal

ance

Ana

lysis

for

Haw

aiʻi

Dair

y Fa

rm.

Whi

le a

n ag

ricu

ltura

l pro

ject

on

agri

cultu

ral l

ands

impl

emen

ted

and

oper

ated

with

pr

ivat

e fu

nds

does

not

req

uire

env

iron

men

tal

disc

losu

re,

HD

F re

spon

ded

to

com

mun

ity c

once

rns

by a

gree

ing

to p

repa

re a

n EI

S. T

he E

IS i

s a

disc

losu

re

docu

men

t th

at a

naly

zes

the

effe

cts

of a

pro

pose

d pr

ojec

t or

pro

gram

on

the

envi

ronm

ent i

nclu

ding

dir

ect,

indi

rect

and

cum

ulat

ive

impa

cts,

disc

usse

s alte

rnat

ive

met

hods

or

desi

gns

to t

he p

ropo

sed

actio

n, a

nd f

orm

ulat

es m

inim

izat

ion

and

miti

gatio

n m

easu

res

to e

limin

ate,

redu

ce, o

r rec

tify

adve

rse

impa

cts o

f the

pro

pose

d ac

tion.

Thi

s EI

S w

as p

repa

red

in a

ccor

danc

e w

ith H

awai

‘i Ad

min

istr

ativ

e Ru

les T

itle

11 C

hapt

er 2

00, i

mpl

emen

ting

Haw

ai‘i

Revi

sed

Stat

utes

(H

RS)

Chap

ter

343.

Upo

n pu

blic

atio

n by

the

Offi

ce o

f En

viro

nmen

tal

Qual

ity C

ontr

ol i

n th

e En

viro

nmen

tal

Not

ice

issu

e of

June

8, 2

016,

the

Dra

ft EI

S un

derw

ent

a 45

-day

age

ncy

and

publ

ic

revi

ew.

Mr.

Mas

on K

. Cho

ck

Coun

cilm

embe

r, Ka

ua‘i

Coun

ty C

ounc

il H

awai

‘i Da

iry

Farm

s Env

iron

men

tal I

mpa

ct S

tate

men

t Ja

nuar

y 3,

201

7 Pa

ge 2

of 2

Your

com

men

t, al

ong

with

this

res

pons

e, w

ill b

ecom

e pa

rt o

f the

pub

lic r

ecor

d an

d w

ill b

e pu

blis

hed

in th

e Fi

nal E

IS. A

cop

y of

the

Fina

l EIS

is in

clud

ed o

n a

com

pact

dis

c w

ith th

is le

tter

. Whe

n pu

blis

hed,

the

Fina

l EI

S w

ill b

e av

aila

ble

on t

he O

EQC

web

site

whi

ch y

ou c

an a

cces

s us

ing

the

follo

win

g UR

L, a

nd s

earc

h “H

awai

ʻi D

airy

Far

ms”

: htt

p://

tinyu

rl.co

m/O

EQCK

AUAI

.

Than

k yo

u fo

r you

r par

ticip

atio

n in

the

envi

ronm

enta

l rev

iew

pro

cess

.

Sinc

erel

y,

GROU

P 70

INTE

RNAT

ION

AL, I

NC.

Jeffr

ey H

. Ove

rton

, AIC

P, L

EED

AP

Prin

cipa

l Pla

nner

cc:

Haw

ai‘i

Dair

y Fa

rms

H

awai

‘i St

ate

Depa

rtm

ent o

f Hea

lth,

Envi

ronm

enta

l Pla

nnin

g Of

fice

AN

EQ

UA

L O

PPO

RTU

NIT

Y E

MPL

OY

ER

CO

UN

TY

CO

UN

CIL

O

FFIC

E O

F T

HE

CO

UN

TY

CL

ER

K

Mel

Rap

ozo,

Cha

ir

Ros

s Kag

awa,

Vic

e C

hair

Jade

K. F

ount

ain-

Tani

gaw

a, C

ount

y C

lerk

M

ason

K. C

hock

Scot

t K. S

ato,

Dep

uty

Cou

nty

Cle

rk

Gar

y L.

Hoo

ser

A

rryl

Kan

eshi

ro

Kip

uKai

Kua

li‘i

Te

leph

one

(808

) 241

-418

8 J

oAnn

A. Y

ukim

ura

Fax

(

808)

241

-634

9

Em

ail

cokc

ounc

il@ka

uai.g

ov

Cou

ncil

Serv

ices

Div

isio

n 43

96 R

ice

Stre

et, S

uite

209

Lī

hu‘e,

Kau

a‘i, H

awai

‘i 96

766

Ju

ly 2

5, 2

016

Dr.

Vir

gini

a Pr

essl

er

Dir

ecto

r D

epar

tmen

t of H

ealth

12

50 P

unch

bow

l Str

eet

Hon

olul

u, H

awai

‘i 9

6813

D

ear

Dr.

Pre

ssle

r:

R

E:

HA

WA

I‘I D

AIR

Y FA

RM

S

D

RA

FT E

NV

IRO

NM

EN

TAL

IMP

AC

T ST

ATE

ME

NT

(DE

IS)

MĀ

HĀ

‘ULE

PŪ

RO

AD

, KA

UA

‘I, H

AW

AI‘I

Afte

r ca

refu

l re

view

I h

ave

foun

d th

e pr

opos

ed D

raft

EIS

for

the

Haw

ai‘i

Dai

ry F

arm

s pr

ojec

t loc

ated

at T

MK

: (4)

2-9

-003

insu

ffici

ent b

ased

on

its r

evie

w a

nd

findi

ngs

pert

aini

ng to

thre

e (3

) par

ticul

ar a

reas

of c

once

rn: I

mpa

cts

of g

roun

d w

ater

an

d ne

arsh

ore

coas

tal

reso

urce

s, i

mpa

cts

from

odo

r an

d fli

es,

and

impa

cts

on

prop

erty

val

ues

in n

earb

y re

sort

and

res

iden

tial a

reas

.

Whi

le t

he d

ata

cont

aine

d w

ithin

the

Dra

ft E

IS a

ppea

rs a

t fir

st g

lanc

e to

be

thor

ough

and

com

preh

ensi

ve, a

clo

se r

evie

w fi

nds

it fa

ils t

o ta

ke in

sec

onda

ry a

nd

cum

ulat

ive

impa

cts

as r

equi

red

unde

r H

awai

‘i R

evis

ed S

tatu

tes

(HR

S) 3

43.

The

re

appe

ars

to b

e no

com

preh

ensi

ve a

naly

sis

spec

ifica

lly o

f th

e lo

ng-t

erm

cum

ulat

ive

impa

cts

of t

his

oper

atio

n co

mbi

ned

with

the

pro

ject

ed g

row

th o

f th

e ge

nera

l po

pula

tion

of th

e ad

jace

nt r

esor

t and

res

iden

tial a

reas

.

I fo

und

the

follo

win

g re

fere

nce

espe

cial

ly

trou

blin

g an

d fr

ankl

y no

t bel

ieva

ble:

“R

esul

ts o

f tec

hnic

al s

tudi

es a

nd th

e fin

ding

s of

the

EIS

sho

w n

o un

miti

gate

d nu

isan

ces

that

w

ould

af

fect

pr

oper

ty

valu

es

as

a re

sult

of

dair

y im

plem

enta

tion

or o

pera

tions

. N

o no

ticea

ble

odor

s, fl

ies,

noi

se, w

aste

or

wat

er

disc

harg

es w

ill r

each

res

ort

or r

esid

entia

l ar

eas.

As

suc

h, t

he d

airy

will

not

ad

vers

ely

affe

ct r

esid

ents

, nea

rby

recr

eatio

nal a

ctiv

ities

, gue

sts…

”

Dr.

Vir

gini

a Pr

essl

er, D

irec

tor

Re:

H

awai

‘i D

airy

Fa

rms,

D

raft

Env

iron

men

tal

Impa

ct

Stat

emen

t (D

EIS

), Māh

ā‘ul

epū

Roa

d, K

aua‘

i, H

awai

‘i Ju

ly 2

5, 2

016

Page

2

In a

dditi

on t

o se

rvin

g on

the

Kau

a‘i C

ount

y C

ounc

il an

d fo

rmer

ly s

ervi

ng a

s th

e D

irec

tor

of t

he O

ffice

of

Env

iron

men

tal

Qua

lity

Con

trol

, I

am p

rese

ntly

an

inac

tive

real

est

ate

brok

er.

How

ever

, as

a re

sult

of m

y pa

st t

wen

ty (

20)

year

s of

ex

peri

ence

in th

is fi

eld

and

in r

ecen

t dis

cuss

ions

with

loca

l rea

l est

ate

prof

essi

onal

s,

it is

cle

ar th

at p

rope

rty

valu

es h

ave

alre

ady

been

neg

ativ

ely

impa

cted

in b

oth

reso

rt

and

resi

dent

ial s

ecto

rs.

Th

us,

the

revi

ew

and

conc

lusi

ons

pert

aini

ng

to

real

pr

oper

ty

valu

es,

incl

udin

g th

e im

pact

s on

pro

ject

ed r

even

ue l

oss

to K

aua‘

i C

ount

y, m

ust

be

cond

ucte

d an

d in

clud

ed in

any

fina

l EIS

.

A r

evie

w o

f im

pact

s on

loc

al s

trea

ms

and

coas

tal

reso

urce

s fr

om t

he d

airy

op

erat

ion

mus

t al

so b

e ex

pand

ed a

nd r

ecen

t fin

ding

s of

the

Sur

frid

er F

ound

atio

n in

corp

orat

ed,

whi

ch i

llust

rate

tha

t st

ream

s an

d dr

aina

ge a

reas

in

the

area

are

al

read

y he

avily

con

tam

inat

ed.

Aga

in, w

hile

at

first

thi

s ar

ea a

ppea

rs to

hav

e be

en

revi

ewed

, I fi

nd t

hat

revi

ew s

uper

ficia

l in

natu

re a

nd la

ckin

g in

as

to t

he p

oten

tial

seco

ndar

y an

d cu

mul

ativ

e im

pact

s to

bot

h gr

ound

wat

er a

nd n

ears

hore

coa

stal

re

sour

ces.

Whi

le I

also

hav

e fu

rthe

r co

ncer

ns a

nd c

omm

ents

, the

abo

ve r

epre

sent

s th

ose

that

I be

lieve

des

erve

urg

ent a

nd c

ompr

ehen

sive

att

entio

n.

Si

ncer

ely,

G

AR

Y L.

HO

OSE

R

Cou

ncilm

embe

r, K

aua‘

i Cou

nty

Cou

ncil

AM

K:c

y cc

: H

awai

‘i D

airy

Far

ms

c/o A

my

Hen

ness

ey, D

irec

tor

of C

omm

unic

atio

ns

(

Via

E-m

ail O

nly:

am

y@ul

upon

o.co

m)

Je

ffrey

H. O

vert

on, G

roup

70

Inte

rnat

iona

l Inc

. (

Via

E-m

ail O

nly:

HD

F@G

roup

70in

t.com

) La

ura

McI

ntyr

e, P

rogr

am M

anag

er, D

epar

tmen

t of H

ealt

h E

nvir

onm

enta

l P

lann

ing

Offi

ce (V

ia E

-mai

l Onl

y: L

aura

.McI

ntyr

e@do

h.ha

wai

i.gov

)

Bri

dget

Ham

mer

quis

t, Fr

iend

s of

Māhā‘

ulepū

(Vi

a E

-mai

l Onl

y: b

ridg

etha

mm

erqu

ist@

haw

aiia

ntel

.net

)

Scot

t Gle

nn, D

irec

tor,

Offi

ce o

f Env

iron

men

tal Q

ualit

y C

ontr

ol

(

Via

E-m

ail O

nly:

oeq

chaw

aii@

doh.

haw

aii.g

ov)

y,

January 3, 20

17 Mr. Gar

y L. Hooser

Councilmemb

er, Kaua‘i Cou

nty Council

County of Kau

a‘i Counci

l Services Divi

sion 4396 R

ice Street, Suit

e 209

Subj

ect:

Dear C

ouncilmember

Hooser:

dated July 25

, 2016 on

. comme

nts: Section

of co

ncern noted

in your com

ments: Sectio

n 4.11

Inve

rteb

rate

s Sp

ecie

s an

d Pe

st In

sect

s; Section 4.16

Groundw

ater

Res

ourc

es; Sectio

n 4.17 Su

rfac

e W

ater

Res

ourc

es &

Nea

rsho

re M

arin

e En

viro

nmen

t; Section 4.1

9 Air Qu

ality

, Odo

r and

Gre

enho

use

Gase

s. –

4.20 and 4.26.

ated

ry implement

ation or

operation

laaule

pu airy sit

eproper

ty

-

ional pasture

-.

disclose all pr

impacts

Mr. Gary L. Ho

oser Counci

lmember, Kau

a‘i County Cou

ncil

January 3, 20

17 2 of 2

resses

.

Sincere

ly,

Principal Plan

ner cc:

AN

EQ

UA

L O

PPO

RTU

NIT

Y E

MPL

OY

ER

CO

UN

TY

CO

UN

CIL

O

FFIC

E O

F T

HE

CO

UN

TY

CL

ER

K

Mel

Rap

ozo,

Cha

ir

Ros

s Kag

awa,

Vic

e C

hair

Jade

K. F

ount

ain-

Tani

gaw

a, C

ount

y C

lerk

M

ason

K. C

hock

Scot

t K. S

ato,

Dep

uty

Cou

nty

Cle

rk

Gar

y L.

Hoo

ser

A

rryl

Kan

eshi

ro

Kip

uKai

Kua

li‘i

Te

leph

one

(808

) 241

-418

8 J

oAnn

A. Y

ukim

ura

Fax

(

808)

241

-634

9

Em

ail

cokc

ounc

il@ka

uai.g

ov

Cou

ncil

Serv

ices

Div

isio

n 43

96 R

ice

Stre

et, S

uite

209

Lī

hu‘e,

Kau

a‘i, H

awai

‘i 96

766

Ju

ly 1

, 201

6

Si

na P

rude

r, P

.E.

Was

tew

ater

Bra

nch

Dep

artm

ent o

f Hea

lth

919

Ala

Moa

na B

oule

vard

, Roo

m 3

12

Hon

olul

u, H

awai

‘i 9

6814

D

ear

Ms.

Pru

der:

RE

: H

AW

AI‘I

DA

IRY

FA

RM

S D

RA

FT E

NV

IRO

NM

EN

TAL

IMP

AC

T ST

ATE

ME

NT

(DE

IS)-

MĀ

HĀ

‘ULE

PŪ

RO

AD

, KA

UA

‘I, H

AW

AI‘I

I am

fol

low

ing

up o

n a

conc

ern

brou

ght

to m

y at

tent

ion

rega

rdin

g pl

ans

subm

itted

by

Haw

ai‘i

Dai

ry F

arm

s (H

DF)

reg

ardi

ng t

heir

pro

pose

d op

erat

ion

on

land

s lo

cate

d in

Māhā‘

ulepū,

Kau

a‘i,

and

for

whi

ch p

ublic

com

men

ts w

ere

solic

ited

. It

has

bee

n br

ough

t to

my

atte

ntio

n th

at H

DF

filed

27

revi

sion

s to

the

ir W

aste

M

anag

emen

t Pla

n w

ith th

e W

aste

wat

er B

ranc

h of

the

Dep

artm

ent o

f Hea

lth (D

OH

) an

d di

d no

t di

sclo

se o

r gi

ve t

he p

ublic

any

not

ice

of t

hese

cha

nges

. Th

e pu

blic

has

be

en p

rovi

ding

com

men

t ba

sed

on H

DF’

s or

igin

al p

lan

that

was

sub

mitt

ed t

o D

OH

in

Jul

y 20

14.

It w

as d

urin

g th

e Ju

ne 1

4, 2

016

depo

sitio

n of

far

m m

anag

er J

im G

arm

atz

that

the

Fri

ends

of M

āhā‘

ulepū

(FO

M) r

ealiz

ed t

hat

thei

r fo

cus

was

on

the

orig

inal

pl

an s

ubm

itted

by

HD

F, a

nd t

hat

they

nee

ded

to r

esea

rch

and

unde

rsta

nd t

he

chan

ges

filed

by

HD

F be

fore

the

y co

uld

prov

ide

mea

ning

ful c

omm

ent.

The

45-

day

com

men

t pe

riod

for

the

DE

IS e

nds

on J

uly

25,

2016

. T

his

timet

able

doe

s no

t pr

ovid

e FO

M o

r ot

her

inte

rest

ed m

embe

rs o

f th

e pu

blic

the

sta

tuto

rily

req

uire

d tim

e to

res

pond

to th

e ch

ange

s m

ade

by H

DF,

giv

en th

at th

ey o

nly

lear

ned

of th

e 27

re

visi

ons

on J

une

14, 2

016.

I am

ask

ing

that

you

con

side

r ex

tend

ing

the

45-d

ay c

omm

ent

peri

od t

o ta

ke

into

acc

ount

not

ice

give

n by

HD

F to

the

pub

lic a

nd a

genc

ies

of t

heir

rev

ised

pla

ns.

This

wou

ld c

erta

inly

be

less

one

rous

than

req

uiri

ng a

new

EIS

be

publ

ishe

d as

was

re

cent

ly r

equi

red

by t

he D

epar

tmen

t of

Lan

d an

d N

atur

al R

esou

rces

in

a ca

se

invo

lvin

g an

app

licat

ion

for o

ne o

f its

per

mits

. I m

ake

this

req

uest

in th

e in

tere

st o

f

Sina

Pru

der,

P.E

. R

e:

Haw

ai‘i

Dai

ry

Farm

s D

raft

E

nvir

onm

enta

l Im

pact

St

atem

ent

(DE

IS)

Māh

ā‘ul

epū

Roa

d, K

aua‘

i, H

awai

‘i

July

1, 2

016

Page

2

ri

ght

proc

ess

and

in t

he in

tere

st o

f all

mem

bers

of t

he p

ublic

who

may

wan

t m

ore

time

to c

omm

ent o

n th

e m

odifi

ed D

EIS

.

Th

ank

you

for

your

att

entio

n to

thi

s ve

ry i

mpo

rtan

t is

sue

to t

he r

esid

ents

of K

aua‘

i.

Si

ncer

ely,

JOA

NN

A. Y

UK

IMU

RA

C

ounc

ilmem

ber,

Kau

a‘i C

ount

y C

ounc

il

cc:

Haw

ai‘i

Dai

ry F

arm

s c/

o A

my

Hen

ness

ey, D

irec

tor

of C

omm

unic

atio

ns

(V

ia E

-mai

l: am

y@ul

upon

o.co

m)

Je

ffrey

H. O

vert

on, G

roup

70

Inte

rnat

iona

l Inc

. (

Via

E-m

ail:

HD

F@G

roup

70in

t.com

) La

ura

McI

ntyr

e, P

rogr

am M

anag

er, D

epar

tmen

t of H

ealth

Env

iron

men

tal

Pla

nnin

g O

ffice

(Via

E-m

ail:

Laur

a.M

cInt

yre@

doh.

haw

aii.g

ov)

Scot

t Gle

nn, D

irec

tor,

Offi

ce o

f Env

iron

men

tal Q

ualit

y C

ontr

ol

(Vi

a E

-mai

l: to

eqch

awai

i@do

h-ha

wai

i.gov

) B

ridg

et H

amm

erqu

ist,

Frie

nds

of M

āhā‘

ulepū

(

Via

E-m

ail:

brid

geth

amm

erqu

ist@

haw

aiia

ntel

.net

)

And

rea

Cas

sida

y (V

ia E

-mai

l: 2b

erk2

@sb

cglo

bal.n

et)

January 3, 20

17 Ms. Joa

nn A. Yukimur

a Counci

lmember, Kau

a‘i County Cou

ncil County

of Kaua‘i

Council Servic

es Division

4396 Rice Stre

et, Suite 209

Su

bjec

t:

Dear Councilm

ember Yukimu

ra: July 1, 2016

Draft .

Guid

elin

es fo

r Was

te

Man

agem

ent

Nut

rien

t Bal

ance

Ana

lysis

for

. commu

ni

analyzes

environment i

formulates

measures

or action.

Upon publica

tion Notice

issue of June

8, 2016

a 45-

Ms. Joann A. Y

ukimura

Councilmemb

er, Kaua‘i Cou

nty Council Impact

Statement

January 3, 20

17 2 of 2

.

Sincerely,

Je

cc:

ORGANIZATIONS

January 3, 20

17 Leiman

a DaMate

Executive Dir

ector Aha Mo

ku Advisory C

ommittee

1151 Punchbo

wl Street

Honolulu, Haw

ai‘i 96813

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

Respon

se to Comment

on Draft EIS

Dear Ms. DaM

ate: Thank

you for your i

nput dated Ju

ly 20, 2016 o

n the Hawai‘i

Dairy Farms (

HDF) Draft E

IS. The follow

ing responses

are offered to

your commen

ts: Cultura

l Impact Asses

sment.

The Cultural I

mpact Assess

ment (CIA) (S

CS, April 2016

) includes cons

ultation with

individuals ha

ving ties to M

hulep, and u

tilized numer

ous available

information

sources, inclu

ding historica

l documents

and maps. A

s noted in th

e CIA, public

notices were p

ublished in re

levant newsp

apers request

ing informati

on on cultura

l resour

ces or activiti

es in the proje

ct area. Scient

ific Consultant

Services, Inc.

(SCS) also se

nt letters of in

quiry and rea

ched out via

telephone call

s; 31 individu

als or organiz

ation represe

ntatives resp

onded in all.

Twelve peopl

e participate

d in intervi

ews, including

signed

an Informati

on Release Fo

rm, included i

n the CIA on

page D-5, afte

r reviewing th

e transcript of

his interview

. The CIA

report exami

ned the relatio

nship of findin

gs regarding c

ulturally impo

rtant natura

l resources. T

he conclusion

s of the EIS an

alysis of poten

tial impacts to

soils, water,

flora/fauna a

nd agricultur

al properties

showed no sig

nificant impa

cts to these r

esources as a

result of the

dairy operat

ion, and henc

e no adverse e

ffects in

regard to thes

e culturally im

portant natur

al resources.

Water Quality

. Protect

ion of water

quality is a ke

y component o

f the technical

guidance prov

ided Physical

setbacks will b

e created wit

h fences insta

lled 35-feet fr

om drainagew

ay (totaling

70-feet in wi

dth) to keep

cows away fr

om surface w

aters. Within

the 35-foot

setback, veget

ation will be m

aintained to c

reate filter st

rips to captur

e particulates

during

stormwater

runoff. Anoth

er setback res

tricts applicat

ion of effluen

t within

50 feet of th

e drainageway

s; only irriga

tion water w

ill be used a

s needed to

maintain the v

egetated buffe

r and pasture

grass, keeping

nutrient appl

ications away

from w

aterways. See

Section 3.5.1, P

addocks, Fenc

ing and Setbac

ks in the EIS.

Leimana DaMa

te, Executive D

irector, Aha M

oku Advisory

Committee

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 2

of 3

loa-Poip ar

ea. Rather th

an the

loa volcanic s

eries to the we

st, the valley f

loor is filled w

ith alluvial ma

terial which

generally exte

nds about 60

feet under the

surface. This

material is h

ighly weathere

d lava compo

sed of dark

brown to blac

k silty clay an

d clayey silt. T

hese layers ar

e essentially im

permeable and

function as

an aquiclude

to separate sh

allow groundw

ater in the al

luvium from

the confined g

roundwater in

the underl

ying volcanics

. Groundwater

confined wit

hin the under

lying volcanic

s is the sour

ce of drinking

water.

EIS Figure 4.1

6-1 and Vi

cini

ty displa

ys the volcani

c geological h

istory of the

area. The alluvial m

aterial within

the valley is p

oorly permeab

le so moveme

nt in the shall

ow groundwa

ter is slow, w

hich allows th

e remedial pro

perties of soils

and its super-

active microbio

logical organis

ms to utilize

or remove nu

trients and p

otential conta

minants. Any

water move

ment in the

shallow groun

dwater

contained wit

hin the alluvia

l material wi

ll move in th

e makai direc

tion to ultima

te discharge

into the

marine enviro

nment.

In periods of

rainfall that

reach or exc

eed 0.8 inches

, groundwater

contained in

the shallow

alluvial

material may

rise to the su

rface through

the deep ditch

es cut for sug

arcane irrigat

ion that rema

in on the

HDF site. The

potential for t

his seasonally

high groundw

ater to interse

ct with the de

ep ditches occ

urs only

in the mid-sect

ion of the HDF

site due to the

descending de

pth of the grou

ndwater in the

alluvium towa

rds the ma

kai end of the

site. There

will be ongoin

g natural inp

uts to Waiopi

li Ditch from

the overall wa

tershed and th

e agricultural

lands b

ordering the d

itch downstre

am of the dair

y. With the me

asures being

taken by the d

airy to activel

y manag

e surface runo

ff, nutrients a

nd suspended

sediments, co

ncerns about

the potential

effects of dair

y operat

ions to ocean

beach recreati

on are not ant

icipated.

Long-term oce

an water qual

ity monitoring

has been initi

ated to provid

e a baseline fo

r the nearsho

re ocean

waters. HDF w

ill regularly sa

mple and ana

lyze nutrient a

nd chemical c

onstituent lev

els in the nea

r-shore

marine enviro

nment. Data f

rom the nears

hore water m

onitoring pro

gram will be m

ade available

to the

contamination

sources.

We acknowled

ge your refere

nce to Hawaii

State Constitu

tional Law in A

rticle XII. The

approximate s

ize of 557 ac

res on the val

ley floor. The

closest

point of the H

DF site is near

ly .75 mile from

the beach; lan

downer Maha

ulepu Farms c

ontrols access

to the private

roads that le

ad to agricultu

ral lands in th

e valley and b

eyond, not HD

F. There will b

e no adverse

impact on nat

ive Hawaiian ga

thering and fis

hing rights due

to the propos

ed project.

Leimana DaMa

te, Executive D

irector, Aha M

oku Advisory

Committee

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 3

of 3

Your comment

, along with th

is response, w

ill become par

t of the public

record and w

ill be publishe

d in the

Final EIS. A co

py of the Fina

l EIS is includ

ed on a compa

ct disc with th

is letter. Whe

n published, t

he Final

. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly,

Je

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

July

XX

, 201

6

Gro

up 7

0 In

tern

atio

nal

ATT

N: J

eff O

verto

n/H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s92

5 B

ethe

l Stre

et 5

th F

loor

Hon

olul

u H

I 968

13H

DF@

Gro

up70

int.c

om

Dep

artm

ent o

f Hea

lth (D

OH

)A

TTN

: Lau

ra M

cInt

yre/

Envi

ronm

enta

l Pla

nnin

g O

ffic

e12

50 P

unch

bow

l Stre

etH

onol

ulu

HI 9

6813

Re:

C

omm

ents

on

Haw

aii D

airy

Dra

ft E

nvir

onm

enta

l Im

pact

Sta

tem

ent

On

beha

lf of

the

Cen

ter f

or B

iolo

gica

l Div

ersi

ty (“

Cen

ter”

), w

e w

ould

like

to su

bmit

com

men

ts

on th

e H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s Dra

ft En

viro

nmen

tal I

mpa

ct S

tate

men

t (“D

EIS”

), w

hich

was

pr

epar

ed p

ursu

ant t

o H

awai

i Rev

ised

Sta

tute

s, C

hapt

er 3

43, E

nviro

nmen

tal I

mpa

ct S

tate

men

t La

w.1

The

Cen

ter i

s con

cern

ed a

bout

seve

ral s

igni

fican

t def

icie

ncie

s in

the

DIE

S an

d w

e ar

eco

ncer

ned

that

the

prop

osed

dai

ry fa

rm’s

con

stru

ctio

n an

d op

erat

iona

l act

iviti

es a

re li

kely

to

resu

lt in

una

utho

rized

take

of f

eder

ally

thre

aten

ed a

nd e

ndan

gere

d sp

ecie

s. W

e th

eref

ore

reco

mm

end

that

the

Haw

aii D

airy

seek

to d

evel

op a

Hab

itat C

onse

rvat

ion

Plan

and

obt

ain

an

Inci

dent

al T

ake

Perm

it pr

ior t

o th

e co

nstru

ctio

n an

d op

erat

ion

of th

e D

airy

in o

rder

to a

void

vi

olat

ing

the

take

pro

hibi

tion

unde

r Sec

tion

9 of

the

Enda

nger

ed S

peci

es A

ct (“

ESA

”) a

nd th

e to

re

ceiv

e si

mila

r aut

horiz

atio

n un

der S

ectio

n 19

5D-4

of t

he H

awai

i End

ange

red

Spec

ies A

ct

(“H

EIS”

).2Th

e C

ente

r is a

nat

iona

l, no

n-pr

ofit

cons

erva

tion

orga

niza

tion

supp

orte

d by

mor

e th

an a

mill

ion

mem

bers

and

onl

ine

activ

ists

. The

Cen

ter a

nd it

s mem

bers

hav

ea

long

stan

ding

in

tere

st in

the

cons

erva

tion

of e

ndan

gere

d an

d th

reat

ened

spec

ies a

nd th

eir h

abita

tsin

Haw

aii a

nd

the

rem

aind

er o

f the

Uni

ted

Stat

es.

We

are

deep

ly c

once

rned

that

DEI

S di

smis

ses t

he li

kely

impa

cts t

o th

reat

ened

and

end

ange

red

spec

ies,

by re

view

ing

and

disp

osin

g of

thes

e is

sues

in a

cur

sory

man

ner.

The

DEI

S ig

nore

s or

fails

ent

irely

to a

ddre

ss th

e co

ncer

ns p

rovi

ded

by U

.S. F

ish

and

Wild

life

Serv

ice

(“Se

rvic

e”) i

n a

lette

r to

the

Dai

ry in

Feb

ruar

y 20

15.

Sim

ple

miti

gatio

n m

easu

res r

ecom

men

ded

by th

e Se

rvic

e do

not

app

ear t

o ha

ve b

een

inco

rpor

ated

into

the

DEI

S, m

akin

gun

auth

oriz

ed ta

ke o

f lis

ted

spec

ies t

hat m

uch

mor

e lik

ely.

W

e al

so re

com

men

d th

at th

e D

airy

seek

a N

atio

nal P

ollu

tion

Dis

char

ge E

limin

atio

n Sy

stem

(“N

PDES

”) p

erm

it ra

ther

than

kee

ping

the

dairy

her

d ex

actly

one

co

w b

elow

the

lega

l lim

it as

to w

here

a fa

cilit

y m

ust p

osse

ss su

ch a

per

mit.

With

out m

eani

ngfu

l

1H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s 201

6. H

awai

’I D

iary

Far

ms,

Dra

ft En

viro

nmen

tal I

mpa

ct S

tate

men

t (he

reaf

ter “

DIA

RY

D

EIS”

).2

16 U

.S.C

. § 1

538

2

rest

rictio

ns o

n di

scha

rges

, it i

s hig

hly

likel

y th

at th

e D

airy

will

con

tam

inan

t sur

face

and

gr

ound

wat

er, r

esul

ting

in h

arm

to tw

o hi

ghly

end

ange

red

cave

arth

ropo

ds, d

egra

de w

ater

qua

lity

alon

g K

auai

’sso

uthe

ast s

hore

line,

and

pot

entia

llyde

grad

e th

e cr

itica

l hab

itat o

f the

mon

k se

al o

r in

jure

the

spec

ies o

utrig

ht th

roug

h ex

posu

re to

pol

lute

dw

ater

.

I.Im

pact

s to

Fede

rally

Thr

eate

ned

and

End

ange

red

Spec

ies

In a

lette

r to

the

Dai

ry, t

he U

.S. F

ish

and

Wild

life

Serv

ice

reco

mm

ende

d a

suite

of c

onse

rvat

ion

mea

sure

s to

prot

ect t

hrea

tene

d an

d en

dang

ered

spec

ies d

urin

g bo

th th

e co

nstru

ctio

n ph

ase

and

durin

g op

erat

ions

to m

inim

ize

pote

ntia

l tak

e by

the

Dia

ry.

Thes

e in

clud

e:

Impl

emen

ting

mea

sure

s to

min

imiz

e th

ew

ater

bird

s’ a

ttrac

tion

to p

onds

, suc

h as

inst

allin

g co

vers

or e

nclo

sure

s ove

r was

te la

goon

s;Im

plem

entin

g a

pred

ator

con

trol p

rogr

am to

min

imiz

e th

e pr

edat

ion

and/

orre

duce

d br

eedi

ng su

cces

s of w

ater

bird

s usi

ng p

astu

res;

Prov

idin

g ad

ditio

nal i

nfor

mat

ion

abou

t fen

cing

cho

ices

so th

at U

SFW

S m

ayas

sess

w

heth

er e

ntan

glem

ent o

r col

lisio

n ris

ks e

xist

, and

dis

allo

win

g th

ein

stal

latio

n of

ele

ctric

or

bar

bed-

wire

fenc

ing;

Inst

allin

g si

gnag

e ne

ar ro

adw

ays w

arni

ng d

river

s of t

he p

rese

nce

of b

irds i

n th

ear

ea;

Wor

king

with

USF

WS

to d

evel

op m

easu

res t

o av

oid

fost

erin

g co

nditi

ons t

hatw

ould

pr

omot

e av

ian

botu

lism

, inc

ludi

ng a

mon

itorin

g pl

an fo

r ear

ly d

etec

tion

and

resp

onse

;W

orki

ng w

ith a

bio

logi

cal m

onito

r to

avoi

d an

d m

itiga

te p

oten

tial d

ispl

acem

enta

nd lo

ss

of n

ests

durin

g co

nstru

ctio

n or

ope

ratio

n;A

void

ing

site

-cle

arin

g or

oth

er p

lant

-dis

turb

ing

activ

ities

dur

ing

the

Haw

aiia

nho

ary

bat

birth

ing

and

pup

rear

ing

seas

on;

Enga

ging

in c

onst

ruct

ion

activ

ities

onl

y du

ring

dayl

ight

hou

rs so

as t

o av

oid

use

of

artif

icia

l lig

htin

g, w

hich

may

dis

orie

nt se

abird

s;To

the

exte

nt e

xter

ior l

ight

s can

not b

e el

imin

ated

, pos

ition

ing

exte

rior f

acili

tylig

hts l

ow

to th

e gr

ound

with

mot

ion-

trigg

ers a

nd o

ther

safe

ty m

easu

res;

Con

figur

ing

and

inst

allin

g ut

ility

line

s in

such

a w

ay a

s to

avoi

d po

sing

aco

llisi

on

haza

rd;

Min

imiz

ing

dist

urba

nce

to th

e se

nsiti

ve c

ave

habi

tat—

whi

ch is

hyd

rolo

gica

llylin

ked

to

the

prop

osed

HD

F si

te—

that

hou

ses t

he tw

o ar

thro

pod

spec

ies (

whi

chdi

stur

banc

e in

clud

es c

onta

min

atio

n fr

om su

rfac

e so

urce

s of c

hem

ical

s,pe

stic

ides

, and

was

te d

ispo

sal

whi

ch e

nter

s cav

es v

ia st

ream

s or g

roun

dwat

erse

epag

e);

Min

imiz

ing

dist

urba

nce

to th

e cr

itica

l hab

itat o

f the

‘oha

i (w

hich

dis

turb

ance

incl

udes

ha

bita

t deg

rada

tion

caus

ed b

y in

trodu

ctio

n of

non

-nat

ive

plan

ts, l

ack

ofad

equa

te

polli

natio

n, fi

re, d

estru

ctio

n by

off

-roa

d ve

hicl

es, s

torm

s, an

d hu

man

dist

urba

nces

);In

corp

orat

ing

best

man

agem

ent p

ract

ices

to a

void

and

min

imiz

e im

pact

s to

wat

erre

sour

ces.

We

are

conc

erne

d th

at m

any

of th

ese

sim

ple

reco

mm

enda

tions

hav

e be

en ig

nore

d in

the

DEI

S,

and

that

the

risks

to th

reat

ened

and

end

ange

red

spec

ies a

re b

eing

dis

mis

sed

in a

cur

sory

man

ner.3

33Th

e C

ente

r sup

ports

the

Dai

ry’s

dec

isio

n to

impl

emen

t a p

reda

tor c

ontro

l pro

gram

at t

heir

faci

lity.

For e

xam

ple,

the

wat

erbi

rd c

onse

rvat

ion

plan

onl

y co

ntem

plat

es b

asic

trai

ning

for p

erso

nnel

, but

3

does

not

incl

ude

mea

sure

s to

min

imiz

e at

tract

ion

of w

ater

bird

s to

was

te la

goon

s and

oth

er

faci

litie

s at t

he d

airy

. M

ore

sign

ifica

ntly

, with

resp

ect t

o lis

ted

seab

irds,

the

DEI

S on

ly st

ates

: “t

he e

ndan

gere

d H

awai

ian

Petre

l (Pt

erod

rom

asa

ndw

iche

nsis

), an

d th

e th

reat

ened

end

emic

sub-

spec

ies o

f the

New

ell’s

Shea

rwat

er(P

uffin

us a

uric

ular

is n

ewel

li) h

ave

been

reco

rded

ove

r-fly

ing

the

gene

ral p

roje

ct a

rea

betw

een

Apr

il an

d th

e en

d of

Nov

embe

r eac

h ye

ar”4

and

that

“Th

e pr

inci

pal p

oten

tial i

mpa

ct th

at c

onst

ruct

ion

of th

e pr

opos

ed d

airy

farm

s pos

es to

prot

ecte

d se

abird

s is t

he in

crea

sed

thre

at th

at b

irds w

ill b

e do

wne

d af

ter b

ecom

ing

diso

rient

ed b

y lig

hts

asso

ciat

ed w

ith th

e pr

ojec

t dur

ing

the

nest

ing

seas

on. T

he tw

o m

ain

way

s tha

t out

door

ligh

ting

coul

d po

se a

thre

at to

thes

e no

ctur

nally

flyi

ng se

abird

s is i

f, 1)

durin

g co

nstru

ctio

n it

is d

eem

ed

expe

dien

t, or

nec

essa

ry to

con

duct

nig

httim

e co

nstru

ctio

nac

tiviti

es, a

nd 2

) fol

low

ing

build

-out

, th

e po

tent

ial o

pera

tion

of st

reet

light

s or s

ecur

itylig

htin

g.”5

This

info

rmat

ion

is n

ot a

ccur

ate

and

does

not

act

ually

ana

lyze

the

real

risk

s to

liste

d se

abird

sp

ecie

s. A

smal

l num

ber o

f New

ell’s

She

arw

ater

s con

tinue

to n

est o

n H

a’up

u rid

ge.6

Plac

ing

a la

rge

agric

ultu

ral f

acili

ty d

irect

ly b

elow

the

ridge

will

act

ually

cre

ate

a si

gnifi

cant

haz

ard

for

both

the

adul

ts th

at n

esto

f Ha’

upu

and

espe

cial

ly th

e yo

ung

fledg

lings

. G

iven

the

rura

l nat

ure

of

the

land

aro

und

the

prop

osed

dai

ry, i

t is u

nlik

ely

that

any

fallo

ut b

irds w

ill e

ver b

e re

cove

red,

an

d th

ere

is a

hig

h pr

obab

ility

that

if a

bird

is d

owne

d in

a p

astu

re a

rea

it w

ill d

ie fr

om p

reda

tion

or e

xhau

stio

n.

The

Cen

ter i

s con

cern

ed th

at th

e D

EIS

cont

inue

s to

cont

empl

ate

nigh

t-tim

e co

nstru

ctio

n at

the

Dai

ry, a

nd is

not

hee

ding

the

Fish

and

Wild

life

Serv

ice’

s rec

omm

enda

tion

to o

nly

cond

uct

dayt

ime

cons

truct

ion,

or e

ven

limiti

ngni

ght-t

ime

cons

truct

ion

to th

e no

n-se

abird

seas

on

(Dec

embe

r thr

ough

Apr

il). F

urth

erm

ore,

the

Serv

ice

reco

mm

ende

d th

at a

ll lig

hts “

be p

ositi

oned

lo

w to

the

grou

nd, b

e m

otio

n tri

gger

ed, a

nd b

e sh

ield

ed a

nd/o

r ful

l cut

-off

. Ef

fect

ive

light

sh

ield

s sho

uld

beco

mpl

etel

y op

aque

, suf

ficie

ntly

larg

e, a

nd p

ositi

oned

so th

at th

e bu

lb is

onl

y vi

sibl

e fr

om b

elow

. The

DEI

S on

ly st

ates

that

ligh

ting

will

be

shie

lded

, thi

s is i

nsuf

ficie

nt to

en

sure

aga

inst

take

of l

iste

d se

abird

s. Fi

nally

, the

DEI

S al

so fa

ils to

con

side

r the

inte

ract

ion

of

seab

irds w

ith u

tility

line

s for

the

dairy

. C

ollis

ions

with

pow

er li

nes p

ose

a si

gnifi

cant

risk

to

liste

d se

abird

s, an

d th

e D

EIS

has i

gnor

ed th

e Fi

sh a

nd W

ildlif

e Se

rvic

e’s r

ecom

men

datio

n th

atut

ility

and

pow

er li

nes b

e un

derg

roun

ded

as m

uch

as p

ossi

ble.

With

resp

ect t

o th

e tw

o en

dang

ered

cav

e in

verte

brat

es, t

he K

aua‘

i Cav

e W

olf S

pide

r and

the

Kau

a‘i C

ave

amph

ipod

, the

DEI

S al

so p

rovi

des a

cur

sory

dis

cuss

ion.

The

DEI

S st

ates

that

“Th

is

surv

ey sh

owed

no

evid

ence

of l

ava

tube

s (ca

ves)

that

wou

ld su

ppor

t the

end

ange

red

Kau

a’i c

ave

wol

f spi

der o

r cav

eam

phip

od”7

and

that

“Th

ere

is n

o fe

dera

lly d

esig

nate

d C

ritic

al H

abita

tfor

an

y in

verte

brat

e sp

ecie

s on

or a

djac

ent t

o th

e su

bjec

t pro

perty

. No

antic

ipat

edac

tions

rela

ted

to

the

prop

osed

pro

ject

act

ivity

in th

e su

rvey

ed lo

catio

ns a

re e

xpec

ted

toth

reat

en e

ntire

spec

ies o

r en

tire

inve

rtebr

ate

popu

latio

ns.”

8

4D

AIR

Y D

EIS

at 2

3.

Sect

ion

9 of

the

Enda

nger

ed S

peci

es A

ctpr

ohib

its a

ny p

erso

n,

incl

udin

g an

y fe

dera

l age

ncy,

from

“ta

king

” an

y lis

ted

spec

ies w

ithou

t pro

per a

utho

rizat

ion

5Id

. at 2

6.6

Pers

onal

com

mun

icat

ion

with

Kau

ai E

ndan

gere

d Se

abird

Rec

over

y Te

am.

The

Cen

ter s

trong

ly su

gges

ts th

at th

e D

airy

con

tact

the

Stat

e D

epar

tmen

t of F

ores

try a

nd W

ildlif

e re

gard

ing

curr

ent s

tatu

s of l

iste

d sp

ecie

s in

Haw

aii

rath

er th

an c

ondu

ctin

g an

inco

mpl

ete

liter

atur

e se

arch

.7

DA

IRY

DEI

Sat

2.

8Id

. at 2

0.

4

thro

ugh

a va

lid in

cide

ntal

take

per

mit.

9Th

e de

finiti

on o

f “ha

rm”

has b

een

defin

ed b

road

ly b

y re

gula

tion

as “

an a

ct w

hich

act

ually

kill

s or i

njur

es w

ildlif

e. S

uch

act m

ay in

clud

e si

gnifi

cant

ha

bita

t mod

ifica

tion

or d

egra

datio

n w

here

it a

ctua

lly k

ills o

r inj

ures

wild

life

by si

gnifi

cant

ly

impa

iring

ess

entia

l beh

avio

ral p

atte

rns,

incl

udin

g br

eedi

ng, f

eedi

ng o

r she

lterin

g.”10

Cou

rts h

ave

foun

d fe

dera

l age

ncie

s lia

ble

for u

nlaw

ful t

ake

of li

sted

spec

ies w

here

age

ncy-

auth

oriz

ed

activ

ities

resu

lted

in th

e ki

lling

or h

arm

ing

indi

vidu

als o

f suc

h sp

ecie

s.11

The

lega

l sta

ndar

d is

no

t wha

t the

DEI

S pu

rpor

ts —

thre

aten

ing

entir

e sp

ecie

s or e

ntire

inve

rtebr

ate

popu

latio

ns—

but

rath

er h

arm

to e

ven

a si

ngle

indi

vidu

al o

f a li

sted

spec

ies.

The

DEI

S do

es n

otan

alyz

e w

heth

er

the

impa

cts o

f the

Dai

ry d

owns

tream

of t

he si

te w

ill a

dver

sely

aff

ect e

ither

the

Kau

a’i c

ave

amph

ipod

or t

he K

aua‘

i Cav

e W

olf S

pide

r. A

sign

ifica

nt se

ctio

n of

the

coas

tline

has

bee

n de

sign

ated

as c

ritic

al h

abita

t for

thes

e tw

o sp

ecie

s, an

d th

ese

area

s are

dire

ctly

dow

nstre

am o

f the

D

airy

. If

wat

er p

ollu

tion

caus

es h

abita

t mod

ifica

tions

that

impa

ir th

e es

sent

ial b

ehav

iora

l pa

ttern

s of e

ven

just

one

indi

vidu

al o

f eith

er o

f the

se sp

ecie

s, su

ch h

arm

wou

ld re

pres

ent a

vi

olat

ion

of th

e En

dang

ered

Spe

cies

Act

. G

iven

that

the

DEI

S ha

s fai

led

to d

iscu

ss th

e im

pact

s to

the

liste

d ca

ve sp

ecie

s, an

d ha

s fai

led

to in

clud

e an

y m

itiga

tion

to c

ompl

etel

y av

oid

take

, any

ha

rm th

at o

ccur

s will

repr

esen

t a v

iola

tion

of S

ectio

n 9

of th

e A

ct.

II.

Com

plia

nce

with

the

Cle

an W

ater

Act

The

Haw

ai’i

Dai

ry F

arm

s (D

airy

) sho

uld

be d

esig

nate

d as

a c

once

ntra

ted

anim

al fe

edin

g op

erat

ion

(CA

FO),

and

shou

ld n

ot b

e ap

prov

ed to

ope

rate

, as d

escr

ibed

, with

out f

irst a

cqui

ring

an in

divi

dual

CA

FO N

atio

nal P

ollu

tant

Dis

char

ge E

limin

atio

n Sy

stem

(NPD

ES) p

erm

it.

As d

escr

ibed

in th

e D

EIS,

“[f

]or d

airy

ope

ratio

ns w

ith 7

00 o

r mor

e m

atur

e da

iry c

ows,

addi

tiona

l re

gula

tory

revi

ew a

nd p

erm

ittin

g by

the

Stat

e D

epar

tmen

t of H

ealth

is re

quire

d. T

he a

pplic

atio

n pr

oces

s for

a [N

PDES

CA

FO] p

erm

it in

clud

es p

ublic

not

ifica

tion

and

inpu

t. A

t the

dis

cret

ion

of

HD

F, m

anag

emen

t may

cho

ose

to e

xpan

d op

erat

ions

up

to th

e ca

rryi

ng c

apac

ity o

f the

land

, w

hich

is e

stim

ated

to b

e up

to 2

,000

pro

duct

ive

milk

ing

dairy

cow

s.”D

EIS

at 2

-9. H

owev

er,

wha

t thi

s sta

tem

ent f

ails

to re

cogn

ize

is th

at th

e D

epar

tmen

t may

, at i

ts d

iscr

etio

n, d

esig

nate

any

da

iry fa

cilit

y, e

ven

one

oper

atin

g at

bel

ow 7

00 m

atur

e da

iry c

ows -

know

n as

the

“lar

ge”

dairy

C

AFO

thre

shol

d, a

s a C

AFO

subj

ect t

o N

PDES

per

mitt

ing.

40

C.F

.R. §

122

.23(

c).

In th

is in

stan

ce, w

here

the

faci

lity

is p

ropo

sed

to o

pera

te a

t a m

ere

one

cow

bel

ow th

e la

rge

Cle

an W

ater

Act

CA

FO th

resh

old

of 7

00 c

ows,

and

inte

nds t

o ex

pand

its o

pera

tion

to u

pwar

ds to

2,

000

dairy

cow

s (al

mos

t thr

ee ti

mes

the

larg

e C

AFO

thre

shol

d)in

the

near

-pro

ject

ed fu

ture

, the

on

ly c

lear

man

ner f

or th

e D

epar

tmen

t to

supp

ort w

ater

qua

lity

goal

s and

the

obje

ctiv

es o

f the

C

lean

Wat

er A

ct w

ould

be

to d

esig

nate

d th

is o

pera

tion

as C

AFO

and

requ

ire it

to o

btai

n an

in

divi

dual

CA

FO N

PDES

per

mit.

Furth

er, i

n co

mpl

ianc

e w

ith th

e N

PDES

per

mit,

the

Dai

ry sh

ould

be

cons

truct

ed, o

pera

ted,

and

m

aint

aine

d su

ch th

at th

ere

it w

ill n

o di

scha

rge

of a

ny p

ollu

tant

(inc

ludi

ng a

ny b

iolo

gica

l

916

U.S

.C. §

153

8(a)

(1)(

B);

50 C

.F.R

. § 1

7.31

(a) (

exte

ndin

g th

e “t

ake”

pro

hibi

tion

to th

reat

ened

spec

ies)

. The

term

“t

ake”

is st

atut

orily

def

ined

bro

adly

as “

to h

aras

s, ha

rm, p

ursu

e, h

unt,

shoo

t, w

ound

, kill

, tra

p, c

aptu

re, o

r col

lect

, or

to a

ttem

pt to

eng

age

in a

ny su

ch c

ondu

ct.”

16

U.S

.C. §

153

2(19

).10

50 C

.F.R

. § 1

7.3;

see

also

Babb

itt v

. Sw

eet H

ome

Ch.

Of C

omm

uniti

es fo

r a G

reat

Ore

gon,

515

U.S

. 687

(199

5).

11Se

e,e.

g.,D

efen

ders

of W

ildlif

e v.

Env

tl. P

rot.

Agen

cy, 8

82 F

.2d

1294

(8th

Cir.

198

9).

5

pollu

tant

, che

mic

al p

ollu

tant

-su

ch a

s any

pes

ticid

e or

pha

rmac

eutic

al re

sidu

e, o

r any

oth

er

agric

ultu

ral w

aste

) fro

m th

e op

erat

ion

into

any

adj

acen

t gro

und

or su

rfac

e w

ater

s. A

s it r

elat

es to

th

e pl

anne

d ef

fluen

t “po

nds,”

thes

e im

poun

dmen

ts m

ust b

e de

sign

ed to

incl

ude

impe

rmea

ble

linin

gs a

nd e

lect

roni

c ef

fluen

t lea

kage

mon

itorin

g, a

s fur

ther

dis

cuss

ed in

the

DEI

S at

3-1

6; th

e D

epar

tmen

t sho

uld

requ

ire th

e D

airy

to m

aint

ain

and

subm

it, a

t a m

inim

um, q

uarte

rly re

ports

de

taili

ng th

e co

nditi

on o

f the

se im

poun

dmen

ts, i

nclu

ding

bi-w

eekl

y re

cord

ings

of t

he d

epth

s of

the

man

ure

and

proc

ess w

aste

wat

er in

the

liqui

d im

poun

dmen

t; al

l spi

lls a

nd le

aks f

rom

any

w

aste

impo

undm

ent;

and

all c

alib

ratio

ns,

read

ings

, ins

pect

ions

, and

repo

rts fr

om th

e im

poun

dmen

t sen

sor s

yste

m. F

urth

er, b

ecau

se o

f the

incr

easi

ng se

verit

y of

wea

ther

eve

nts,

all

efflu

ent s

tora

ge im

poun

dmen

ts sh

ould

be

cons

truct

ed to

with

stan

d at

leas

t a 1

00-y

ear s

torm

ev

ent,

rath

er th

an th

e 25

-yea

r, 24

hou

r des

ign

curr

ently

pro

pose

d. S

ee D

EIS

at 3

-14.

The

Dep

artm

ent s

houl

d ad

ditio

nally

inco

rpor

ate

a ro

bust

mon

itorin

g pl

an in

to th

e D

airy

’sN

PDES

per

mit.

Zer

o di

scha

rge

limita

tions

are

goo

d in

theo

ry, b

ut a

re m

eani

ngle

ss if

the

oper

atio

n is

not

act

ivel

y co

mpl

ying

with

the

disc

harg

e lim

itatio

n. T

he o

nly

way

to m

eani

ngfu

lly

ensu

re fu

ll co

mpl

ianc

e is

to re

quire

eff

ectiv

e m

onito

ring

of a

ll po

tent

ial d

isch

arge

poi

nts o

n th

e op

erat

ion,

incl

udin

g, b

ut n

ot li

mite

d to

, any

wat

erw

ay o

n or

thro

ugh

the

prop

erty

, and

any

ditc

h,

tile

drai

n, o

r oth

er c

onve

yanc

e in

tend

ed to

tran

spor

t liq

uids

off

of a

gric

ultu

ral f

ield

s and

pas

ture

s. Se

e, e

.g.,

DEI

S at

3-1

4 (“

Dra

inag

e im

prov

emen

ts w

ill c

onsi

st o

f sur

face

mod

ifica

tions

to in

clud

e sw

ales

(ref

erre

d to

as g

rass

ed w

ater

way

in N

RC

S Pr

actic

e C

odes

), se

dim

ent b

asin

s, st

ream

cr

ossi

ngs,

surf

ace

drai

nage

s, an

d w

ater

and

sedi

men

t con

trol b

asin

. Muc

h of

the

exis

ting

drai

nage

infr

astru

ctur

e, in

stal

led

and

guse

d fo

r sug

arca

ne ir

rigat

ion,

will

be

rest

ored

whe

re

poss

ible

and

reus

ed o

r im

prov

ed.”

) Ind

eed,

the

DEI

S ag

rees

with

the

utili

ty o

f suc

h a

mon

itorin

g pr

otoc

ol, p

rovi

ding

that

: “[w

]ith

care

ful m

onito

ring

of th

e op

erat

ions

and

the

natu

ral s

yste

ms,

incl

udin

g th

e so

ils, p

astu

re g

rass

es a

nd w

ater

qua

lity,

the

dairy

scal

ing

can

be a

ccom

plis

hed

with

se

nsiti

vity

to th

e va

rious

indi

cato

rs o

f car

ryin

g ca

paci

ty.”

DEI

S at

1-1

6. S

uch

mon

itorin

g ne

eds

are

espe

cial

ly a

ppar

ent g

iven

the

cum

bers

ome

and

conc

erni

ng fe

cal a

nd u

rine

load

s tha

t suc

h a

larg

e he

rd w

ill b

e co

nsis

tent

ly d

eliv

erin

g to

the

oper

atio

n’s a

gric

ultu

ral f

ield

s. Th

e D

epar

tmen

t sh

ould

requ

ire th

e D

airy

to su

bmit

at le

ast q

uarte

rly re

ports

in c

ompl

ianc

e w

ith th

is m

onito

ring

plan

.

Fina

lly, a

s cur

rent

ly p

ropo

sed,

the

Dai

ry in

tend

s to

utili

ze o

n-si

te b

uria

l for

its m

anag

emen

t of

mor

talit

ies.

This

type

of m

orta

lity

man

agem

ent c

an b

e ex

trem

ely

harm

ful t

o gr

ound

wat

er, a

nd

put o

ther

wild

life

and

othe

r ani

mal

s attr

acte

d to

the

mor

talit

ies a

t ris

k. T

he D

epar

tmen

t sho

uld

requ

ire, a

t a m

inim

um, t

hat t

he D

airy

util

ize

a co

mpo

stin

g or

rend

erin

g se

rvic

e fo

r its

mor

talit

ies,

an

d m

anda

te th

at a

ny m

orta

lity

-bef

ore

trans

port

to a

com

post

ing

or re

nder

ing

faci

lity

-be

stor

ed

in a

fully

enc

lose

d bu

ildin

g, se

para

ted

from

all

the

othe

r ani

mal

s, th

at w

ill e

nsur

e ag

ains

t le

achi

ng fr

om th

e de

com

posi

tion

and

putre

fact

ion

of th

e m

orta

litie

s. A

nd, a

gain

, the

Dep

artm

ent

shou

ld re

quire

the

Dai

ry to

subm

it at

leas

t qua

rterly

reco

rds o

f mor

talit

ies a

nd m

anag

emen

t m

easu

res u

tiliz

ed.

Sinc

erel

y,

Bre

tt H

artl

6

Enda

nger

ed S

peci

es P

olic

y D

irect

orC

ente

r for

Bio

logi

cal D

iver

sity

1411

K S

t. N

W, S

uite

130

0W

ashi

ngto

n, D

.C. 2

0005

202.

817.

8121

bhar

tl@bi

olog

ical

dive

rsity

.org

January 3, 20

17 Mr. Bre

tt Hartl

Endangered Sp

ecies Policy D

irector

Center for Bio

logical Diversi

ty 1411 K

St. NW, Suite 1

300 Washin

gton, D.C. 200

05 Su

bjec

t: Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Final Environ

mental Impac

t Statement (EI

S)

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

r. Hartl:

Thank you for

your input d

ated July 2016

on the Hawai

‘i Dairy Farms

(HDF) Draft

EIS. The follow

ing responses

are offered to

your commen

ts: We un

derstand the C

enter for Biol

ogical Diversi

ty is concerne

d that constru

ction and op

erational activ

ities of the pr

oposed dairy

farm will resu

lt in unauthor

ized take of

federally thre

atened and e

ndangered sp

ecies. HDF has

retained an

avian biologi

st with deep k

nowledge of th

e unique avifa

una of Hawai

i and with exte

nsive experie

nce advising

Kauai landow

ners on minim

ization of imp

acts to endan

gered species

of waterbirds

, nn, and se

abirds. HDF a

nd its team a

re coordinatin

g with the U.S

. Fish and W

ildlife Service

(USFWS) and

the State of

Hawaii Divis

ion of Forestr

y and Wildlif

e (DOFAW) to

identify actio

ns during con

struction and

dairy operat

ions to avoid a

dverse impac

ts. Federa

lly Threatene

d and Endange

red Species

Coordination

with USFWS a

nd DOFAW ha

s further clar

ified the follow

ing specifics

related to fen

ces, lighting a

nd other agri

cultural infras

tructure. The

Final EIS has

been revised t

o reflect the re

finements in s

ections 3.3.2 A

gric

ultu

ral I

nfra

stru

ctur

e, 3.5.1 P

addo

cks,

Fenc

ing

and

Setb

acks

, and 4.10 Pro

babl

e Im

pact

s an

d M

itiga

tion

Mea

sure

s - F

auna

: Fencin

g choices to av

oid entanglem

ent or other ris

k to native Ha

waiian hoary

bats that may

pass through t

he area, and to

and wat

erbirds;

Underground

routing of pow

er to the dairy

facility from t

he existing Ka

uai Island

Utility Cooper

ative-provided

power; and

Exterior lighti

ng will use fix

tures that mee

t dark-sky sta

ndards and in

corporate

all relevant fe

atures to prev

ent any potent

ial disorientat

ion of seabirds

that may

fly over the si

te.

Mr. Brett Hart

l Center

for Biological

Diversity

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 2

of 4

Additional sp

ecifics to min

imize impact

s will be det

ailed in an E

ndangered Sp

ecies Awarene

ss and

Protection Pla

n (ESAPP), re

ferred to as a

n Avian Specie

s Protection P

lan in the Dra

ft EIS, which

is being

developed in

coordination

with the USF

WS and DOF

AW. Elements

to be further

detailed in t

he ESAPP

include: Reduci

ng waterbirds

’ attraction to

the effluent p

onds by insta

lling a mesh fen

ce and utilizin

g BMPs;

Developing a

comprehensiv

e predator con

trol program;

Minimi

zing condition

s in which avia

n botulism cou

ld potentially

develop, and d

etermine step

s to implem

ent in the even

t an outbreak

occurs. Regul

ar bird monito

ring during da

iry operations

for early

detection and

response to av

ian botulism w

ill also be inco

rporated; and

Utilizing an on

-site biologica

l monitor duri

ng constructio

n activities to

identify and a

void any

endangered sp

ecies present

or nesting on

site. The Fin

al EIS has been

clarified to no

te that HDF w

ill not disturb,

remove or trim

woody plants

greater than

15 feet tall du

ring the Hawa

iian hoary bat

pupping seaso

n. No affect to

bats is expect

ed from activit

ies and

operations th

at of the dairy

farm (Section

4.10). The US

FWS response

letter to the

Draft EIS, incl

uded in Appen

dix 6 of the Fi

nal EIS, concu

rs with the EI

S statem

ent that the n

earest section

of the Kloa

Lava Tube S

ystem that pr

ovides habitat

for rare and

endang

ered cave arth

ropods is app

roximately 0.7

5 miles from t

he HDF site’s s

outhern prop

erty boundary

(Sectio

n 4.11.1 Exis

ting

Cond

ition

s –

Inve

rteb

rate

Spe

cies

and

Pes

t In

sect

s)Valley

differs signif

Cave Wolf Spid

e-1 inclu

ded in the Fin

al EIS). The

entire HDF si

te lies on the p

oorly permeab

le alluvium wh

ich covers t

deposited pri

or to the latter

stage volcanic

s referred to

as the Koloa s

eries volcanic

s. Three puu l

ocated to

the southwest

of the HDF si

te are remnan

ts of this post

-eruptional ph

ase. How thes

e volcanics in

the area

makai of the

HDF site are

interfingered

with and/or d

isplaced the p

reviously depo

sited alluvium

is not

known (Nance

, 2016).

The cave wol

f spider is an

opportunistic

predator, fee

ding on whate

ver prey it can

find, native o

r non-native.

Harm is not p

redicted since

this crustacea

n at the base

of the cave fo

od chain feed

s on roots and

organic

debris from p

lants, and mos

t plants are m

ore productive

of tissues wi

th an increas

e in nutrients

. More fo

od for the base

of the food ch

ain means the

apex predato

r, the spiders,

should also ha

ve the same o

r more p

rey (Montgom

ery, 2016).

Physical setba

cks and restric

tion of nutrie

nt application

near water so

urces are clar

ified in the Fi

nal EIS

(Section 3.5.1

Paddock

s, Fe

ncin

g an

d Se

tbac

ks and S

ection 3.5.4.2

Nutrient

Bal

ance

); these setba

cks are

among the m

inimization an

d mitigation m

easures to pr

event soil ero

sion and runo

ff downgradien

t of the

dairy. Newell Shearw

ater As outl

ined earlier in

this response

, per the advis

ement of the U

.S. Fish and W

ildlife Service

and the State

Division of Fo

restry and Wi

ldlife, HDF will

follow best p

ractices and o

perational pro

cedures to pro

tect any

protected anim

al species. Th

e dairy outdo

or lighting wi

ll be designed

to minimize e

ffects on noctu

rnally flying s

eabirds which

may nest on

Haupu Ridge.

All outdoor l

ights installed

as part of the

project will b

e shielde

d to reduce the

potential for i

nteractions of

nocturnally fl

ying seabirds

with external l

ights and man

-made s

tructures.

Mr. Brett Hart

l Center

for Biological

Diversity

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 3

of 4

An Endangere

d Species Aw

areness and P

rotection Plan

will be compl

eted in consul

tation with USF

WS and

DOFAW prior

to dairy cons

truction and

operations, to

ensure that

dairy operatio

ns would not

result in

deleterious im

pacts to prote

cted wildlife.

Compliance w

ith the Clean W

ater Act

HDF will com

ply with all re

gulatory and

permitting re

quirements fo

r construction

and operatio

ns. The

Waste Manag

ement Plan fo

r the commit

ted herd size

of up to 699

mature dairy

cows has been

reviewed

with no furth

er comments

by the State

Department o

f Health (DOH

). Should HDF

, at some time

in the

future, contem

plate expandi

ng the herd to

the carrying

capacity of th

e land, additi

onal regulator

y review

and permittin

g by DOH will b

e undertaken

as required. R

ecord keeping

and reporting

will be condu

cted in

fulfillment of b

oth regulatory

requirements

. Additionally

, HDF has volu

ntary implem

ented surface,

on-site

groundwater,

and nearshor

e marine water

quality monito

ring as descri

bed in EIS Sec

tion 4.17.4.

Animal Morta

lity Managem

ent HDF ha

s adequately p

lanned its cem

etery site and

has incorpor

ated Best Man

agement Prac

tices to protec

t water r

esources surr

ounding the H

DF site. The a

nimal cemeter

y is specifically

located on th

e north side o

f the far

m, in an area

of relatively f

lat pasture. S

ite selection c

riteria for the

cemetery pa

ddock include

d protect

ion from prev

ailing winds, a

nd distance m

ore than 100

feet away from

any drainagew

ay, 200 feet

from any natu

ral watercour

se, 300 feet fro

m any well, an

d more than 2

0 feet from an

y buildings. W

ithin the

cemetery padd

ock, pits will b

e sited based

on soil suitab

ility and slope

. A containme

nt berm will be

created

around the pi

t area to prev

ent both run-o

ff on to, and fr

om, the cemet

ery site. An ar

ea of approxi

mately

5,000 square f

eet is needed

for the anima

l cemetery at

the contempl

ated herd size

of up to 2,00

0 mature

dairy cows, w

hich is a frac

tion of a 3- t

o 5-acre padd

ock. Based on

preliminary a

nalysis, HDF

does not

anticipate en

countering gr

oundwater in

the cemeter

y paddock ar

ea. Pits will

be lined as n

eeded in

accordance w

ith NRCS Con

servation Pra

ctice Standar

d, Animal Mor

tality Facility

Code 316, to

protect

groundwater q

uality.

A containmen

t berm will b

e created aro

und the pit a

rea to preven

t both run-off

on to, and fr

om, the

cemetery site.

Six (6) pits, a

pproximately

20’ x 40’ over

all and 8 to 10

’ deep, are des

igned to accom

modate

carcasses of u

p to 150 cows

and 360 calve

s or stillborn

animals at the

contemplated

herd size. Ind

ividual

pits within th

e area will be

a minimum o

f 2-feet wide w

ith a length ap

propriate to b

ury the carcas

s. Pits

will be lined i

n accordance w

ith NRCS Cons

ervation Pract

ice Standard, A

nimal Mortality

Facility Code

316, to prot

ect groundwa

ter quality. Ea

ch animal carca

ss will be dus

ted on all side

s with ground

limestone. T

he bottom

of each pit wil

l be also duste

d. Pits can be

reused every

18 to 24 mont

hs, which is th

e typical time

for a ca

rcass to decom

pose. Pit bot

toms will be le

vel, and carca

sses will be p

laced in a sin

gle layer and

covered with

at least 2 feet

of organic

material. Mu

ltiple layers m

ay be created

with subseque

nt burials, or

additional are

a within the

cemetery pad

dock may be

used as need

ed. Based on

preliminary a

nalysis, HDF

does not anti

cipate encoun

tering ground

water in the c

emetery padd

ock area when

excavating th

e pits. The pa

ddock area w

ill not be

grazed.

HDF may also

consider proc

uring and inst

alling an incin

erator to use

for managing

mortality on

the farm.

The incinerato

r would meet t

he appropriat

e guidance fro

m NRCS Cons

ervation Pract

ice Standard –

Animal

Mortality Cod

e 316 as well a

s State and EP

A emissions r

egulations, to

ensure no adv

erse air quali

ty impact

from the incin

erator operat

ions.

Mr. Brett Hart

l Center

for Biological

Diversity

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 4

of 4

Your comment

, along with th

is response, w

ill become par

t of the public

record and w

ill be publishe

d in the

Final EIS. A co

py of the Fina

l EIS is includ

ed on a compa

ct disc with th

is letter. Whe

n published, t

he Final

EIS will be a

vailable on th

e OEQC websi

te which you

can access u

sing the follo

wing URL, an

d search

“Hawaii Dair

y Farms”: http

://tinyurl.com

/OEQCKAUAI

. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly, GROUP

70 INTERNAT

IONAL, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

Cent

er fo

r Foo

d Sa

fety

(CFS

) is a

non

-pro

fit m

embe

rshi

p or

gani

zatio

n th

at w

orks

to p

rote

ct

hum

an h

ealth

and

the

envi

ronm

ent b

y cu

rbin

g th

e pr

olife

ratio

n of

har

mfu

l foo

d pr

oduc

tion

tech

nolo

gies

and

by

prom

otin

g or

gani

c an

d su

stai

nabl

e ag

ricul

ture

. O

ur m

embe

rshi

p ha

s ra

pidl

y gr

own

to in

clud

e ov

er 7

00,0

00 p

eopl

e ac

ross

the

coun

try

that

supp

ort o

rgan

ic fo

od a

nd

farm

ing,

gro

w o

rgan

ic fo

od, a

nd re

gula

rly p

urch

ase

orga

nic

prod

ucts

. As

a p

artn

er o

f Haw

ai‘i-

base

d or

gani

zatio

ns fo

r ove

r a d

ecad

e, H

awai

‘i Ce

nter

for F

ood

Safe

ty

(HCF

S) is

a h

igh-

perf

orm

ing

publ

ic in

tere

st a

dvoc

acy

nonp

rofit

that

wor

ks to

redu

ce th

e im

pact

s of

indu

stria

l agr

icul

ture

whi

le si

mul

tane

ously

pro

mot

ing

orga

nic

and

sust

aina

ble

agric

ultu

re.

With

10,

000

mem

bers

, HCF

S is

activ

ely

build

ing

a po

wer

ful n

etw

ork

of in

form

ed fa

rmin

g an

d fo

od a

dvoc

ates

to st

reng

then

the

loca

l foo

d m

ovem

ent.

HCFS

has

bec

ome

one

of th

e la

rges

t m

embe

rshi

p-ba

sed

food

and

env

ironm

enta

l adv

ocac

y or

gani

zatio

ns in

Haw

ai‘i,

util

izing

lega

l ac

tions

, pol

icy

initi

ativ

es, g

rass

root

s coo

rdin

atio

n an

d ca

paci

ty-b

uild

ing,

scie

ntifi

c re

sear

ch,

part

ners

hips

, and

pub

lic e

duca

tion

to a

chie

ve it

s miss

ion.

Th

e pr

opos

ed D

airy

on

the

islan

d of

Kau

ai h

as th

e po

tent

ial t

o be

a g

reat

reso

urce

for t

he

econ

omy

and

peop

le o

f Haw

aii,

help

ing

to a

dvan

ce th

e st

ate’

s foo

d se

lf-su

ffici

ency

goa

ls by

pr

ovid

ing

mor

e th

an 1

,000

,000

gal

lons

of f

resh

, nut

ritio

us m

ilk a

nnua

lly to

Haw

aiia

n fa

mili

es.

Afte

r rev

iew

ing

the

EIS,

how

ever

, tha

t pot

entia

l is r

educ

ed b

y th

e po

ssib

ility

of s

igni

fican

t en

viro

nmen

tal i

mpa

cts f

rom

the

Dairy

. The

und

erly

ing

purp

ose

of p

repa

ring

an E

IS u

nder

Ha

wai

i’s E

nviro

nmen

tal P

olic

y Ac

t (HE

PA) i

s to

enha

nce

cons

ciou

snes

s abo

ut e

nviro

nmen

tal

impa

cts.

HAR

§34

3-1.

The

stat

ute

enco

urag

es b

oth

coop

erat

ion

and

coor

dina

tion.

Bas

ed o

n th

is sp

irit o

f coo

pera

tion,

CFS

urg

es H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s to

cons

ider

the

follo

win

g co

ncer

ns w

e ha

ve

iden

tifie

d w

ith th

e Da

iry a

s pro

pose

d an

d m

ake

chan

ges t

hat w

ill m

itiga

te th

e en

viro

nmen

tal

risks

pre

sent

ed b

elow

. Th

e U

se o

f Ani

mal

Dru

gs &

Ant

ibio

tics

The

use

of a

nim

al d

rugs

pos

es se

rious

risk

s upo

n th

e en

viro

nmen

t and

hum

an h

ealth

. The

EIS

m

entio

ns th

at H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s will

onl

y us

e an

tibio

tics a

s pre

scrib

ed b

y a

licen

sed

vete

rinar

ian

(EIS

at 3

-18)

; how

ever

, the

re is

not

eve

n a

prel

imin

ary

estim

ate

of th

e am

ount

and

ty

pe o

f ani

mal

dru

gs th

e da

iry p

lans

to u

se, u

nder

min

ing

tran

spar

ency

and

lim

iting

the

dairy

’s

abili

ty to

acc

urat

ely

anal

yze

its p

oten

tial i

mpa

cts o

n th

e en

viro

nmen

t. Ev

en in

the

mos

t min

imal

se

nse—

and

stat

ed a

s muc

h in

the

EIS—

anim

al d

rugs

hav

e th

e ca

paci

ty to

acc

umul

ate

in so

il,

wat

er w

ays,

and

ani

mal

pro

duct

s. B

ecau

se a

nim

als a

bsor

b on

ly a

bout

25%

of t

he a

ntib

iotic

s th

ey c

onsu

me,

the

rest

is e

xcre

ted

via

thei

r was

te.1 T

hrou

gh ru

noff,

bio

accu

mul

atio

n, a

nd so

il up

take

, ant

ibio

tics h

ave

the

capa

city

to sp

read

rapi

dly

and

wid

ely.

An

EPA

repo

rt o

n da

iry fa

rms

1 Ste

lla, C

., &

Har

sh, C

. (20

15, S

epte

mbe

r). A

mer

ica'

s Sec

ret A

nim

al D

rug

Prob

lem

(Rep

.). R

etrie

ved

http

://w

ww

.cen

terf

orfo

odsa

fety

.org

/file

s/an

imal

_dru

g_10

_26_

7783

8.pd

f

in th

e Ya

kim

a Va

lley

foun

d th

e an

tibio

tic M

onen

sin in

resid

entia

l drin

king

wel

ls do

wns

trea

m

from

thos

e da

iry fa

rms.

2 Add

ition

ally

, oth

er a

ntib

iotic

s wer

e de

tect

ed in

wat

er w

ells,

dai

ry

was

te la

goon

s, a

nd w

aste

wat

er tr

eatm

ent p

lant

influ

ent.3 T

he re

sults

of t

his s

tudy

wer

e di

vers

e an

d im

pact

ful:

anim

al d

rugs

, the

use

of s

ynth

etic

fert

ilize

rs, a

nd p

estic

ides

from

dai

ry fa

rms l

ed

to se

vere

wat

er c

onta

min

atio

n in

the

Yaki

ma

Valle

y.4

Rese

arch

ers h

ave

paid

par

ticul

ar a

tten

tion

to th

e ef

fect

s ani

mal

dru

gs h

ave

on a

quat

ic sp

ecie

s.5

Antib

iotic

s hav

e pr

oven

to b

e to

xic

to a

quat

ic fr

eshw

ater

spec

ies a

nd th

ere

are

still

unk

now

ns

of th

e po

tent

ial e

ffect

s on

saltw

ater

spec

ies.

6 The

follo

win

g st

udie

s all

poin

t to

toxi

c ef

fect

s on

aqua

tic a

nd te

rres

tria

l spe

cies

due

to a

ntib

iotic

s fro

m a

nim

al w

aste

: Scm

itt e

t. al

. (20

04),

Wol

lenb

erge

r et.

al. (

2000

), an

d Fe

rnán

dez e

t. al

. (20

04).7 S

eein

g as

this

farm

wou

ld b

e on

an

islan

d w

ith a

mpl

e op

port

unity

for r

unof

f int

o su

rrou

ndin

g fr

esh

and

saltw

ater

sour

ces,

it is

im

pera

tive

that

the

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms r

eexa

min

e th

eir u

se o

f ani

mal

dru

gs. I

n ad

ditio

n to

an

tibio

tics,

oth

er c

ateg

orie

s of a

nim

al d

rugs

like

bet

a-ag

onist

s, st

eroi

d ho

rmon

es, a

ntio

xida

nt

feed

add

itive

s, an

d co

ccid

iost

ats a

re u

sed

in a

nim

al a

gric

ultu

re—

som

e on

dai

ries—

with

da

nger

ous i

mpa

cts o

n th

e en

viro

nmen

t and

hum

an h

ealth

.8 Cen

ter f

or F

ood

Safe

ty d

id a

n an

imal

dru

g re

port

on

thes

e ve

ry d

rugs

that

det

ails

the

spec

ific

nega

tive

impa

cts e

ach

drug

ha

s.9

An

imal

dru

gs a

lso im

pact

the

anim

als.

Ani

mal

wel

fare

is se

vere

ly re

duce

d by

the

use

of th

ese

drug

s as s

ome

caus

e re

duce

d he

art r

ate,

met

abol

ic c

ondi

tions

, and

mus

cle

trem

ors.

10 T

he li

st

does

not

stop

ther

e. T

he c

ondi

tions

ani

mal

s are

put

in d

ue to

thes

e an

imal

dru

gs a

re a

troc

ious

an

d un

nece

ssar

y. If

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms h

as in

tent

of m

aint

aini

ng a

ny so

rt o

f wel

fare

stan

dard

fo

r the

ir co

ws,

the

use

of a

nim

al d

rugs

for a

nyth

ing

othe

r tha

n th

erap

eutic

pur

pose

s mus

t be

er

adic

ated

. Ad

ditio

nally

, the

use

of a

ntib

iotic

s in

anim

al a

gric

ultu

re h

as th

e po

tent

ial t

o cr

eate

gen

e re

sista

nce.

In p

artic

ular

, the

lice

nsed

vet

erin

aria

ns w

ho a

dmin

ister

thes

e dr

ugs a

re a

t a h

ighe

r ris

k of

exp

osur

e to

thes

e re

sista

nt g

enes

.11 T

hese

stud

ies a

ll di

scus

s the

neg

ativ

e im

pact

s of

2 Uni

ted

Stat

es, E

nviro

nmen

tal P

rote

ctio

n Ag

ency

. (20

12, S

epte

mbe

r). R

elat

ion

Betw

een

Nitr

ate

in W

ater

Wel

ls an

d Po

tent

ial S

ourc

es in

the

Low

er Y

akim

a Va

lley,

Was

hing

ton.

3 Ib

id.

4 Ibid

. 5 S

tella

& H

arsh

. (20

15).

op. c

it.

6 Ste

lla &

Har

sh. (

2015

). op

. cit.

7 S

chm

itt, H

., et

al.

(200

4). P

ollu

tion-

Indu

ced

Com

mun

ity T

oler

ance

of S

oil M

icro

bial

Com

mun

ities

Cau

sed

by th

e An

tibio

tic S

ulfa

chlo

ropy

ridaz

ine.

Env

ironm

enta

l Sci

ence

& T

echn

olog

y En

viro

n. S

ci. T

echn

ol.,

38(4

), 11

48-1

153.

do

i:10.

1021

/es0

3468

5p; W

olle

nber

ger,

L., H

allin

g-Sø

rens

en, B

., &

Kus

k, K

. (20

00).

Acut

e an

d ch

roni

c to

xici

ty o

f ve

terin

ary

antib

iotic

s to

Daph

nia

mag

na. C

hem

osph

ere,

40(

7), 7

23-7

30. d

oi:1

0.10

16/s

0045

-653

5(99

)004

43-9

; Fe

rnan

dez,

C.,

et a

l. (2

004)

. Eco

toxi

colo

gica

l ass

essm

ent o

f dox

ycyc

line

in a

ged

pig

man

ure

usin

g m

ultis

peci

es so

il sy

stem

s. S

cien

ce o

f The

Tot

al E

nviro

nmen

t, 32

3(1-

3), 6

3-69

. doi

:10.

1016

/j.sc

itote

nv.2

003.

10.0

15

8 Ste

lla &

Har

sh. (

2015

). op

. cit.

9 S

tella

& H

arsh

. (20

15).

op. c

it.

10 S

tella

& H

arsh

. (20

15).

op. c

it.

11 S

tella

& H

arsh

. (20

15).

op. c

it.

antib

iotic

-res

istan

t str

ains

of m

icro

orga

nism

s tha

t com

e fr

om th

e us

e of

ant

ibio

tics i

n an

imal

ag

ricul

ture

: Sen

gelø

v et

. al.

(200

3); C

hee-

Sanf

ord

et. a

l. (2

001)

; and

Sen

gelø

v, H

allin

g-Sø

rens

en,

& A

ares

trup

(200

3).12

Man

y co

nsum

ers s

ubm

itted

com

men

ts to

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms w

ith

conc

erns

ove

r the

use

of a

nim

al d

rugs

(EIS

at C

omm

ents

and

Res

pons

es to

the

EISP

N –

Par

t A).

Th

ese

conc

erns

are

a g

row

ing

tren

d am

ongs

t U.S

. con

sum

ers.

The

wor

ries a

bout

ant

ibio

tic

resis

tanc

e, im

pact

s of a

nim

al d

rugs

on

wat

erw

ays,

and

ani

mal

wel

fare

hav

e pr

ompt

ed

com

pani

es li

ke C

hipo

tle a

nd P

aner

a to

elim

inat

e or

redu

ce th

eir u

se o

f ani

mal

dru

gs.13

With

the

help

of m

arke

t-ba

sed

cam

paig

ns th

at re

flect

ed th

e ap

preh

ensio

ns o

f con

sum

ers,

dru

g m

anuf

actu

rers

also

with

drew

pro

duct

s.14

As m

ore

peop

le u

nder

stan

d an

d le

arn

abou

t the

way

m

ost f

ood

in th

is co

untr

y is

grow

n, a

des

ire to

elim

inat

e th

e us

e of

ani

mal

dru

gs, l

ike

antib

iotic

s, in

crea

ses.

It is

nec

essa

ry th

at H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s tak

e in

to c

onsid

erat

ion

the

impa

ct

anim

al a

ntib

iotic

s and

oth

er a

nim

al d

rugs

cou

ld h

ave

on h

uman

hea

lth b

ecau

se o

f the

se

antib

iotic

-res

istan

t bac

teria

that

hav

e de

velo

ped,

as w

ell a

s wha

t con

sum

ers w

ant f

rom

thei

r fo

od.

The

Use

of C

omm

erci

al F

ertil

izer

s Th

e EI

S st

ates

com

mer

cial

fert

ilize

rs w

ill b

e us

ed to

ass

ist g

row

ing

the

Kiki

uyu

gras

s for

fora

ge

(EIS

at 1

-10)

. Com

mer

cial

fert

ilize

rs h

ave

a lo

ng-s

tand

ing

hist

ory

of e

nviro

nmen

tal

cont

amin

atio

n, e

spec

ially

nitr

ogen

fert

ilize

rs. T

he sa

me

EPA

repo

rt o

n th

e im

pact

s of d

airy

fa

rms i

n Ya

kim

a Va

lley

show

s hig

h le

vels

of n

itrat

e co

ntam

inat

ion

in w

ater

sour

ces d

owns

trea

m

from

thes

e da

iry fa

rms’

usa

ge o

f nitr

ogen

fert

ilize

rs.15

Nitr

ate

cont

amin

atio

n oc

curs

from

the

wid

espr

ead

use

of n

itrog

en fe

rtili

zers

and

can

lead

to se

rious

hea

lth c

ondi

tions

such

as b

lue

baby

synd

rom

e, v

ario

us fo

rms o

f can

cer,

and

repr

oduc

tive

issue

s.16

Exc

ess n

itrog

en c

an

cont

ribut

e to

coa

stal

dea

d zo

nes a

nd e

utro

phic

atio

n, a

n iss

ue th

at b

ecom

es m

ore

pert

inen

t du

e to

the

loca

tion

of th

is pr

opos

ed d

airy

farm

; gro

undw

ater

pol

lutio

n; c

ontr

ibut

ion

to g

loba

l cl

imat

e ch

ange

; and

nitr

ogen

dep

ositi

on.17

Inor

gani

c ni

trog

en fe

rtili

zers

rele

ase

thei

r nut

rient

s at

a ra

te th

at is

not

com

patib

le w

ith th

e ne

eds o

f the

pla

nt, c

ausin

g ni

trog

en c

onta

min

atio

n in

12

Sen

gelø

v, G

., et

al.

(200

3). B

acte

rial a

ntib

iotic

resis

tanc

e le

vels

in D

anish

farm

land

as a

resu

lt of

trea

tmen

t with

pi

g m

anur

e slu

rry.

Env

ironm

ent I

nter

natio

nal,

28(7

), 58

7-59

5. d

oi:1

0.10

16/s

0160

-412

0(02

)000

84-3

; Che

e-Sa

nfor

d,

J. C.

, et a

l. (2

001)

. Occ

urre

nce

and

Dive

rsity

of T

etra

cycl

ine

Resis

tanc

e Ge

nes i

n La

goon

s and

Gro

undw

ater

U

nder

lyin

g Tw

o Sw

ine

Prod

uctio

n Fa

cilit

ies.

App

lied

and

Envi

ronm

enta

l Mic

robi

olog

y, 6

7(4)

, 149

4-15

02.

doi:1

0.11

28/a

em.6

7.4.

1494

-150

2.20

01; S

enge

løv,

G.,

Halli

ng-S

øren

sen,

B.,

& A

ares

trup

, F. M

. (20

03).

Susc

eptib

ility

of

Esc

heric

hia

coli

and

Ente

roco

ccus

faec

ium

isol

ated

from

pig

s and

bro

iler c

hick

ens t

o te

trac

yclin

e de

grad

atio

n pr

oduc

ts a

nd d

istrib

utio

n of

tetr

acyc

line

resis

tanc

e de

term

inan

ts in

E. c

oli f

rom

food

ani

mal

s. V

eter

inar

y M

icro

biol

ogy,

95(

1-2)

, 91-

101.

doi

:10.

1016

/s03

78-1

135(

03)0

0123

-8

13 S

tella

& H

arsh

. (20

15).

op. c

it.

14 S

tella

& H

arsh

. (20

15).

op. c

it.

15 U

nite

d St

ates

, Env

ironm

enta

l Pro

tect

ion

Agen

cy. (

2012

). op

.cit.

16

Cen

ter f

or F

ood

Safe

ty. (

2012

, Oct

ober

18)

. Gro

ups P

oise

d To

Sue

Yak

ima

Valle

y Fa

ctor

y Fa

rms R

espo

nsib

le F

or

Publ

ic H

ealth

Haz

ards

[Pre

ss re

leas

e]. N

ews R

oom

| P

ress

Rel

ease

s. R

etrie

ved

from

ht

tp:/

/ww

w.c

ente

rfor

food

safe

ty.o

rg/p

ress

-rel

ease

s/73

2/gr

oups

-poi

sed-

to-s

ue-y

akim

a-va

lley-

fact

ory-

farm

s-re

spon

sible

-for-

publ

ic-h

ealth

-haz

ards

17

Uni

ted

Nat

ions

, Env

ironm

ent P

rogr

amm

e. (2

014)

. UN

EP Y

ear B

ook

2014

em

ergi

ng is

sues

upd

ate:

Exc

ess

Nitr

ogen

in th

e En

viro

nmen

t.

the

vario

us fo

rms m

entio

ned

prev

ious

ly.18

“N

itrog

en c

asca

de”

can

occu

r as w

ell,

whi

ch is

the

rapi

d m

ovem

ent o

f nitr

ogen

thro

ugh

vario

us m

ediu

ms:

air,

soil,

and

wat

er.19

If th

at is

n’t

mon

itore

d cl

osel

y an

d co

rrec

tly, n

itrat

e co

ntam

inat

ion

and

the

prev

ious

ly m

entio

ned

impa

cts

of n

itrog

en fe

rtili

zer b

ecom

e in

crea

singl

y m

ore

adve

rse.

Th

e EI

S in

dica

tes t

he u

se o

f buf

fers

to m

itiga

te ru

noff

and

past

ure

gras

s cov

er to

con

trol

the

nutr

ient

loss

(EIS

at 1

-15)

. Tha

t doe

s not

, how

ever

, con

trol

the

amou

nt o

f nitr

ous o

xide

re

leas

ed in

to th

e ai

r whe

n th

ese

fert

ilize

rs a

re a

pplie

d. N

itrou

s oxi

de—

mor

e ha

rmfu

l tha

n ca

rbon

dio

xide

—is

a co

ntrib

utor

to o

zone

dep

letio

n an

d gl

obal

clim

ate

chan

ge.20

The

EIS

also

st

ates

that

the

leve

ls of

nitr

ogen

and

pho

spho

rus f

rom

com

mer

cial

fert

ilize

rs w

ill b

e 33

0 an

d 84

0 tim

es g

reat

er th

an th

e cu

rren

t lev

els,

but

just

ify th

at b

y sa

ying

this

will

mos

tly o

ccur

dur

ing

perio

ds o

f hea

vy ra

infa

ll (E

IS a

t Sur

face

Wat

er Q

ualit

y an

d M

arin

e As

sess

men

t – p

g. 1

2). W

hile

th

e EI

S m

ay sa

y th

at th

is w

on’t

be a

con

tinuo

us in

put o

f the

se e

xtra

ele

men

ts, K

auai

is a

trop

ical

isl

and

that

exp

erie

nces

per

iods

of h

eavy

rain

fall

far m

ore

freq

uent

ly th

an o

ther

loca

tions

. Eve

n if

the

cont

ribut

ion

of n

itrog

en a

nd p

hosp

horu

s to

the

envi

ronm

ent i

s epi

sodi

c, a

s is b

elie

ved

to

be b

y th

is EI

S, a

ny m

ore

exce

ss n

itrog

en a

nd p

hosp

horu

s to

the

curr

ent o

vera

bund

ance

alo

ng

the

coas

t and

thro

ugho

ut th

e isl

and

is un

nece

ssar

y an

d st

ill d

etrim

enta

l. Ex

cess

nitr

ogen

in th

e en

viro

nmen

t is a

glo

bal p

robl

em o

f gra

nd m

agni

tude

and

the

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms’

ana

lysis

of

thei

r im

pact

s to

this

prob

lem

is in

suffi

cien

t. Fu

rthe

r wor

k ne

eds t

o be

don

e to

trul

y un

ders

tand

th

e lo

ng-t

erm

impa

cts c

omm

erci

al fe

rtili

zers

will

hav

e on

the

envi

ronm

ent a

nd th

e he

alth

of

the

peop

le o

f Kau

ai.

The

Use

of P

estic

ides

Th

e EI

S m

entio

ned

the

use

of p

estic

ides

and

the

safe

app

licat

ion

of sa

id p

estic

ides

but

no

men

tion

of w

hich

pes

ticid

es o

r how

muc

h w

ill b

e us

ed (E

IS a

t 4-4

2). W

ith th

at b

eing

said

, it i

s im

port

ant t

o no

te th

e de

trim

enta

l effe

cts p

estic

ides

infli

ct u

pon

both

the

envi

ronm

ent a

nd

hum

an h

ealth

. Acc

ordi

ng to

the

EPA

repo

rt o

n th

e Ya

kim

a Va

lley

dairy

farm

s, th

e pe

stic

ides

us

ed o

n da

iry fa

rms a

re ‘m

obile

, per

siste

nt, o

r bot

h’.21

Thi

s rep

ort r

elea

sed

findi

ngs t

hat s

how

w

ater

con

tam

inat

ion

from

nitr

ogen

, ant

ibio

tics,

and

oth

er p

ollu

tant

s lik

e pe

stic

ides

.22 T

he u

se

of p

estic

ides

on

dairy

farm

s has

the

pote

ntia

l to

caus

e lo

ng-t

erm

dam

age

to th

e en

viro

nmen

t, an

d cr

itica

lly to

the

48 n

umbe

r of t

hrea

tene

d an

d en

dang

ered

spec

ies o

n Ka

uai,

and

Haw

aii

Dairy

Far

ms s

houl

d ha

ve c

ondu

cted

a m

ore

thor

ough

ana

lysis

of p

estic

ide

use

and

thei

r im

pact

s.23

18 C

ente

r for

Foo

d Sa

fety

| Is

sues

| S

oil |

The

Nitr

ogen

Cyc

le. (

n.d.

). Re

trie

ved

July

18,

201

6, fr

om

http

://w

ww

.cen

terf

orfo

odsa

fety

.org

/issu

es/3

183/

soil/

the-

nitr

ogen

-cyc

le

19 U

nite

d N

atio

ns, E

nviro

nmen

t Pro

gram

me.

(201

4). o

p. c

it.

20 U

nite

d N

atio

ns, E

nviro

nmen

t Pro

gram

me.

(201

4). o

p. c

it.

21 U

nite

d St

ates

, Env

ironm

enta

l Pro

tect

ion

Agen

cy. (

2012

). op

.cit.

22

Cen

ter f

or F

ood

Safe

ty. (

2012

). op

. cit.

23

48

spec

ies p

rote

cted

und

er th

e ES

A - P

acifi

c Is

land

s Fish

and

Wild

life

Offi

ce. (

2012

, Sep

tem

ber 2

0). R

etrie

ved

July

17

, 201

6, fr

om h

ttps

://w

ww

.fws.

gov/

paci

ficisl

ands

/kau

ai48

spec

ies.

htm

l

Addi

tiona

lly, t

here

has

bee

n a

long

hist

ory

of p

estic

ide

use

in H

awai

i with

ver

y n

egat

ive

ram

ifica

tions

. Spe

cific

ally

, the

pes

ticid

es u

sed

wid

ely

in H

awai

i hav

e be

en li

nked

to c

ontr

ibut

ing

to th

e de

clin

e of

nat

ive

Haw

aiia

n po

llina

tors

, rai

sing

serio

us c

once

rns f

or th

e se

curit

y of

our

fo

od sy

stem

.24 W

ith n

early

70%

of H

awai

i’s fo

od c

rops

dep

ende

nt u

pon

bees

for p

ollin

atio

n,

the

use

of p

estic

ides

on

this

dairy

farm

cou

ld a

id in

bee

pop

ulat

ion

decl

ines

.25 W

hile

the

EIS

stat

es th

at th

e na

tive,

end

ange

red,

and

thre

aten

ed sp

ecie

s on

the

islan

d w

on’t

be im

pact

ed b

y th

e co

nstr

uctio

n an

d pr

oduc

tion

of th

is da

iry fa

rm, H

awai

i wild

life

has b

een

serio

usly

impa

cted

du

e to

the

wid

espr

ead

use

of p

estic

ides

.26 T

here

fore

, to

assu

me

that

this

farm

wou

ldn’

t hav

e sim

ilar i

mpa

cts i

s sho

rtsig

hted

. Aga

in, t

he E

IS sh

ould

hav

e pr

ovid

ed a

mor

e th

orou

gh a

naly

sis o

f w

hat p

estic

ides

will

be

used

and

thei

r pot

entia

l im

pact

s esp

ecia

lly o

n th

reat

ened

and

en

dang

ered

spec

ies a

s eac

h pe

stic

ide

form

ula

has a

uni

que

and

ofte

n de

trim

enta

l im

pact

. A

repo

rt o

n th

e ef

fect

s of p

estic

ide

use

in H

awai

i sta

tes:

“[s

]tud

ies s

how

that

pes

ticid

es u

sed

heav

ily in

GE

oper

atio

ns in

Haw

ai‘i,

incl

udin

g at

razin

e, c

hlor

pyrif

os, s

ynth

etic

pyr

ethr

oids

, and

ne

onic

otin

oids

, pos

e a

serio

us th

reat

to w

ildlif

e an

d de

grad

atio

n of

nat

ural

hab

itats

”.27

One

pa

rtic

ular

cla

ss o

f ins

ectic

ides

men

tione

d in

the

prev

ious

stud

y, n

eoni

cotin

oids

, hav

e ca

used

pa

rtic

ular

dam

age

to a

quat

ic sp

ecie

s bec

ause

they

are

wat

er so

lubl

e.28

Neo

nico

tinoi

ds a

re

appr

oved

to c

ontr

ol p

ests

on

anim

al fa

rmin

g op

erat

ions

. See

, e.g

. N

otic

e of

Pes

ticid

e Pr

oduc

ts;

Regi

stra

tion

Appl

icat

ions

, 75

Fed.

Reg

. 51,

045

(Aug

. 18,

201

0).

Putt

ing

the

envi

ronm

ent a

side,

pes

ticid

es h

ave

the

pote

ntia

l for

serio

us ri

sks t

o hu

man

hea

lth,

espe

cial

ly to

the

appl

icat

ors o

f the

se p

estic

ides

. A st

udy

by th

e Am

eric

an A

cade

my

of P

edia

tric

s fo

und

that

ear

ly o

n ex

posu

re to

pes

ticid

es h

as b

een

linke

d to

chi

ldho

od c

ance

rs, a

sthm

a, a

nd

othe

r sev

ere

heal

th is

sues

.29 C

hild

ren

and

infa

nts a

ren’

t the

onl

y on

es w

ho fa

ce se

rious

co

nseq

uenc

es fr

om p

estic

ide

expo

sure

; adu

lt po

pula

tions

face

illn

esse

s lik

e de

pres

sion,

N

onHo

dgki

n’s l

ymph

oma,

Par

kins

on’s

dise

ase,

and

oth

ers.

30 T

here

is m

ore

than

subs

tant

ial

evid

ence

to in

dica

te th

at th

e us

e of

pes

ticid

es o

n th

is da

iry fa

rm w

ould

in fa

ct c

ause

serio

us

dam

age.

24

Haw

ai'i

Polli

nato

rs &

Pes

ticid

es (R

ep.).

(201

6, A

pril)

. Ret

rieve

d ht

tp:/

/ww

w.c

ente

rfor

food

safe

ty.o

rg/f

iles/

pest

icid

es-a

nd-p

ollin

ator

s-fa

ct-s

heet

_fin

al_6

2716

_406

31.p

df

25 Ib

id.

26 Ib

id.

27 F

rees

e, B

., Lu

kens

, A.,

& A

njom

shoa

a, A

. (20

15, M

ay).

Pest

icid

es in

Par

adise

: Haw

ai'i'

s Hea

lth &

Env

ironm

ent a

t Ri

sk (R

ep.).

Ret

rieve

d ht

tp:/

/ww

w.c

ente

rfor

food

safe

ty.o

rg/f

iles/

pest

icid

erep

ortf

ull_

8647

6.pd

f 28

Car

nem

ark,

M.,

Jenk

ins,

P. T

., &

Wal

ker,

L. (2

015,

Sep

tem

ber)

. Wat

er H

azar

d: A

quat

ic C

onta

min

atio

n by

N

eoni

cotin

oid

Inse

ctic

ides

in th

e Un

ited

Stat

es (R

ep.).

Ret

rieve

d ht

tp:/

/ww

w.c

ente

rfor

food

safe

ty.o

rg/f

iles/

neon

ic-

wat

er-r

epor

t-fin

al-2

4201

6_w

eb_3

3288

.pdf

29

Fre

ese,

B.,

Luke

ns, A

., &

Anj

omsh

oaa,

A. (

2015

). op

. cit.

30

Fre

ese,

B.,

Luke

ns, A

., &

Anj

omsh

oaa,

A. (

2015

). op

. cit.

The

Use

of G

rain

Fee

d W

hile

the

EIS

indi

cate

s tha

t onl

y 30

% o

f the

dai

ry c

ows’

die

ts w

ill b

e gr

ain,

ther

e is

no

disc

ussio

n of

wha

t will

be

the

mak

eup

of th

at g

rain

(EIS

at 3

-9).

Ther

e ar

e m

any

bene

fits o

f a

gras

s-fe

d di

et th

at p

oint

to th

e fa

ct th

at e

ven

usin

g 30

% g

rain

shou

ld n

ot b

e co

nsid

ered

. One

st

udy

look

ed a

t dai

ry c

ows g

razin

g on

Kik

uyu

gras

s and

wha

t the

impa

cts o

f add

ing

in g

rain

feed

ha

d on

the

dairy

cat

tle. T

he st

udy

show

s tha

t any

am

ount

of c

once

ntra

te th

at e

xcee

ds 2

9% o

f th

e co

w’s

die

t lea

ds to

unf

avor

able

con

sequ

ence

s for

the

cow

. 31 G

rass

-feed

ing

incr

ease

s the

co

ncen

trat

ion

of th

e co

njug

ated

lino

leic

aci

d (C

LA) o

f the

cow

.32 C

LAs a

re a

gro

up o

f fat

ty a

cids

th

at h

ave

antic

arci

noge

nic

effe

cts,

pos

itive

ly im

pact

ing

hum

an h

ealth

.33 T

his s

ame

stud

y st

ates

th

at th

e m

ilk w

ith th

e he

alth

iest

fatt

y ac

id p

rofil

e w

as fr

om c

ows t

hat w

ere

gras

s fed

.34 W

omen

w

ho c

onsu

me

a di

et w

ith h

igh

leve

ls of

CLA

, lik

e da

iry fr

om c

ows w

ho h

ave

high

er p

rofil

es o

f it,

are

at lo

wer

risk

of b

reas

t can

cer.35

Thi

s sam

e he

alth

ben

efit

cann

ot b

e ac

hiev

ed b

y da

iry

prod

ucts

gen

erat

ed fr

om g

rain

-fed

dairy

cow

s. A

stud

y by

Dal

ey e

t. al

. (20

10) g

oes i

nto

grea

t de

tail

of th

e he

alth

ben

efits

of g

rass

-fed

beef

ove

r gra

in-fe

d an

d th

e im

pact

s on

hum

an h

ealth

, lik

e lo

wer

risk

s of d

iabe

tes.

36

Man

y so

urce

s of o

n-fa

rm n

itrog

en c

ome

from

the

cont

ents

of g

rain

feed

and

that

nitr

ogen

is

then

tran

sfer

red

via

the

man

ure

back

into

the

soil,

pot

entia

lly c

ausin

g co

ntam

inat

ion.

37 M

ost

grai

n fo

r ani

mal

feed

s are

gro

wn

usin

g sy

nthe

tic n

itrog

en fe

rtili

zers

that

, as d

iscus

sed

at le

ngth

pr

evio

usly

, are

det

rimen

tal t

o th

e en

viro

nmen

t.38 A

dditi

onal

ly, i

t is u

nkno

wn

whe

ther

or n

ot

the

grai

n us

ed w

ould

be

GE g

rain

. GE

cro

ps g

ener

ally

eith

er p

rom

ote

pest

icid

e us

e or

pro

duce

pe

stic

ides

. The

se c

rops

hav

e da

mag

ing

envi

ronm

enta

l im

pact

s suc

h as

enc

oura

ging

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f her

bici

de-r

esist

ant w

eeds

and

inse

ctic

ide

resis

tanc

e pe

sts.

Whi

le th

is fa

rm m

ay

not b

e gr

owin

g th

e gr

ain

on si

te, c

ontr

ibut

ing

to th

e de

man

d of

GE

grai

n fo

r an

anim

al th

at

bene

fits f

rom

a g

rass

-fed

diet

add

s to

the

nega

tive

envi

ronm

enta

l im

pact

s of t

his d

airy

farm

.

31

Ful

kers

on, W

., et

al.

(200

6). E

ffect

of c

erea

l-bas

ed c

once

ntra

tes o

n pr

oduc

tivity

of H

olst

ein–

Frie

sian

cow

s gr

azin

g sh

ort-

rota

tion

ryeg

rass

(Lol

ium

mul

tiflo

rum

) or k

ikuy

u (P

enne

situm

cla

ndes

tinum

) pas

ture

s. L

ives

tock

Sc

ienc

e, 1

03(1

-2),

85-9

4. d

oi:1

0.10

16/j.

livsc

i.200

6.01

.005

32

Sto

ckda

le, C

. R.,

et a

l. (2

003)

. Inf

luen

ce o

f pas

ture

and

con

cent

rate

s in

the

diet

of g

razin

g da

iry c

ows o

n th

e fa

tty

acid

com

posit

ion

of m

ilk. J

ourn

al o

f Dai

ry R

esea

rch,

70(

3), 2

67-2

76. d

oi:1

0.10

17/s

0022

0299

0300

6009

33

Ibid

. 34

Ibid

. 35

Aro

, A.,

et a

l. (2

000)

. Inv

erse

Ass

ocia

tion

Betw

een

Diet

ary

and

Seru

m C

onju

gate

d Li

nole

ic A

cid

and

Risk

of B

reas

t Ca

ncer

in P

ostm

enop

ausa

l Wom

en. N

utrit

ion

and

Canc

er, 3

8(2)

, 151

-157

. doi

:10.

1207

/s15

3279

14nc

382_

2 36

Dal

ey, C

. A.,

et a

l. (2

010)

. A re

view

of f

atty

aci

d pr

ofile

s and

ant

ioxi

dant

con

tent

in g

rass

-fed

and

grai

n-fe

d be

ef.

Nut

ritio

n Jo

urna

l Nut

r J, 9

(1).

doi:1

0.11

86/1

475-

2891

-9-1

0 37

McK

ague

, K. (

2005

). En

viro

nmen

tal i

mpa

cts o

f nitr

ogen

use

in a

gric

ultu

re (C

anad

a). G

uelp

h: O

ntar

io, M

inist

ry o

f Ag

ricul

ture

, Foo

d an

d Ru

ral A

ffairs

. Ret

rieve

d fr

om h

ttp:

//w

ww

.om

afra

.gov

.on.

ca/e

nglis

h/en

gine

er/f

acts

/05-

073.

htm

38

Don

lon,

D.,

& R

iggs

, P. (

2014

, Mar

ch).

Food

& C

limat

e: C

onne

ctin

g th

e Do

ts, C

hoos

ing

the

Way

For

war

d (R

ep.).

Re

trie

ved

http

s://

soils

olut

ion.

org/

wp-

cont

ent/

uplo

ads/

2016

/03/

food

-and

-clim

ate-

repo

rt.p

df

The

Lack

of O

rgan

ic C

ertif

icat

ion

Now

here

in th

e EI

S do

es it

men

tion

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms c

onsid

ered

cer

tifyi

ng th

is Da

iry a

s or

gani

c, n

or d

oes i

t giv

e an

ade

quat

e ex

plan

atio

n fo

r why

that

alte

rnat

ive

was

n’t c

hose

n. T

he

Haw

aii E

nviro

nmen

tal P

olic

y Ac

t req

uire

s tha

t an

EIS

“disc

uss a

ltern

ativ

e m

etho

ds a

nd m

odes

fo

r im

plem

entin

g th

e pr

opos

ed a

ctio

n, se

lect

ing

the

one

with

the

leas

t det

rimen

tal e

ffect

on

the

envi

ronm

ent.

Som

e al

tern

ativ

es to

con

sider

incl

ude:

diff

eren

t site

s; d

iffer

ent f

acili

ty

conf

igur

atio

ns; o

r, di

ffere

nt im

plem

enta

tion

met

hods

.” H

AR §

11-2

00-1

0(6)

. Des

pite

the

innu

mer

ous b

enef

its o

f org

anic

and

the

cont

inuo

us q

uest

ions

of c

once

rned

citi

zens

, the

EIS

do

es n

ot e

ven

anal

yze

the

alte

rnat

ive.

Inde

ed, t

he fa

rm w

ill n

ot b

e a

cert

ified

org

anic

farm

. O

ne st

udy

touc

hes o

n th

e en

viro

nmen

tal b

enef

its o

f org

anic

dai

ry fa

rms s

peci

fical

ly a

nd sh

ows

that

ani

mal

wel

fare

and

milk

qua

lity

are

high

er in

com

paris

on to

non

-org

anic

dai

ry fa

rms.

39

With

that

in m

ind,

all

the

issue

s we

pres

ente

d in

thes

e co

mm

ents

wou

ld b

e gr

eatly

redu

ced

if th

is w

as a

cer

tifie

d or

gani

c da

iry fa

rm. B

ecau

se o

rgan

ic re

gula

tions

lim

it th

e us

e of

thes

e co

mm

erci

al fe

rtili

zers

, pes

ticid

es, a

nd a

nim

al d

rugs

, the

issu

es o

f wat

er c

onta

min

atio

n, so

il co

ntam

inat

ion,

hum

an h

ealth

pro

blem

s, an

d an

tibio

tic re

sist

ance

are

min

imize

d or

com

plet

ely

erad

icat

ed.40

Add

ition

ally

, org

anic

agr

icul

ture

is o

n th

e ris

e w

ith c

onsu

mer

s dem

andi

ng a

hig

her

qual

ity p

rodu

ct.41

A c

ertif

ied

orga

nic

dairy

farm

wou

ld g

reat

ly b

enef

it th

e pe

ople

and

the

envi

ronm

ent o

f Haw

aii b

y br

ingi

ng in

loca

l milk

that

is fu

lfilli

ng th

e ne

eds a

nd c

onsu

mer

des

ires

of th

e pe

ople

of H

awai

i. Th

e pu

rpos

e of

this

farm

is to

retu

rn lo

cal m

ilk p

rodu

ctio

n to

the

stat

e of

Haw

aii,

and

with

the

desir

e fo

r org

anic

milk

gro

win

g, it

onl

y m

akes

sens

e th

at th

is w

ould

be

a ce

rtifi

ed o

rgan

ic fa

rm.

The

Inte

rnat

iona

l Fed

erat

ion

of O

rgan

ic F

ood

Mov

emen

ts (I

FOAM

) has

def

ined

org

anic

ag

ricul

ture

as “

Org

anic

agr

icul

ture

is a

pro

duct

ion

syst

em th

at su

stai

ns th

e he

alth

of s

oils,

ec

osys

tem

s and

peo

ple.

It r

elie

s on

ecol

ogic

al p

roce

sses

, bio

dive

rsity

and

cyc

les a

dapt

ed to

lo

cal c

ondi

tions

rath

er th

an th

e us

e of

inpu

ts w

ith a

dver

se e

ffect

s. O

rgan

ic a

gric

ultu

re

com

bine

s tra

ditio

n, in

nova

tion

and

scie

nce

to b

enef

it th

e sh

are

envi

ronm

ent a

nd p

rom

ote

fair

rela

tions

hips

and

a g

ood

qual

ity o

f life

for a

ll in

volv

ed.”

42 T

his p

ropo

sed

dairy

farm

has

the

oppo

rtun

ity to

hol

d th

ese

sam

e va

lues

and

stan

dard

s tha

t are

reco

gnize

d by

108

diff

eren

t co

untr

ies w

hile

also

gre

atly

redu

cing

neg

ativ

e en

viro

nmen

tal i

mpa

cts.

CO

NCL

USI

ON

CF

S an

d HC

FS e

ncou

rage

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms t

o ad

dres

s the

abo

ve is

sues

—an

d th

ose

issue

s ra

ised

by o

ther

com

men

ters

—be

fore

issu

ing

a fin

al E

IS a

nd in

itiat

ing

the

Dairy

. A fu

ll an

alys

is of

39 M

ülle

r-Li

nden

lauf

, M.,

Deitt

ert,

C., &

Köp

ke, U

. (20

10).

Asse

ssm

ent o

f env

ironm

enta

l effe

cts,

ani

mal

wel

fare

and

m

ilk q

ualit

y am

ong

orga

nic

dairy

farm

s. L

ives

tock

Sci

ence

, 128

(1-3

), 14

0-14

8. d

oi:1

0.10

16/j.

livsc

i.200

9.11

.013

40

Cen

ter f

or F

ood

Safe

ty |

Issu

es |

Org

anic

& B

eyon

d |

Wha

t are

the

Bene

fits

of O

rgan

ic?

(n.d

.). R

etrie

ved

July

21,

20

16, f

rom

htt

p://

ww

w.c

ente

rfor

food

safe

ty.o

rg/is

sues

/306

/org

anic

-and

-bey

ond/

wha

t-ar

e-th

e-be

nefit

s-of

-org

anic

41

Ibid

. 42

Cen

ter f

or F

ood

Safe

ty |

Issu

es |

Org

anic

& B

eyon

d |

Mea

ning

of O

rgan

ic. (

n.d.

). Re

trie

ved

July

20,

201

6, fr

om

http

://w

ww

.cen

terf

orfo

odsa

fety

.org

/issu

es/3

06/o

rgan

ic-a

nd-b

eyon

d/m

eani

ng-o

f-org

anic

the

pote

ntia

l im

pact

s of a

nim

al d

rugs

, pes

ticid

es, G

E gr

ain,

nitr

ogen

fert

ilize

r, an

d th

e be

nefit

s of

org

anic

cer

tific

atio

n w

ill g

reat

ly im

prov

e th

e qu

ality

of t

he E

IS a

nd, i

f miti

gatin

g m

easu

res a

re

adop

ted,

wou

ld re

duce

the

envi

ronm

enta

l im

pact

of t

he D

airy

. Re

spec

tful

ly S

ubm

itted

, Pa

ige

Tom

asel

li Se

nior

Att

orne

y Cl

aire

Jord

an

Rese

arch

Ass

istan

t

January 3, 20

17 Ms. Pai

ge Tomaselli

Senior Attorn

ey Center

for Food Safet

y 660 Pe

nnsylvania Av

enue SE

Washington, D

C 20003

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

Mhulep, K

loa District, K

aua‘i, Hawai‘i

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

s. Paige Tomas

elli: Thank

you for your

input receive

d on July 25,

2016 on the H

awai‘i Dairy F

arms (HDF)

Draft EIS. The

following res

ponses are off

ered to your c

omments:

Health of the

herd is of prim

ary importance

as the succes

s of a dairy re

lies on cows

effectively pro

ducing quality

milk. All cows

will be treate

d with a high

standard of

care. Dairy m

anagers and

caretakers wi

ll be trained

and competen

t in handling

animals to m

inimize stress

and ensure th

e herds’ welf

are. A license

d veterinarian

may pr

escribe use of

antibiotics app

roved by the F

ood & Drug Ad

ministration (F

DA) for tre

atment of illn

esses. Adhere

nce to guideli

nes that proh

ibit milk from

cows underg

oing antibiot

ic treatment

will ensure n

o adulteratio

n of milk. Ro

utine laborat

ory tests of m

ilk for traces

of antibiotic

residue will b

e conducted.

FDA-approv

ed hormones m

ay also be use

d as prescribe

d by a license

d veterinarian

. HDF will no

t treat cows w

ith bovine gro

wth hormone

, referred to a

s rBST or rBGH

. All vac

cines, antibiot

ics, ionophore

s and hormon

e therapy will

be prescribed

via a veterin

arian – client

– patient – rel

ationship (VCP

R). The Anima

l Medicinal Dr

ug Use

Clarification A

ct (AMDUCA)

provides ve

terinarians a

cting within t

he VCPR to

provide optio

ns so that cow

s and calves c

an receive the

medications

and hormone

s they n

eed when the

y need them.

Animal Histo

ry, disease inc

idence, disea

se risk,

local prevalen

ce, product co

st, Federal Dr

ug Administrat

ion (FDA) app

roval and

route of adm

inistration all

will be part

of HDF-specif

ic veterinary

protocols to

ensure best

animal welfa

re with the

least amount

of pharmac

euticals. All

vaccination an

d treatment p

rotocols will fo

llow FDA and A

MDCU guideli

nes. Unlike

traditional con

fined dairy op

erations, HDF

cows will be o

n pasture up t

o 22 hours a

day, which en

hances overal

l health of the

animals and

further reduce

s risk of illne

ss and the n

eed for antib

iotics. There

will be no us

e of sub-thera

peutic,

preventative,

or growth prom

oting use of an

tibiotics, ionop

hores or horm

ones (such

as rBST). An

tibiotics will

only be used

to treat ind

ividual anima

ls with life

threatening s

ituations and

only after p

rescribed by

veterinarians

following all

guidelines of

AMDUCA. Fur

thermore, HD

F will follow

the best anim

al welfare

protocols, inc

luding vaccina

tion protocols

for all age c

lasses to furt

her prevent

bacterial infec

tion and to m

inimize the us

e of antibiotic

s on HDF. An

tibiotics are

costly, lead to

wasted milk

and mean a co

w is unhealthy

, which is not

beneficial to

the animals or

operations. H

DF will limit th

e use of antibi

otics as much

as possible.

Ms. Paige Tom

aselli, Senior A

ttorney, Cente

r for Food Safe

ty Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Environmenta

l Impact Statem

ent Januar

y 3, 2017

Page 2 of 3

The groundw

ater engineer

consulting to

HDF estimated

the potential

nutrients that

could leave t

he site

from HDF ope

rations as two

percent of nit

rogen (totalin

g 10,000 poun

ds per year),

and one per

cent of

phosphorus (

totaling 900

pounds per y

ear). This wo

uld not occu

r as chronic d

aily releases,

rather,

contributions

would be lim

ited to period

s of major ra

infall events t

hat exceed 0.8

inches. Such

rainfall

events are es

timated to occ

ur, on averag

e, 10 days ann

ually. No efflue

nt application

would be con

ducted

two days prio

r to, during,

and two days

after such w

eather events

per best ma

nagement pr

actice guideli

nes. The estim

ate of nutrient

s leaving the s

ite is the same

for both the

committed he

rd size of 699

mature

dairy cows an

d the contemp

lated herd siz

e of up to 2,00

0 mature dair

y cows.

To provide p

erspective, n

utrient inputs

from the ad

jacent Kloa-P

oip region

were also cal

culated.

Nitrogen input

to the marine

environment

in the Poip r

egion is calcu

lated to be 38,

510 pounds a

nnually,

or 3.5 times m

ore than the e

stimate of pot

ential nutrien

t throughput

from HDF. Ph

osphorus for

both domes

tic wastewate

r and landscap

e fertilization

in the region

is estimated to

be 1,260 pou

nds annually,

or 1.4 tim

es greater tha

n the potentia

l discharge fr

om HDF. The

nutrient input

s from domes

tic uses in th

e Poip

region are con

stant througho

ut the year and

no mitigation

is applied to r

educe the qua

ntities.

Pesticides an

d herbicides

can reduce po

pulations of b

eneficial inse

cts, which is w

hy HDF will u

tilize an

integrated pe

st managemen

t (IPM) appr

oach. Essentia

lly, IPM disrup

ts reproductio

n with appro

priate bird (t

he cattle egre

t) were introd

uced between

1898 and 19

50 to reduce

livestock-rela

ted insects. IP

M utilizes

knowledge o

f the ancient fo

od web among

species. An e

specially impo

rtant insect to

minimize fly

breeding habit

at in manure

is the dung be

etle, which ca

n bury manur

e in one to th

ree days and t

hereby

incorporate or

ganic matter i

nto the soil. D

isrupting and

removing the

dung interru

pts the egg to

fly lifecycl

e, which requ

ires from 7 to

20 days depen

ding on the typ

e of fly. Popul

ations of dung

beetles found

pand w

ith the growi

ng manure fo

od source

, thus increas

ing and speed

ing breakdow

n of manure w

hile preventin

g fly larvae fr

om hatching.

Fly minimi

zation measu

res are furthe

r described in

EIS Section 4

.11. HDF sh

ares the conce

rn of herbicid

e and pesticid

e impacts on

the HDF site a

nd surroundin

g environmen

t. Insectic

ides and herbi

cides are non-

discriminatory

and kill benefi

cial as well as p

est insects. Suc

h control woul

d only be

used when nee

ded by those q

ualified to app

ly chemicals, an

d in accordanc

e with authoriz

ed procedures

and reg

ulatory labelin

g requirement

s. Safe applica

tion practices

for any unav

oidable herbic

ide or pestici

de include

specifically t

argeting the p

roblem pest s

pecies withou

t harming ins

ects and anim

als in the area

. IPM wi

ll be the prefe

rred means to

control pests;

this method d

isrupts the rep

roduction pote

ntial of pests b

y approp

riate means at

key points in t

he life cycle.

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms has ch

osen not to p

ursue organic

certification a

t this time to

allow for flex

ibility in

operations. H

owever, the fa

rm will use m

any of the com

ponents of an

organic farm

in its operat

ions, includi

ng developing

soil fertility

through act

ive grazing m

anagement, co

ntrolling pest

s and disease

throug

h sanitation a

nd plant and a

nimal diversity

, and stress re

duction for the

herd. It is imp

ortant to note

that wi

th up to 699 m

ature dairy co

ws, the farm w

ill not produce

enough natur

al fertilizer to

establish soil

fertility

needed for h

igh quality fo

rage product

ion. Commerc

ial fertilizer w

ill help suppo

rt the forage

growth. Suppl

emental feed w

ill also be nee

ded to provid

e adequate nu

trition for mil

k production.

Hawai‘i

Dairy Farms

plans to purc

hase locally g

rown feed as

much as po

ssible, but ma

y have to rel

y on the

importation o

f supplement

al feeds to p

rovide proper

nutrition for

the herd. O

rganic feeds

will be

considered bas

ed on market a

vailability and

pricing.

Ms. Paige Tom

aselli, Senior A

ttorney, Cente

r for Food Safe

ty Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Environmenta

l Impact Statem

ent Januar

y 3, 2017

Page 3 of 3

Unlike conven

tional feedlot

dairy operat

ions that face

managemen

t challenges

related to the

costs of

imported feed

(which fluctua

te with grain

and fuel prices

), HDF will ut

ilize a grain m

ixture which

would initially

constitute 30

percent of the

ir dairy needs.

The suppleme

ntal grain mix

ture complem

ents the cows

’ main d

iet of grass an

d provides su

pplemental nu

trients to sup

port cow heal

th and milk p

roduction. Th

e ratio of

grass vs. grain

will be adjust

ed over time a

s pasture prod

uctivity increa

ses with dairy

operations.

Your comment

, along with th

is response, w

ill become par

t of the public

record and w

ill be publishe

d in the

Final EIS. A co

py of the Fina

l EIS is includ

ed on a compa

ct disc with th

is letter. Whe

n published, t

he Final

EIS will be a

vailable on th

e OEQC websi

te which you

can access u

sing the follo

wing URL, an

d search

http://tinyurl

.com/OEQCKA

UAI. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly, GROUP

70 INTERNAT

IONAL, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

January 3, 20

17 Mr. Bry

an Davidson

President

Contractors A

ssociation of K

aua‘i 4231 A

hukini Road

Lhu‘e, Kaua‘i

, Hawai‘i 9676

6 Su

bjec

t: Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Final Environ

mental Impac

t Statement (EI

S)

Mhu

lep, Kloa Dis

trict, Kaua‘i, H

awai‘i

Respon

se to Comment

on Draft EIS

Dear Mr. Brya

n Davidson:

Thank you for

your letter d

ated July 19,

2016 regardin

g the Hawai‘i

Dairy Farms

(HDF) Draft E

IS. We acknow

ledge your com

ments in supp

ort of the HDF

EIS. Your c

omment, along

with this res

ponse, will be

come part of t

he public reco

rd and

will be publis

hed in the Fin

al EIS. A copy

of the Final E

IS is included

on a compac

t disc w

ith this letter.

When publis

hed, the Final

EIS will be a

vailable on th

e OEQC

website whic

h you can acc

ess using the

following URL

, and search “

Hawaii Dairy

Farms”

: http://tinyur

l.com/OEQCKA

UAI. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly, GROUP

70 INTERNAT

IONAL, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

January 3, 20

17 Mr. Wa

rren H. Haruk

i Preside

nt & CEO

Grove Farm

3-1850 Kaumu

alii Highway

Su

bjec

t: onmen

tal Impact Stat

ement (EIS)

Warren H. Har

uki: letter dated Ju

ne 24 regard

ing the

. We ac

knowledge

e EIS.

will be publis

hed in the Fin

al EIS. disc w

ith this letter.

When publis

hed, the Final

EIS will be a

vailable on th

e OEQC

Farms”:

.

Sincerely, 70 INT

ERNATIONAL

, INC.

Je

Princip

al Planner

cc:

Hawa

July

21,

201

6 RE

: Let

ter

of S

uppo

rt –

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms D

EIS

The

Haw

aii C

attle

men

’s Co

unci

l, In

c. (H

CC) i

s ple

ased

to o

ffer t

his l

ette

r of s

uppo

rt

rega

rdin

g th

e H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s DEI

S.

HCC

is th

e st

atew

ide

umbr

ella

org

aniz

atio

n co

mpr

ised

of t

he fo

ur c

ount

y le

vel C

attle

men

’s As

soci

atio

ns. O

ur 1

50+

mem

ber r

anch

ers r

epre

sent

ove

r 60,

000

head

of b

eef c

ows;

mor

e th

an 7

5% o

f all

the

beef

cow

s in

the

Stat

e. R

anch

ers a

re th

e st

ewar

ds o

f ap

prox

imat

ely

25%

of t

he S

tate

’s to

tal l

and

mas

s. Th

e pl

ans t

hat h

ave

been

out

lined

in H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s EIS

are

ver

y so

und

in th

eir

appr

oach

to e

nvir

onm

enta

l ste

war

dshi

p an

d ca

ttle

man

agem

ent.

The

loca

tion

of th

e da

iry

is a

n ar

ea w

ith a

his

tory

in g

razi

ng a

nd it

s’ zo

ning

des

igna

tion

is Im

port

ant A

g La

nds.

The

dair

y is

situ

ated

in a

n ar

ea a

way

from

hom

es, r

esor

ts a

nd th

e sh

ore

line

prev

entin

g an

y po

tent

ial i

mpa

ct o

f flie

s and

/or o

dor f

rom

resi

dent

s or g

uest

s.

The

plan

s als

o in

dica

te th

e us

e of

the

late

st te

chno

logy

to e

nsur

e ca

ttle

hea

lth a

nd w

ell-

bein

g w

hile

wor

king

with

oth

er ra

nche

rs in

the

area

to p

rovi

de e

xcep

tiona

l car

e th

roug

hout

the

stag

es o

f dai

ry p

rodu

ctio

n. T

heir

judi

ciou

s use

of w

ater

reso

urce

s will

pr

otec

t thi

s val

uabl

e re

sour

ce a

nd p

lay

a vi

tal r

ole

in th

e im

prov

emen

t of s

oil c

ondi

tions

an

d qu

ality

afte

r dec

ades

of d

eple

tion

from

suga

r can

e pr

oduc

tion.

Th

e da

iry

indu

stry

in H

awai

i has

bee

n in

a st

eady

dec

line

in th

e pa

st 3

0 ye

ars w

ith o

nly

two

curr

ently

ope

ratin

g. T

his i

ndus

try

is a

cri

tical

nee

d fo

r our

stat

e an

d pl

ays a

vita

l rol

e in

the

futu

re o

f foo

d su

stai

nabi

lity

in H

awai

i. Fo

r the

se re

ason

s, H

CC is

supp

ortiv

e of

the

Haw

aii

Dai

ry F

arm

s DEI

S an

d th

e fu

ture

of t

he d

airy

indu

stry

in H

awai

i. Si

ncer

ely,

Pr

esid

ent

Man

agin

g D

irec

tor

January 3, 20

17 Mr. Da

le Sandlin

Managing Dir

ector Hawai‘

i Cattlemen’s C

ouncil P.O. Bo

x 437199

Kamuela, Haw

ai‘i 96743

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

Respon

se to Comment

on Draft EIS

Dear Mr. Dale

Sandlin: letter d

ated July 21,

2016 regardin

g Hawai‘i

Dairy Farms

(HDF) Draft E

ISF EIS.

Final EIS.

Farms”

: .

Sincere

ly,

Jeffrey H. Ove

rton, AICP,

Princip

al Planner

cc: Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Hawa

Envi

ronmental Pla

nning Office

January 3, 20

17 Ms. Lau

rie Ho Preside

nt Kaua‘i

County Farm B

ureau P.O. Bo

x 3895

Lhu‘e, Kaua‘i

, Hawai‘i 9676

6-6895

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

Mhulep, K

loa District, K

aua‘i, Hawai‘i

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

s. Laurie Ho:

Thank you for

your letter d

ated July 20,

2016 regardin

g the Hawai‘i

Dairy Farms

(HDF) Draft E

IS. We acknow

ledge your com

ments in supp

ort of the HDF

EIS. Your c

omment, along

with this res

ponse, will be

come part of t

he public reco

rd and

will be publis

hed in the Fin

al EIS. A copy

of the Final E

IS is included

on a compac

t disc w

ith this letter.

When publis

hed, the Final

EIS will be a

vailable on th

e OEQC

website whic

h you can acc

ess using the

following URL

, and search “

Hawaii Dairy

Farms”

: http://tinyur

l.com/OEQCKA

UAI. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly, GROUP

70 INTERNAT

IONAL, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

July

22 ,

201

6 Al

oha,

Th

e K

auai

Cha

mbe

r of C

omm

erce

sub

mits

this

lette

r in

supp

ort o

f Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms

and

its

draf

t Env

ironm

enta

l Im

pact

Sta

tem

ent (

DEI

S).

Th

e C

ham

ber h

as b

een

in c

ontin

uous

con

tact

with

repr

esen

tativ

es fr

om H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s

for m

ore

than

two

year

s. T

hey

have

pro

vide

d us

with

farm

tour

s an

d in

form

atio

n, a

nd h

ave

an

swer

ed a

ll of

our

que

stio

ns. I

n ou

r exp

erie

nce,

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms

has

been

an

open

, co

nsci

entio

us c

ompa

ny th

at c

ares

abo

ut b

eing

a re

spon

sibl

e an

d co

ntrib

utin

g m

embe

r of t

he

Kaua

i bus

ines

s co

mm

unity

.

The

Cha

mbe

r app

reci

ates

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms’

willi

ngne

ss to

con

duct

a v

olun

tary

EIS

, and

we

ar

e pl

ease

d w

ith th

e D

EIS

findi

ngs.

Fro

m a

n ec

onom

ic s

tand

poin

t, th

e D

EIS

exp

lain

s th

at

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms

will:

D

iver

sify

Kau

ai’s

agr

icul

ture

indu

stry

and

pro

vide

the

first

larg

e-sc

ale

com

mer

cial

use

of

Impo

rtant

Agr

icul

tura

l Lan

ds o

n th

e G

arde

n Is

land

.

R

evita

lize

the

dairy

indu

stry

by

incr

easi

ng lo

cal m

ilk p

rodu

ctio

n by

50%

and

ther

eby

in

crea

sing

Haw

aii’s

food

sec

urity

.

Ope

rate

usi

ng a

pas

ture

-bas

ed m

odel

that

pro

vide

s co

ws

with

a 7

0% g

rass

die

t. T

his

pa

stur

e-ba

sed

mod

el is

mor

e su

stai

nabl

e th

an tr

aditi

onal

feed

lot d

airie

s of

Kau

ai’s

pas

t.

Cre

ate

up to

28

oper

atio

nal j

obs

as w

ell a

s co

nstru

ctio

n jo

bs a

nd lo

cal s

uppl

ier

oppo

rtuni

ties.

Cre

ate

$6 m

illion

to $

9 m

illion

in a

nnua

l ope

ratin

g ex

pend

iture

s, p

rovi

ding

net

tax

R

even

ues

to C

ount

y an

d St

ate

gove

rnm

ents

.

Util

ize

near

by K

auai

ranc

hers

to m

anag

e of

f-site

her

d m

anag

emen

t, th

ereb

y bo

ostin

g

reve

nues

for t

hese

com

pani

es.

Pr

ovid

e th

e op

portu

nity

in th

e fu

ture

for l

ocal

pro

duct

ion

of v

alue

-add

ed d

airy

pro

duct

s,

such

as

yogu

rt, b

utte

r, ch

eese

, ice

cre

am, e

tc.,

as w

ell a

s th

e po

tent

ial f

or a

grito

uris

m.

Ser

ving

Kau

ai's

div

erse

bus

ines

s c o

mm

unity

sin

ce 1

913,

the

Kaua

i Cha

mbe

r of C

omm

erce

bo

asts

an

activ

e m

embe

rshi

p of

mor

e th

an 6

50 b

usin

essp

eopl

e re

pres

entin

g 45

0 co

mpa

nies

.

Our

mis

sion

is “t

o pr

omot

e, d

evel

op a

nd im

prov

e co

mm

erce

, qua

lity

grow

th a

nd e

cono

mic

st

abilit

y in

the

Cou

nty

of K

auai

.” H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ p

astu

re-b

ased

dai

ry is

alig

ned

with

our

m

issi

on, a

nd w

e su

ppor

t its

pla

ns a

nd D

EIS

. M

ahal

o ,

M

ark

Perr

iello

Pr

esid

ent &

CEO

January 3, 20

17 Mr. Ma

rk Perriello

President & CE

O Kaua‘i

Chamber of Co

mmerce

P.O. Box 1969

, Kaua‘i

, Hawai‘i 9676

6 Su

bjec

t: Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Final Environ

mental Impac

t Statement (EI

S)

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

r. Mark Perrie

llo: Thank

you for your l

etter dated Ju

ly 22, 2016 r

egarding the H

awai‘i Dairy F

arms (HDF)

Draft EIS. We

acknowledge y

our comments

in support of t

he HDF EIS.

Your commen

t, along with t

his response,

will become p

art of the pub

lic record and

will be

published in

the Final EIS.

A copy of the

Final EIS is in

cluded on a c

ompact

disc with this

letter. When

published, th

e Final EIS w

ill be availabl

e on the OEQC

Farms”

: http://tinyur

l.com/OEQCKA

UAI. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly, GROUP

70 INTERNAT

IONAL, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

January 3, 20

17 Mr. Go

rdon LaBedz

Chair

P.O. Box 819

Waimea, Haw

ai‘i 96796

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

District, Kaua

‘i, Hawai‘i

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

r. LaBedz:

Thank you for

your input d

ated July 16,

2016 on the H

awai‘i Dairy F

arms (HDF)

Draft EIS. The

following res

ponses are off

ered to your c

omments.

Dairy Herd Siz

e HDF is

committed t

o establishin

g a herd of

up to 699 m

ature dairy c

ows to

demonstrate

the pasture-b

ased system

as an econom

ically and env

ironmentally

sustainable m

odel for Hawa

i‘i. Precision a

gricultural tech

nology that m

onitors cows’

health, grass

productivity,

and effluen

t managemen

t will be use

d to ensure

environmental

health and sa

fety, as well a

s best manag

ement practic

es, and help

determine the

ultimate carr

ying capacity

of the land. W

ith proven su

ccess at a her

d size of

699, HDF will c

ontemplate the

possibility of

expanding the

herd in the fut

ure. For da

iry operation

s with 700 o

r more matur

e dairy cows,

regardless i

f the operat

ion is feedlot

or pasture-ba

sed, additiona

l regulatory r

eview and pe

rmitting

by the State D

epartment of H

ealth would be

required. The

application p

rocess for a

National Poll

utant Discharg

e Elimination

System (NPD

ES) Concentra

ted Animal

Feeding Oper

ation (CAFO)

permit includ

es public not

ification and

input. At the

discret

ion of HDF, m

anagement ma

y choose to s

ubmit an app

lication to exp

and operat

ions up to the

carrying cap

acity of the la

nd, which is e

stimated to be

up to 2,000 p

roductive mil

king dairy cow

s. Permit proc

ess compliance

would be foll

owed at such

time HDF may

decide to pur

sue an expand

ed operation.

Waiopi

li Ditch

Complaints fro

m the public

citing the high

levels of ente

rococcus in W

aiopili Ditch

and public

Department o

f Health (DOH

) Clean Water

Branch (CW

B) to conduct

a “Sanitary

sub-watershe

d and the adj

acent Waikomo

watersheds.

DOH CWB con

ducted water

sampling with

in the Waiopili

Ditch and area

s upstream,

and initiated a

series of inve

stigations into

water quality

issues. The Sa

nitary Survey

finding

s resulted in

an expression

of concern b

y DOH CWB

that the num

ber of injectio

n wells and ce

sspools in the

adjacent Wai

komo watershe

d, which inclu

des

Mr.

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 2

of 3

The Part 1 Sa

nitary Survey

found no sig

nificant impa

ct to the ditc

h from any a

ctivity that co

uld be

attributed to

the dairy. Fer

al animal wast

e, decaying or

ganic debris a

nd inputs fro

m existing ag

ricultural

operations m

ay all be contr

ibuting factor

s to the fecal

indicator bac

teria (FIB) lev

els in ditches

running

-made drainag

e ditch on pr

ivate proper

ty, and is not

an inviting re

creational bod

y of water util

ized by people

. Further testi

ng is needed

to more c

learly identify

whether the

source(s) of F

IB is human or

animals, and

DOH CWB ha

s partnered w

ith a Unive

rsity of Califor

nia laboratory

to more defin

itively determ

ine the source

of the fecal co

ntamination in

Waiopi

li Ditch. Resul

ts will be pub

lished as Part

2 of the Waio

pili Ditch Sani

tary Survey. T

he Waiop

ili D

itch

Sani

tary

Sur

vey,

Kau

ai P

art

1 can be acces

sed on the DO

H Clean Wate

r Branch web

site under “Li

brary” (http:/

/health.hawaii

.gov/cwb).

Nearshore Ma

rine Environm

ent The E

IS documents

the existin

g conditions

of the nears

hore marine

environment,

including a

characterizati

on of the bio

tic environme

nt where wat

er flows to th

e ocean thro

ugh Waiopili

Ditch. Compa

ring the chara

cterization of

nutrients and

biological co

nstituents fro

m surface wa

ter samples to

those w

ater samples

taken in the n

earshore mar

ine area revea

l that indicato

r bacteria wer

e substantially

lower

in the ocean

than in the di

tch. The rapid

decrease is a

result of phy

sical mixing o

f water masse

s. Water

sampling resu

lts show that

elevated level

s of indicator b

acteria do not

extend beyon

d the shorelin

e. See EIS

Section 4.17.3

Nearshor

e M

arin

e W

ater

s, and Appendi

x F. To add

ress the comm

ents to the D

raft EIS, HDF

engaged MR

CI to survey

the marine bi

otic communi

ty structu

re and provi

de baseline d

ocumentation

of existing

conditions. T

he typical w

eather and se

a conditi

ons in the are

a are characte

rized as a hig

h energy env

ironment due

to frequent

tradewinds an

d long-pe

riod ocean sw

ell, which rap

idly mix the w

ater column. T

his translates

to rough wat

er conditions

considered da

ngerous for h

uman recreati

on except duri

ng periods of

exceptionally

calm wind and

waves.

The survey w

as conducted

during such a

period in No

vember 2016

, to allow for

safety as we

ll as for

visibility with

in the water.

The open coa

stal exposure

to long-perio

d south swells

and tradewin

d-generated s

eas are reflect

ed in the

survey finding

s. There is ess

entially no bio

tic community

structure in th

e areas where

the ditch wat

er flow

meets the oce

an. A semi-em

bayment crea

ted seaward o

f a submerged

basaltic shelf

is bounded b

y distinct

shallow dikes

that focus wa

ve energy. W

ithin the centr

al area of this

semi-embaym

ent are expan

sive sand

flats. Biotopes

– areas of u

niform enviro

nmental cond

itions that pr

ovide a livin

g place for a

specific

assemblage of

plants and an

imals - were d

ocumented an

d described fo

r the area in

a marine

biotic assessm

ent report and

included in th

e Final EIS.

The hardy pio

neering coral

Poci

llopo

ra m

eand

rina

occurs throu

ghout the ne

arshore zone

with a hard

bottom

. Areas with a

hard bottom

and sheltered

from wave eff

ects had a 10-

to 20-percent

cover consisti

ng of addi

tional common

coral species

(Porites l

obat

a and P. compr

essa

, and Mon

tipor

a pa

tula

and M. c

apita

te).

A well-establi

shed coral com

munity was id

entified in a sm

all area shelte

red from dest

ructive waves

by a protect

ive lava extru

sion approxim

ately 0.3 mile

s south of the

ditch terminus

. The corals w

ithin this area

are com

posed of the

most common

components o

f most Hawa

iian reefs. Du

e to the dista

nce from the

discharge poin

t (approximat

ely 2,000 feet

, or 0.3 mile),

nutrient or bio

logical inputs

from the ditch

would

be diluted to b

ackground ma

rine levels and

create no imp

act. Based on

results of the

marine biotic

survey

and indication of

any condition

s associated w

ith HDF that

could lead to

deleterious e

ffects to cora

l reef commu

nities.

Mr.

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 3

of 3

Long-term oce

an water qual

ity monitoring

has been initi

ated to provid

e a baseline fo

r the nearsho

re ocean

waters. HDF w

ill regularly sa

mple and ana

lyze nutrient a

nd chemical c

onstituent lev

els in the nea

r-shore

marine enviro

nment. Data f

rom the nears

hore water m

onitoring pro

gram will be m

ade available

to the

will allow for

evaluation of

possible

contamination

sources.

Your comment

, along with th

is response, w

ill become par

t of the public

record and w

ill be publishe

d in the

Final EIS. A co

py of the Fina

l EIS is includ

ed on a compa

ct disc with th

is letter. Whe

n published, t

he Final

EIS will be a

vailable on th

e OEQC websi

te which you

can access u

sing the follo

wing URL, an

d search

http://tinyurl

.com/OEQCKA

UAI. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly, GROUP

70 INTERNAT

IONAL, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

1

Ju

ly 2

5, 2

016

Laur

a M

cInt

yre

Stat

e of

Haw

aii,

Dep

artm

ent o

f Hea

lth

Envi

ronm

enta

l Pla

nnin

g O

ffice

91

9 Al

a M

oana

Blv

d., R

oom

312

H

onol

ulu,

HI 9

6814

do

h.ep

o@do

h.ha

wai

i.gov

Je

ff O

verto

n G

roup

70

Inte

rnat

iona

l 92

5 Be

thel

St.,

5th

Flo

or

Hon

olul

u, H

I 968

13

HD

F@G

roup

70in

t.com

Su

bmitt

ed v

ia E

-mai

l to

all p

artie

s.

Subj

ect:

Con

sulte

d Pa

rty

Com

men

ts o

n D

raft

Envi

ronm

enta

l Im

pact

Sta

tem

ent (

DEI

S) fo

r H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

Dea

r Ms.

McI

ntyr

e an

d M

r. O

verto

n,

On

beha

lf of

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu,

I w

ould

like

to th

ank

you

for t

he o

ppor

tuni

ty to

com

men

t on

the

Dra

ft En

viro

nmen

tal I

mpa

ct S

tate

men

t (D

EIS)

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ p

ropo

sed

dairy

op

erat

ion.

O

bjec

tives

: Th

e D

EIS

augm

ents

the

HD

F pr

ojec

t pur

pose

(to

“est

ablis

h a

sust

aina

ble,

pas

tora

l rot

atio

n gr

azin

g da

iry fa

rm th

at w

ill in

crea

se c

urre

nt lo

cal m

ilk p

rodu

ctio

n, e

tc.”p

.1-3

) with

eig

ht p

roje

ct

obje

ctiv

es a

nd fo

ur e

valu

atio

n cr

iteria

. Pu

rpos

e #2

sta

tes

“app

ly p

rove

n, s

usta

inab

le p

asto

ral r

otat

ion

graz

ing

syst

em a

nd

stat

e-of

-the-

art t

echn

olog

y to

redu

ce re

lianc

e on

cos

tly im

porte

d fe

rtiliz

er a

nd fe

ed.”

This

mod

el

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

2

of d

airy

ope

ratio

n m

ay b

e “p

rove

n so

mew

here

in th

e na

tion

or w

orld

.” If

so, w

here

? Ex

ampl

es o

f th

is k

ind

of te

chno

logi

cal d

airy

ing

shou

ld b

e ci

ted

in th

e D

EIS,

esp

ecia

lly w

hen

the

past

oral

N

ew Z

eala

nd-b

ased

mod

el h

as b

een

prov

ed to

be

flaw

ed th

roug

h th

e co

untry

, acc

ordi

ng to

the

New

Zea

land

Min

istry

of H

ealth

. Pu

rpos

e #

8 is

to “p

rote

ct a

nd e

nhan

ce th

e ar

eaʻs

nat

ural

, cul

tura

l, so

cial

and

eco

nom

ic

envi

ronm

ent t

hrou

gh s

ound

agr

icul

tura

l pla

nnin

g, p

rese

rvat

ion

of o

pen

spac

e an

d se

nsiti

ve

reso

urce

s, a

nd d

evel

opm

ent o

f eco

nom

ic b

enef

it. “

N

othi

ng in

the

DEI

S de

mon

stra

tes

how

the

areaʻs

nat

ural

and

cul

tura

l env

ironm

ent w

ill be

en

hanc

ed b

y th

e pr

ojec

t. O

verv

iew

of t

he P

ropo

sed

Proj

ect:

The

Ove

rvie

w o

f the

Pro

pose

d Pr

ojec

t (p.

1-4)

say

s “p

ossi

ble

expa

nsio

n of

the

herd

up

to 2

000

mat

ure

milk

ing

cow

s, fo

llow

ing

the

prov

en s

ucce

ss o

f the

rota

tion

graz

ing

syst

em fo

r loc

al m

ilk

prod

uctio

n an

d be

tter u

nder

stan

ding

the

pote

ntia

l car

ryin

g ca

paci

ty o

f the

pas

ture

.” H

ow w

ill th

e ca

rryin

g ca

paci

ty a

nd s

ucce

ss o

f the

pro

ject

be

defin

ed a

nd q

uant

ified

/mea

sure

d?

The

Hyd

rolo

gica

l Ass

essm

ent f

or P

astu

re A

reas

(Vol

2. A

ppen

dix

K, G

roup

70)

sta

tes

that

“HD

F m

anag

emen

t may

cho

ose

to e

xpan

d op

erat

ions

up

to th

e ca

rryin

g ca

paci

ty o

f the

land

, whi

ch is

cu

rrent

ly e

stim

ated

to b

e up

to 2

,000

pro

duct

ive

milk

ing

dairy

cow

s. “

(p, 6

94-6

95)

How

was

this

“est

imat

ed” c

apac

ity d

eriv

ed?

In a

dditi

on, a

car

ryin

g ca

paci

ty w

ithin

the

dairy

bo

unda

ry is

not

the

sam

e as

car

ryin

g ca

paci

ty o

f the

are

aʻs

surro

undi

ng la

nd a

nd w

ater

s. G

rass

m

ight

be

grow

ing

with

ade

quat

e yi

eld

to fe

ed a

dditi

onal

cow

s, b

ut th

e nu

trien

t loa

ds in

sur

face

w

ater

s m

ight

be

exce

edin

g le

vels

that

are

ben

ign

to m

arin

e re

sour

ces.

U

nres

olve

d Is

sues

: “R

esol

utio

n of

the

Dai

ry S

ize”

mus

t dep

end

on m

ore

than

gra

ss y

ield

and

milk

pro

duct

ion

leve

ls.

The

DEI

S re

cogn

izes

the

prev

entio

n of

neg

ativ

e en

viro

nmen

tal i

mpa

cts

such

as

fly in

fest

atio

ns

and

dim

inis

hed

air q

ualit

y, in

clud

ing

man

ure

and

urin

e sm

ells

. Th

ese

fact

ors

have

to b

e in

clud

ed a

s na

tura

l sys

tem

indi

cato

rs o

f the

“car

ryin

g ca

paci

ty” o

f the

land

. G

roun

dwat

er R

esou

rces

: Th

e D

EIS

docu

men

ts s

tate

that

ther

e ar

e tw

o di

stin

ct b

odie

s of

gro

undw

ater

loca

ted

unde

r the

pr

opos

ed H

DF

site

. The

firs

t is

a sh

allo

w a

quife

r res

idin

g in

the

allu

vium

that

fills

the

valle

y flo

or,

and

the

seco

nd is

a d

eep

aqui

fer i

n un

wea

ther

ed v

olca

nic

rock

. Sev

eral

test

s al

ong

with

as

soci

ated

ana

lyse

s w

ere

perfo

rmed

to d

eter

min

e th

at th

ese

two

grou

ndw

ater

bod

ies

are

not

hydr

olog

ical

ly c

onne

cted

, mea

ning

that

wat

er d

oes

not m

ove

freel

y fro

m th

e sh

allo

w a

quife

r to

the

deep

aqu

ifer.

Mat

t Ros

ener

, prin

cipa

l of N

orth

Sho

re H

ydro

logi

cal S

ervi

ces

revi

ewed

the

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

3

info

rmat

ion

pres

ente

d to

reac

h th

is d

eter

min

atio

n an

d co

ncur

with

the

inte

rpre

tatio

n th

at th

e 2

wat

er b

odie

s ar

e se

para

te, a

nd le

achi

ng o

f pol

luta

nts

to th

e de

ep a

quife

r is

not l

ikel

y du

e to

the

pres

ence

of l

ow-p

erm

eabi

lity

laye

rs th

at a

ct a

s an

aqu

iclu

de.

The

DEI

S st

ates

that

som

e gr

ound

wat

er d

isch

arge

to th

e de

ep d

rain

age

ditc

hes

loca

ted

near

m

onito

ring

wel

ls H

DF-

1 an

d H

DF-

2 w

ill oc

cur a

s th

e w

ater

tabl

e is

rela

tivel

y cl

ose

to th

e w

ater

ta

ble

in th

is a

rea.

The

doc

umen

t als

o st

ates

that

gro

undw

ater

dis

char

ge to

the

drai

nage

ditc

hes

is n

ot e

xpec

ted

in th

e lo

wer

par

t of t

he H

DF

prop

erty

(nea

r HD

F-3

and

HD

F-4

mon

itorin

g w

ells

). It

shou

ld b

e no

ted,

how

ever

, tha

t dur

ing

a ve

ry w

et m

onito

ring

perio

d in

Nov

embe

r 201

5 th

e w

ater

leve

l in

the

HD

F-3

wel

l pea

ked

at 5

6.7

feet

(MSL

) whi

le th

e gr

ound

ele

vatio

n at

this

wel

l si

te is

onl

y 57

feet

(MSL

), m

eani

ng th

e w

ater

tabl

e w

as e

ssen

tially

at t

he g

roun

d su

rface

(i.e

. sa

tura

tion)

. It i

s un

clea

r why

dra

inag

e of

gro

undw

ater

into

the

ditc

hes

runn

ing

thro

ugh

the

low

er

porti

on o

f the

HD

F si

te w

ould

not

occ

ur d

urin

g th

ese

com

mon

ly o

ccur

ing

cond

ition

s. T

he

prop

osed

pum

ping

rate

of a

ppro

xim

atel

y 30

,000

GPD

from

the

priv

ate

Wel

l 14

loca

ted

on th

e pr

opos

ed d

airy

site

doe

s no

t see

m p

robl

emat

ic a

s th

e pu

mp

was

pro

duci

ng u

p to

3 M

GD

bef

ore

the

Kolo

a Su

gar M

ill cl

osed

, effe

ctiv

ely

endi

ng th

e su

gar p

lant

atio

n er

a at

Mah

a`ul

epu.

Su

rfac

e W

ater

Res

ourc

es a

nd N

ears

hore

Mar

ine

Envi

ronm

ent:

Wat

er q

ualit

y te

stin

g in

the

area

of t

he p

ropo

sed

HD

F da

iry s

how

ed th

at a

gric

ultu

ral d

itche

s an

d in

term

itten

t stre

ams

in th

is w

ater

shed

exp

erie

nce

chro

nica

lly d

egra

ded

cond

ition

s fo

r nut

rient

s an

d pa

thog

ens,

bot

h po

lluta

nts

that

are

ass

ocia

ted

with

ani

mal

was

te (a

s w

ell a

s ot

her s

ourc

es).

The

rece

nt D

OH

San

itary

Sur

vey

docu

men

ted

high

leve

ls o

f Ent

eroc

occo

us a

nd C

lost

rudi

um

Perfr

inge

ns (C

P) fe

cal i

ndic

ator

bac

teria

(FIB

) in

Wai

opili

Ditc

h se

dim

ents

. Add

ition

al w

ater

qu

ality

test

ing

for t

he D

EIS

perfo

rmed

by

Mar

ine

Res

ourc

e C

onsu

ltant

s, In

c. (M

RC

I) sh

owed

th

at F

IB c

ount

s w

ere

gene

rally

hig

h at

mos

t sur

face

wat

er s

ampl

ing

site

s in

the

wat

ersh

ed b

ut

varia

ble

betw

een

sam

plin

g si

tes

and

sam

plin

g pe

riods

. A m

ore

deta

iled

wat

er q

ualit

y ev

alua

tion

for s

urfa

ce w

ater

s in

the

HD

F si

te a

rea

was

incl

uded

in th

e D

EIS

in A

ppen

dix

F. N

othi

ng re

ally

st

ood

out i

n th

is s

ectio

n ot

her t

han

the

gene

ral o

bser

vatio

n th

at e

xist

ing

surfa

ce w

ater

qua

lity

is

obvi

ousl

y al

read

y de

grad

ed in

the

Mah

a`ul

epu

wat

ersh

ed to

an

exte

nt a

nd H

DF

is p

ropo

sing

an

inte

nsiv

e la

nd-u

se o

n ap

prox

imat

ely

20%

of t

he w

ater

shed

are

a th

at is

alre

ady

know

n fo

r its

w

ater

pol

lutio

n po

tent

ial.

Mar

ine

wat

er q

ualit

y te

stin

g w

as a

lso

perfo

rmed

by

MR

CI a

long

sev

eral

tran

sect

s ex

tend

ing

from

the

shor

elin

e at

Māhā‘

ulepū

to ro

ughl

y 20

0 m

eter

s of

fsho

re. B

ecau

se w

ater

che

mis

try

anal

yses

sho

wed

onl

y "s

mal

l ele

vatio

ns o

f ino

rgan

ic n

utrie

nts

at th

e sh

orel

ine"

, MR

CI

inte

rpre

ted

this

to m

ean

that

not

muc

h gr

ound

wat

er is

bei

ng d

isch

arge

d al

ong

this

coa

stal

se

gmen

t in

gene

ral.

The

nota

ble

exce

ptio

n to

this

was

in T

rans

ect 3

, nea

r the

out

let o

f Wai

opili

St

ream

whe

re s

ever

al w

ater

qua

lity

para

met

ers

wer

e su

bsta

ntia

lly e

leva

ted

clos

e to

sho

re,

incl

udin

g di

ssol

ved

nutri

ents

, tur

bidi

ty, a

nd C

hlor

ophy

ll a.

The

se w

ere

inte

rpre

ted

to b

e th

e re

sult

of th

e st

ream

dis

char

ging

at t

his

poin

t and

not

gro

undw

ater

dis

char

ge w

hich

see

ms

reas

onab

le. S

teep

gra

dien

ts o

f nut

rient

con

cent

ratio

ns, s

alin

ity, a

nd tu

rbid

ity o

bser

ved

in m

arin

e w

ater

s ne

ar th

e W

aiop

ili St

ream

out

let l

ed th

e au

thor

s to

con

clud

e th

at, "

inpu

t fro

m d

itch

wat

er

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

4

is h

ighl

y re

stric

ted

in te

rms

of e

ffect

s to

the

mar

ine

envi

ronm

ent".

How

ever

, it s

houl

d be

not

ed

that

wat

er q

ualit

y sa

mpl

ing

for t

his

stud

y pr

esum

ably

did

not

occ

ur d

urin

g pe

riods

of h

igh

stre

amflo

w w

hen

the

impa

ct z

one

in n

ears

hore

mar

ine

wat

ers

wou

ld b

e ex

pect

ed to

be

muc

h la

rger

. Th

is s

ectio

n of

the

DEI

S do

es a

ckno

wle

dge

that

man

ure

coul

d ru

n of

f int

o dr

aina

ge d

itche

s,

even

with

the

pres

crib

ed 3

5-fo

ot b

uffe

r stri

ps in

stal

led

on b

oth

side

s of

all

wat

erw

ays

at th

e H

DF

site

. "M

anur

e pa

rticl

es th

at d

o no

t set

tle o

ut in

to th

e bu

ffer a

rea

coul

d be

car

ried

into

ditc

h w

ater

s an

d do

wns

tream

with

sto

rmw

ater

flow

s" (p

. 4-6

7). A

lso

ackn

owle

dged

is th

e po

tent

ial o

f el

evat

ed n

utrie

nt le

vels

in s

urfa

ce w

ater

s an

d gr

ound

wat

er d

ue to

the

prop

osed

dai

ry fa

rm.

"Incr

ease

s in

nut

rient

s as

a re

sult

of d

airy

est

ablis

hmen

t or o

pera

tions

can

info

rm m

odifi

catio

n of

th

e op

erat

ion'

s nu

trien

t man

agem

ent"

(p. 4

-66)

. C

onsi

sten

cy w

ith S

tate

of H

awai

‘i W

ater

Pol

icie

s:

This

sec

tion

esse

ntia

lly s

tate

s, w

ith v

ery

little

just

ifica

tion,

that

the

prop

osed

HD

F pr

ojec

t su

ppor

ts th

e St

ate'

s An

ti-de

grad

atio

n po

licy

(HAR

-11-

54-1

.1) f

or In

land

Wat

ers

(Cla

ss 1

and

2)

and

Mar

ine

Wat

ers

(Cla

ss A

). Th

ere

is n

o ac

know

ledg

emen

t of t

he li

kelih

ood

for f

urth

er w

ater

qu

ality

deg

rada

tion

to o

ccur

as

a re

sult

of th

is p

roje

ct. I

nste

ad, t

he D

EIS

lang

uage

reas

ons

that

du

ring

perio

ds o

f hea

vy ra

infa

ll an

d ru

noff,

the

dairy

's n

utrie

nt lo

sses

will

be d

ilute

d by

add

ition

al

stre

amflo

w. A

s th

e do

cum

ent s

tate

s re

peat

edly

, the

se a

re th

e tim

es w

hen

nutri

ents

and

oth

er

pollu

tant

s w

ill be

mob

ilized

from

the

dairy

farm

site

so

both

pol

luta

nt c

once

ntra

tions

and

load

s ar

e lik

ely

to in

crea

se d

urin

g th

ese

perio

ds, n

ot d

ecre

ase

thro

ugh

dilu

tion.

W

ith re

gard

to im

pact

s on

the

mar

ine

envi

ronm

ent,

the

DEI

S la

ngua

ge s

impl

y st

ates

that

, "T

here

will

be n

o su

bsta

ntia

l effe

cts

to m

arin

e w

ater

qua

lity

from

the

HD

F da

iry",

reas

onin

g th

at

vigo

rous

mix

ing

near

the

Wai

opili

Stre

am o

utle

t will

limit

wat

er q

ualit

y de

grad

atio

n. T

his

expl

anat

ion

is li

kely

bas

ed o

n th

e lim

ited

wat

er q

ualit

y da

ta c

olle

cted

in th

e ne

arsh

ore

perfo

rmed

fo

r thi

s st

udy.

Aga

in, i

t is

impr

obab

le th

at s

ampl

es a

nd/o

r dat

a w

ere

colle

cted

dur

ing

high

ra

infa

ll/ru

noff

even

ts w

hen

the

bulk

of t

he p

ollu

tant

load

s ar

e tra

nspo

rted

from

coa

stal

w

ater

shed

s to

the

mar

ine

envi

ronm

ent.

App

endi

x E

- Gro

undw

ater

and

Sur

face

Wat

er A

naly

ses:

It

is in

tere

stin

g th

at d

ata

pres

ente

d on

the

pres

ent w

ater

leve

ls in

Wel

l 14

(priv

ate)

and

the

Kolo

a F

wel

l (C

ount

y) a

re s

ever

al fe

et lo

wer

than

thei

r orig

inal

leve

ls. R

ecen

t mea

sure

men

ts

indi

cate

that

bot

h of

thes

e w

ells

hav

e st

atic

leve

ls b

etw

een

22-2

6 fe

et a

bove

sea

leve

l (M

SL),

whi

le th

eir o

rigin

al le

vels

at t

he ti

me

of in

stal

latio

n w

ere

30.0

feet

MSL

(Wel

l 14)

and

25.

9 fe

et

MSL

(Kol

oa F

Wel

l). T

he W

ell 1

4 ba

ttery

was

inst

alle

d in

192

8, a

nd th

e Ko

loa

F w

ell w

as

inst

alle

d in

199

8 so

the

peiz

omet

ric h

ead

for t

he d

eep

aqui

fer u

nder

lyin

g th

e H

DF

site

may

hav

e de

crea

sed

from

30.

0 fe

et in

192

8 to

25.

9 fe

et in

199

8 to

22-

26 fe

et to

day.

Thi

s is

n't m

ay n

ot b

e re

leva

nt to

the

eval

uatio

n, b

ut it

is n

otew

orth

y. A

lso

note

wor

thy

is th

e es

timat

ed h

ydra

ulic

gr

adie

nt o

f the

sha

llow

aqu

ifer w

ater

tabl

e, a

ppro

xim

atel

y 35

feet

per

mile

, whi

ch w

ould

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

5

prob

ably

resu

lt in

con

side

rabl

e gr

ound

wat

er m

ovem

ent u

nder

the

prop

osed

HD

F si

te if

the

allu

vial

soi

ls w

eren

't of

suc

h lo

w p

erm

eabi

lity.

Th

e re

port

iden

tifie

s 0.

8" o

f 24-

hour

rain

fall

as th

e th

resh

old

for r

unof

f pro

duct

ion

at th

e H

DF

site

, with

no

anal

ysis

pre

sent

ed to

sup

port

this

. Als

o, th

e re

port

pres

ents

som

e an

alys

is o

f the

30

-yea

r rai

nfal

l rec

ord

from

the

Mah

a`ul

epu

941.

1 ra

in g

age

loca

ted

near

the

proj

ect s

ite. T

he

resu

lts in

dica

te th

at d

aily

rain

fall

of 0

.8" o

ccur

s ap

prox

imat

ely

3% o

f the

tim

e, o

r 10

days

a y

ear

on a

vera

ge, i

n th

e pr

ojec

t are

a. T

he s

ame

anal

ysis

was

per

form

ed w

ith th

e sa

me

data

set a

nd

prod

uced

the

sam

e re

sults

. Not

e th

at th

e ra

infa

ll ev

ent d

epic

ted

in th

is re

port

on N

ovem

ber 2

3,

2015

as

5.95

inch

es a

t the

HD

F si

te w

as re

cord

ed a

s 4.

48 in

ches

at t

he M

aha`

ulep

u 94

1.1

rain

ga

ge s

tatio

n, a

nd th

is w

as th

e 11

th h

ighe

st d

aily

rain

fall

at th

is s

tatio

n in

ove

r 30

year

s of

re

cord

. Thi

s am

ount

of d

aily

rain

fall

is e

xcee

ded

only

0.1

5% o

f the

tim

e in

this

are

a.

In c

ontra

st to

the

use

of n

on-p

otab

le s

urfa

ce w

ater

pro

pose

d fo

r the

pro

ject

(ave

rage

of 1

.31

MG

D fr

om W

aitā

Res

ervo

ir), t

he p

otab

le w

ater

use

of 3

0,00

0 G

PD (f

rom

Wel

l 14)

see

ms

rela

tivel

y m

odes

t. Su

rface

wat

er fl

ows

mov

ing

thro

ugh

the

proj

ect s

ite a

re e

stim

ated

to b

e 7

times

larg

er th

an th

e am

ount

of g

roun

dwat

er m

ovin

g un

der t

he s

ite in

the

shal

low

aqu

ifer.

Cal

cula

tions

mad

e fo

r the

repo

rt re

sulte

d in

est

imat

es o

f ave

rage

sur

face

- and

gro

undw

ater

flow

ra

tes

leav

ing

the

mak

ai e

nd o

f the

HD

F si

te a

s 1.

81 M

GD

and

0.2

7 M

GD

, res

pect

ivel

y. O

f the

1.

81 M

GD

ave

rage

sur

face

wat

er fl

ow ra

te, r

ough

ly 0

.40

MG

D is

from

flat

land

s in

the

valle

y bo

ttom

, and

1.4

1 M

GD

is fr

om s

teep

land

s on

the

valle

y w

alls

. Of t

he 0

.40

MG

D o

f sur

face

w

ater

orig

inat

ing

from

the

flat l

ands

, app

roxi

mat

ely

0.31

MG

D is

sou

rced

from

the

557-

acre

HD

F fa

rm s

ite.

To e

xpan

d on

the

earli

er d

iscu

ssio

n re

gard

ing

nutri

ent l

oad

augm

enta

tion,

Mat

t Roe

sene

r, P.

E.,

perfo

rmed

com

puta

tions

usi

ng in

form

atio

n pr

ovid

ed in

App

endi

x E.

Bas

ed o

n th

e es

timat

es

pres

ente

d in

the

repo

rt fo

r N a

nd P

load

s ca

rried

in g

roun

dwat

er a

nd s

urfa

ce w

ater

as

wel

l as

the

proj

ecte

d ne

w N

and

P s

ubsi

dies

from

the

dairy

farm

, we

can

calc

ulat

e th

e ex

pect

ed

incr

ease

in n

utrie

nt lo

adin

g to

loca

l wat

erw

ays.

To

do th

is, t

he re

port

auth

or c

ompu

ted

the

tota

l N

and

P lo

ads

leav

ing

the

HD

F si

te a

t the

mak

ai b

ound

ary

base

d on

sev

eral

ass

umpt

ions

abo

ut

grou

ndw

ater

flow

, rai

nfal

l, ru

noff,

and

nut

rient

con

cent

ratio

ns in

sur

face

- and

gro

undw

ater

. His

ap

proa

ch w

as to

est

imat

e to

tal n

utrie

nt lo

ads

mov

ing

dow

nstre

am fr

om th

e H

DF

prop

erty

, the

n co

mpa

re th

em to

the

new

N a

nd P

sub

sidi

es. W

hile

this

app

roac

h is

def

ensi

ble

and

resu

lts in

us

eful

info

rmat

ion,

ther

e w

as n

o pr

esen

tatio

n of

the

incr

ease

in n

utrie

nt lo

adin

g fro

m th

e H

DF

prop

erty

alo

ne..

The

anal

ysis

pre

sent

ed in

the

repo

rt in

clud

ed s

urfa

ce- a

nd g

roun

dwat

er fl

ows

from

the

upst

ream

wat

ersh

ed a

rea

that

dra

ins

thro

ugh

the

HD

F si

te w

hich

resu

lted

in e

stim

ates

of

6.6

- and

8.4

-fold

incr

ease

s in

N a

nd P

, res

pect

ivel

y, le

avin

g th

e m

akai

bor

der o

f the

HD

F si

te.

By s

ubtra

ctin

g th

e flo

ws

and

nutri

ent c

ontri

butio

ns fr

om th

e w

ater

shed

are

a ou

tsid

e th

e H

DF

boun

dary

, the

ana

lysi

s re

sults

in 2

0-fo

ld in

crea

ses

(200

0%) i

n bo

th N

and

P lo

adin

g fro

m th

e H

DF

site

onl

y co

mpa

red

to e

xist

ing

cond

ition

s.

App

endi

x F

- Sur

face

Wat

er Q

ualit

y an

d M

arin

e A

sses

smen

t:

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

6

Res

ults

of t

he s

urfa

ce w

ater

che

mis

try te

stin

g sh

owed

that

spa

tial d

istri

butio

n of

dis

solv

ed

nutri

ent c

once

ntra

tions

ess

entia

lly d

ispl

ayed

the

sam

e tre

nds,

with

the

low

est v

alue

s in

the

farth

est u

plan

d (m

auka

) sam

ple

stat

ions

, ele

vate

d va

lues

in th

e m

iddl

e st

ream

/ditc

h re

ache

s w

ithin

the

HD

F si

te, a

nd s

omew

hat r

educ

ed v

alue

s in

the

low

er re

ache

s ne

ar th

e st

ream

mou

th

(but

not

as

low

as

leve

ls a

t the

mau

ka s

tatio

ns).

Incr

ease

s in

exi

stin

g nu

trien

t con

cent

ratio

ns

with

in th

e H

DF

site

wer

e at

tribu

ted

to le

acha

te "s

ubsi

dies

" fro

m o

ngoi

ng o

r prio

r lan

d us

e. T

he

auth

ors

reas

on th

at b

ecau

se n

utrie

nt v

alue

s ne

ar th

e st

ream

out

let a

re s

imila

r to

the

valu

es

mea

sure

d at

the

mau

ka s

tatio

ns, c

once

ntra

tions

at t

he m

akai

sta

tions

are

the

sam

e no

w a

s th

ey

wou

ld b

e w

ithou

t the

nut

rient

leac

hate

sub

sidy

from

the

HD

F si

te. T

his

defie

s lo

gic

as a

sim

ple

mas

s ba

lanc

e w

ould

sug

gest

that

if th

e su

bsid

y is

rem

oved

from

the

equa

tion,

dow

nstre

am

conc

entra

tions

sho

uld

be re

duce

d.

Spat

ial t

rend

s in

turb

idity

and

Chl

orop

hyll

a le

vels

wer

e ge

nera

lly s

imila

r to

thos

e de

scrib

ed

abov

e fo

r ino

rgan

ic n

utrie

nts

(i.e.

low

est a

t hig

hest

sta

tions

, ele

vate

d in

mid

dle

HD

F re

ach,

lo

wer

at l

owes

t sta

tions

). Th

e re

port

stat

es th

at th

ese

para

met

er v

alue

s re

turn

ed to

"bas

elin

e lo

w le

vels

" bel

ow th

e da

iry s

ite, b

ut d

ata

pres

ente

d in

the

repo

rt do

not

sup

port

this

sta

tem

ent.

The

spat

ial t

rend

obs

erve

d fo

r FIB

leve

ls w

as g

ener

ally

incr

easi

ng c

ount

s m

ovin

g cl

oser

to th

e sh

orel

ine.

Man

y of

the

FIB

sam

ples

yie

lded

ver

y hi

gh c

ount

s fo

r bot

h En

tero

cocc

ous

and

Clo

strid

ium

Per

fring

ens.

The

hig

her v

alue

s w

ere

som

e of

the

high

est R

osen

er o

bser

ved

anyw

here

. Bec

ause

of t

he n

otab

le a

bsen

ce o

f hum

an re

side

nce

in th

e w

ater

shed

, the

aut

hors

no

ted

that

it is

cle

ar th

at s

ourc

es o

ther

than

hum

an p

rese

ntly

con

tribu

te to

the

high

FIB

cou

nts

here

, man

y w

ell a

bove

the

leve

ls o

f DO

H W

ater

Qua

lity

Stan

dard

s, a

nd R

osen

er a

gree

s al

thou

gh n

ot w

ith th

e un

subs

tant

iate

d co

nclu

sion

that

"nat

ural

con

ditio

ns" i

s th

e ca

use.

M

arin

e w

ater

qua

lity

test

ing

alon

g fo

ur tr

anse

cts

runn

ing

perp

endi

cula

r to

the

coas

tline

was

als

o co

mpl

eted

. Not

able

resu

lts in

clud

e Tr

anse

ct 3

(sta

rting

nea

r Wai

opili

Stre

am m

outh

) exh

ibiti

ng

"sub

stan

tially

hig

her"

val

ues

for a

ll di

ssol

ved

nutri

ents

, tur

bidi

ty, a

nd C

hlor

ophy

ll at

the

5- m

eter

(o

ffsho

re) s

tatio

n co

mpa

red

to a

ll ot

her t

rans

ects

. Thi

s in

dica

tes

wat

er q

ualit

y de

grad

atio

n ne

ar

the

stre

am m

outh

whi

ch is

not

sur

pris

ing.

How

ever

, val

ues

of th

ese

para

met

ers

wer

e si

mila

r to

thos

e fro

m th

e ot

her t

rans

ects

at t

he 1

0-m

eter

(offs

hore

) sta

tion.

The

aut

hors

con

clud

ed th

at

rapi

d m

ixin

g in

the

near

shor

e zo

ne q

uick

ly b

rings

ele

vate

d po

lluta

nts

dow

n to

bac

kgro

und

leve

ls. W

hile

this

may

be

true

unde

r mos

t con

ditio

ns, i

t is

uncl

ear h

ow fa

r offs

hore

this

mix

ing

zone

ext

ends

dur

ing

the

area

’s fr

eque

nt h

eavy

rain

fall/

runo

ff ev

ents

whe

n th

e bu

lk o

f the

po

lluta

nt lo

ad is

exp

ecte

d to

be

mob

ilized

and

tran

spor

ted.

A

ppen

dix

K -

Hyd

rolo

gic

Ass

essm

ent:

Th

is re

port,

pro

duce

d by

Gro

up 7

0 fo

r HD

F, re

pres

ents

sta

ndar

d en

gine

erin

g/de

sign

hyd

rolo

gy

anal

yses

, and

not

hing

con

tain

ed in

it w

as s

urpr

isin

g or

exc

eptio

nal.

The

repo

rt es

sent

ially

lays

ou

t the

hyd

rolo

gic

desi

gn c

riter

ia fo

r var

ious

dra

inag

e in

frast

ruct

ure

and

cons

erva

tion

prac

tices

to

be

inst

alle

d an

d/or

mai

ntai

ned

at th

e pr

opos

ed H

DF

prop

erty

. Tra

ditio

nal d

esig

n hy

drol

ogy

equa

tions

and

mod

els

wer

e us

ed to

com

pute

des

ign

disc

harg

e va

lues

whi

ch a

re p

rese

nted

in

the

repo

rt. T

he S

CS

Cur

ve N

umbe

r met

hod

was

use

d to

sim

ulat

e de

sign

sto

rms,

pre

dict

ing

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

7

peak

runo

ff ra

tes

for v

ario

us s

torm

freq

uenc

ies

(2-y

ear t

hrou

gh 1

00-y

ear).

In c

ompa

ring

the

pre-

proj

ect a

nd p

ost-p

roje

ct h

ydro

logy

usi

ng th

is m

odel

, the

onl

y si

gnifi

cant

cha

nge

was

in th

e cu

rve

num

ber v

alue

to re

flect

a c

hang

e fro

m p

astu

re g

rass

con

ditio

ns fr

om "f

air"

to "g

ood"

fo

llow

ing

dairy

est

ablis

hmen

t. W

hile

this

may

see

m li

ke a

reas

onab

le a

ssum

ptio

n, o

ne w

onde

rs

if to

wha

t ext

ent a

ny p

ossi

ble

impr

ovem

ents

in s

oil a

nd g

rass

con

ditio

ns re

aliz

ed fr

om th

e pr

opos

ed ir

rigat

ion

and

ferti

lizat

ion

sche

dule

will

be o

ffset

by

the

tram

plin

g ef

fect

of h

undr

eds

of

cow

s co

mpa

ctin

g so

ils a

nd g

ener

atin

g ru

noff.

Soi

l com

pact

ion

was

not

add

ress

ed in

any

of t

he

DEI

S se

ctio

ns o

r app

endi

ces

that

wer

e re

view

ed.

The

pred

icte

d po

st-p

roje

ct p

eak

flow

s le

avin

g th

e H

DF

site

rang

e fro

m 1

,723

cfs

for a

2-y

ear

flood

to 1

1,05

4 cf

s fo

r a 1

00-y

ear f

lood

. It i

s ha

rd to

imag

ine

the

drai

nage

ditc

hes

runn

ing

thro

ugh

the

HD

F si

te c

onta

inin

g ev

en th

e 2-

year

floo

d flo

w, a

nd g

iven

the

larg

e vo

lum

es o

f ru

noff

that

can

be

gene

rate

d at

this

site

, the

re is

con

cern

abo

ut th

e po

tent

ial f

or s

igni

fican

t no

n-po

int s

ourc

e po

llutio

n oc

curri

ng. A

lso

nota

ble

are

Figu

res

8 an

d 9

whi

ch s

how

a s

mal

l are

a in

the

uppe

r, ea

ster

n po

rtion

of t

he H

DF

past

ure

drai

ning

to a

reas

out

side

of t

he H

DF

site

to a

n un

nam

ed d

rain

age

ditc

h. M

ost o

f the

pas

ture

are

a ap

pear

s to

dra

in to

the

two

cent

ral d

rain

s th

at

run

thro

ugh

the

leng

th o

f the

farm

pro

perty

. So

ils:

Soils

hav

e be

en c

hara

cter

ized

app

ropr

iate

ly in

the

cont

ext o

f the

pro

pose

d ac

tion.

The

DEI

S ap

proa

ches

soi

l man

agem

ent t

hrou

gh th

e U

SDA

NR

CS’

fram

ewor

k of

soi

l hea

lth. R

egar

dles

s of

he

rd s

ize,

the

dairy

will

be d

epen

dent

on

com

mer

cial

ferti

lizer

s. T

his

docu

men

t sho

uld

clar

ify

wha

t sou

rces

of c

omm

erci

al fe

rtiliz

ers

will

be u

sed.

Slo

w-re

leas

e fe

rtiliz

ers,

like

com

post

, sho

uld

be u

sed

to m

inim

ize

the

risk

of n

itrog

en, p

hosp

horu

s, a

nd o

ther

nut

rient

loss

es. S

ynth

etic

ch

emic

al fe

rtiliz

ers

are

gene

rally

mor

e la

bile

, and

pos

e a

grea

ter r

isk

to b

eing

lost

mor

e re

adily

to

the

atm

osph

ere

and

wat

er.

In s

ectio

n 4.

1.2,

the

DEI

S cl

aim

s th

at th

e pr

opos

ed a

ctio

n an

d ex

pand

ed h

erd

will

not i

mpa

ct

clim

ate

cond

ition

s at

a re

gion

al o

r glo

bal s

cale

. Whi

le it

is te

chni

cally

true

that

one

dai

ry a

lone

w

ill no

t alte

r the

clim

ate,

it d

emon

stra

tes

a m

isgu

ided

und

erst

andi

ng o

f clim

ate

scie

nce.

In th

e sa

me

way

that

all

cars

, but

not

one

car

, con

tribu

tes

sign

ifica

ntly

to c

limat

e ch

ange

, a s

ingl

e fa

rm

can

cont

ribut

e to

clim

ate

chan

ge w

ithou

t bei

ng a

sin

gle,

larg

e so

urce

of g

reen

hous

e ga

s em

issi

ons.

The

pro

pose

d ac

tion

cont

ains

ele

men

ts th

at m

ay b

oth

cont

ribut

e to

clim

ate

chan

ge

(e.g

. ent

eric

met

hane

em

issi

ons,

ele

vate

d so

il ni

trous

oxi

de e

mis

sion

s) a

nd h

elp

miti

gate

cl

imat

e ch

ange

(e.g

. inc

reas

ing

soil

carb

on s

tora

ge).

Sinc

e hi

gh d

ensi

ty ro

tatio

nal g

razi

ng h

as

not b

een

rigor

ousl

y st

udie

d w

ith re

spec

t to

its c

limat

e im

pact

s, it

is u

nkno

wn

whe

ther

the

dairy

w

ill be

a n

et c

ontri

buto

r of o

r sol

utio

n to

clim

ate

chan

ge.

App

endi

x C

– H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s So

ils B

asel

ine

Nut

rient

Sta

tus:

So

il te

stin

g re

veal

ed tw

o im

porta

nt re

sults

: (1)

soi

l con

ditio

ns a

re h

ighl

y va

riabl

e in

spa

ce a

nd

(2) t

he s

oil i

n th

e pr

opos

ed p

roje

ct a

rea

is n

utrie

nt p

oor d

ue, i

n la

rge

part,

to a

his

tory

of

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

8

inte

nsiv

e su

garc

ane

prod

uctio

n. T

hese

resu

lts a

re u

nsur

pris

ing

but h

ave

impo

rtant

impl

icat

ions

to

futu

re m

anag

emen

t. It

is v

ery

likel

y th

at p

rope

r pas

ture

man

agem

ent w

ill im

prov

e so

il co

nditi

ons

thro

ugh

the

man

agem

ent o

f veg

etat

ion

and

man

ure

inpu

ts.

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms

unde

rwen

t tw

o ro

unds

of s

oil t

estin

g, o

nce

in 2

014

and

agai

n in

201

5. T

he

mor

e co

mpr

ehen

sive

test

ing

in 2

015

prov

ides

inva

luab

le b

asel

ine

data

on

soil

nutri

ents

that

can

be

use

d to

dev

elop

nut

rient

man

agem

ent p

lans

as

wel

l as

to c

ompa

re c

hang

es o

ver t

ime

with

fu

ture

soi

l tes

ting.

R

egul

ar s

oil t

estin

g is

ess

entia

l to

mak

e th

e be

st in

form

ed d

ecis

ions

abo

ut n

utrie

nt m

anag

emen

t an

d to

avo

id e

xces

s fe

rtiliz

er o

r man

ure

appl

icat

ion

that

cou

ld re

sult

in lo

sses

to th

e en

viro

nmen

t. W

hile

the

DEI

S em

phas

izes

the

impo

rtanc

e of

soi

l hea

lth, i

t doe

s no

t exp

licitl

y ou

tline

the

step

s th

at w

ill ta

ken

rout

inel

y be

take

n in

the

futu

re to

mon

itor s

oil n

utrie

nts.

The

au

thor

s of

App

endi

x C

not

e th

at th

e hy

drol

ogic

repo

rt (T

NR

WE

2016

) ide

ntifi

ed o

pera

ting

skills

of

the

HD

F pe

rson

nel a

s a

prim

ary

chal

leng

e to

man

agin

g nu

trien

ts, a

nd th

is p

oint

of c

autio

n sh

ould

be

take

n in

to c

onsi

dera

tion.

The

aut

hors

of A

ppen

dix

C a

lso

offe

r rec

omm

enda

tions

re

gard

ing

nutri

ent m

anag

emen

t if t

he p

ropo

sed

actio

n w

ere

to b

e im

plem

ente

d.

App

endi

x D

– N

utrie

nt B

alan

ce A

naly

sis:

W

aste

man

agem

ent p

lans

wer

e pr

epar

ed w

ith b

est a

vaila

ble

loca

l gui

delin

es fo

r liv

esto

ck w

aste

m

anag

emen

t. Th

e D

EIS

plan

is to

follo

w b

est n

utrie

nt m

anag

emen

t pra

ctic

es, i

nclu

ding

im

prov

ing

the

effic

ienc

y of

nut

rient

app

licat

ions

thro

ugh

prop

er ti

min

g, p

lace

men

t, am

ount

, and

ki

nd o

f fer

tiliz

ers.

As

a fra

mew

ork,

thes

e co

nsid

erat

ions

are

abs

olut

ely

criti

cal f

or m

inim

izin

g en

viro

nmen

tal r

isks

from

nut

rient

man

agem

ent.

The

DEI

S re

ports

the

first

app

roxi

mat

ion

of

nutri

ent m

ass

bala

nce,

and

pro

mis

es to

upd

ate

the

calc

ulat

ion

with

mea

sure

d da

ta a

nnua

lly.

Whe

n w

ill th

is a

nnua

l mea

sure

men

t be

take

n an

d ho

w w

ill th

e re

view

ing

agen

cy e

nsur

e th

at th

e pr

omis

e is

kep

t by

HD

F, y

ear o

ver y

ear?

R

oadw

ays

and

Traf

fic:

Whi

le th

ere

will

be m

inim

al im

pact

s to

pub

lic s

ervi

ce s

uch

as p

olic

e, fi

re, l

ibra

ries,

etc

. the

re w

ill be

sig

nific

ant i

mpa

cts

due

to in

crea

sed

truck

traf

fic fo

r raw

milk

tran

spor

t as

wel

l as

for c

alve

s an

d m

atur

e co

ws

leav

ing

and

retu

rnin

g to

the

herd

. Th

e in

crea

se in

veh

icul

ar tr

ips

is re

lativ

ely

smal

l, bu

t the

num

ber o

f lar

ge tr

uck

trips

to th

e ar

ea a

nd a

lso

usin

g St

ate

and

Cou

nty

road

s is

si

gnifi

cant

: 2 ro

und

trip

truck

trip

s da

ily to

and

from

offs

ite ra

nche

s; tw

o ro

und

trip

milk

del

iver

ies

daily

, 4-5

roun

d tri

p sa

nd a

nd fe

ed tr

uck

deliv

erie

s m

onth

ly, f

ertil

izer

onc

e pe

r mon

th a

nd tw

ice

wee

kly

milk

del

iver

ies

to b

arra

ges.

(p. 4

-100

) C

ultu

ral P

ract

ices

and

Res

ourc

es:

The

Cul

tura

l Ass

essm

ent w

as c

ondu

cted

by

Scie

ntifi

c C

onsu

ltant

s, In

c. (V

olum

e 2,

H)

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

9

Mis

take

s in

the

hist

ory

of th

e ar

ea in

clud

e C

apta

in C

ook’

s jo

urna

l ent

ry a

nd lo

g in

whi

ch h

e de

scrib

es e

ncou

nter

ing

nativ

es o

ff M

aha`

ulep

u th

e ev

enin

g be

fore

he

saile

d to

Wai

mea

whe

re

he w

as a

ble

to a

ncho

r and

land

- th

is is

not

acc

urat

e.

The

ahup

ua`a

of M

aha`

ulep

u w

as n

ot o

wne

d by

the

“Cro

wn”

unt

il it

was

sol

d to

Kol

oa

Plan

tatio

n. P

rince

ss V

icto

ria K

amam

alu

sold

it to

a H

ui o

f 49

nativ

e H

awai

ians

in 1

882

for

$10,

000.

Hui

mem

bers

’ sha

res

wer

e bo

ught

by

the

Plan

tatio

n an

d w

hen

2/3rd

wer

e ac

quire

d,

the

ahup

ua`a

was

par

titio

ned

with

the

rem

aini

ng n

ativ

e H

awai

ian

owne

rs h

oldi

ng la

nd o

utsi

de

the

valle

y, in

clud

ing

ridge

s an

d Aw

eow

eonu

i Val

ley

(Kau

a`i H

isto

rical

Soc

iety

Pap

er b

y R

ev.

John

Lyd

gate

). As

a g

roup

repr

esen

ting

Nat

ive

Haw

aiia

n in

tere

sts,

it is

dis

may

ing

that

no

publ

ic a

cces

s is

bei

ng

prov

ided

to s

ee, a

nd, f

or p

ract

ition

ers,

to u

tiliz

e, th

e na

tive

Haw

aiia

n ar

chae

olog

ical

site

s in

M

aha`

ulep

u Va

lley.

Eve

n ex

tend

ing

the

arch

aeol

ogic

al s

urve

y ar

ea o

nly

slig

htly

bey

ond

the

dairy

bou

ndar

ies

has

reve

aled

pet

rogl

yphs

and

an

agric

ultu

ral h

eiau

. O

ne o

f Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epuʻ

s go

als

has

been

to re

open

the

valle

y to

pas

t rec

reat

iona

l and

cu

ltura

l use

thro

ugh

man

aged

acc

ess

agre

emen

ts. H

opef

ully

, thi

s go

al is

stil

l atta

inab

le. A

ny

plan

s to

pro

vide

sch

ool t

ours

to th

e da

iry o

pera

tions

do

not b

alan

ce n

or m

itiga

te th

e lo

ss o

f fu

ture

acc

ess

to c

ultu

ral p

lace

s.

This

sec

tion

is m

eant

to b

e a

sum

mar

y of

the

Cul

tura

l Im

pact

Ass

essm

ent (

CIA

) con

tain

ed in

Ap

pend

ix H

. How

ever

, the

re is

no

such

sum

mar

y. In

stea

d, th

ere

is a

n ov

ervi

ew o

f the

Po

lyne

sian

set

tlem

ent i

n th

e H

awai

ian

Isla

nds

and

Kaua

i, in

form

atio

n th

at is

gen

eral

and

has

lit

tle to

do

with

Mah

a’ul

epu.

In a

ll of

two

page

s of

writ

ing,

ther

e is

app

roxi

mat

ely

one

shor

t pa

ragr

aph

of in

form

atio

n th

at is

rele

vant

to M

aha’

ulep

u. T

he s

umm

ary

shou

ld c

onta

in a

brie

f de

scrip

tion

of th

e C

IA in

clud

ing

wha

t a C

IA is

; how

man

y or

gani

zatio

ns a

nd in

divi

dual

s w

ere

cont

acte

d fo

r the

CIA

; how

man

y in

divi

dual

s an

d w

ho w

as in

terv

iew

ed fo

r the

CIA

; a b

rief

desc

riptio

n of

the

met

hodo

logy

of c

ondu

ctin

g th

e C

IA; a

des

crip

tion

of th

e cu

ltura

l pra

ctic

es,

cultu

ral s

ites,

etc

… id

entif

ied

durin

g th

e re

view

of p

rimar

y an

d se

cond

ary

sour

ces;

a li

st a

nd

desc

riptio

n of

the

cultu

ral p

ract

ices

, cul

tura

l site

s, e

tc…

iden

tifie

d du

ring

the

inte

rvie

w p

roce

ss;

and

an “a

naly

sis

of th

e po

tent

ial e

ffect

of a

ny p

ropo

sed

phys

ical

alte

ratio

n on

cul

tura

l res

ourc

es,

prac

tices

or b

elie

fs; t

he p

oten

tial o

f the

pro

pose

d ac

tion

to is

olat

e cu

ltura

l res

ourc

es, p

ract

ices

or

bel

iefs

from

thei

r set

ting;

and

the

pote

ntia

l of t

he p

ropo

sed

actio

n to

intro

duce

ele

men

ts

whi

ch m

ay a

lter t

he s

ettin

g in

whi

ch c

ultu

ral p

ract

ices

took

pla

ce.”

We

reco

mm

end

rew

ritin

g th

is s

ectio

n (p

p.4-

31-4

-32)

to c

lear

ly a

nd a

dequ

atel

y su

mm

ariz

e th

e w

ork

and

findi

ngs

of th

e C

ultu

ral I

mpa

ct A

sses

smen

t and

cor

rect

inac

cura

te in

form

atio

n.

Unf

ortu

nate

ly, t

he C

IA d

oes

not a

dequ

atel

y st

ate

its o

wn

findi

ngs

mak

ing

the

sum

mar

y fo

r the

D

EIS

diffi

cult.

Prob

able

Impa

cts

The

HD

F co

nsul

tant

iden

tifie

s tw

o im

pact

s re

late

d to

cul

tura

l pra

ctic

es a

nd re

sour

ces

in th

e C

IA.

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

10

●Is

olat

ion

of c

ultu

ral r

esou

rces

from

thei

r set

ting;

and

●

Intro

duct

ion

of e

lem

ents

that

may

alte

r the

set

ting

in w

hich

cul

tura

l pra

ctic

es ta

ke p

lace

.

Wha

t do

thes

e tw

o im

pact

s m

ean

in th

e co

ntex

t of t

he C

IA c

ondu

cted

? W

hen

listin

g th

e is

olat

ion

of c

ultu

ral r

esou

rces

from

thei

r set

ting,

is c

onsu

ltant

refe

rring

to a

cces

s is

sues

that

are

ex

pres

sed

repe

ated

ly d

urin

g in

terv

iew

s? W

hen

listin

g th

e in

trodu

ctio

n of

ele

men

ts, i

s co

nsul

tant

re

ferri

ng to

the

impa

ct o

f con

tam

inat

ed s

urfa

ce a

nd g

roun

dwat

er a

ffect

ing

sprin

gs, p

onds

, di

tche

s, re

efs,

and

mar

ine

reso

urce

s—al

l cul

tura

l site

s th

at d

irect

ly a

ffect

cul

tura

l pra

ctic

es?

We

reco

mm

end

that

the

anal

ysis

of c

ultu

ral i

mpa

cts

spea

k di

rect

ly to

the

issu

es a

nd c

once

rns

voic

ed w

ithin

the

CIA

. Alth

ough

the

cons

ulta

nt id

entif

ied

and

inte

rvie

wed

som

e kn

owle

dgea

ble

inte

rvie

wee

s, th

ey d

id n

ot a

dequ

atel

y id

entif

y an

d an

alyz

e th

e cu

ltura

l im

pact

s ex

pres

sed

by

thos

e co

mm

unity

mem

bers

.

We

reco

mm

end

expl

icitl

y lis

ting

all t

he c

ultu

ral i

mpa

cts

in th

e co

ntex

t of t

he C

IA c

ondu

cted

, in

clud

ing

acce

ss a

nd c

onta

min

ated

sur

face

and

gro

undw

ater

as

it im

pact

s st

ream

s, p

onds

, sp

rings

, ree

fs, a

nd m

arin

e re

sour

ces

Shor

t-Ter

m C

ultu

ral I

mpa

cts

This

sec

tion

corre

ctly

sta

tes

that

Mah

a’ul

epu

ahup

ua‘a

has

and

is c

urre

ntly

use

d fo

r tra

ditio

nal

cultu

ral p

urpo

ses,

that

the

proj

ect a

rea

is n

ot in

clud

ed in

thes

e cu

ltura

l act

iviti

es, a

nd th

at th

ere

are

no s

igni

fican

t cul

tura

l site

s in

this

are

a. H

owev

er, t

he E

IS fa

ils to

add

ress

the

mai

n is

sues

ex

pres

sed

in th

e C

IA w

hich

con

stitu

te b

oth

shor

t-ter

m a

nd lo

ng-te

rm im

pact

s. T

he fi

rst i

s ac

cess

. The

CIA

did

not

iden

tify

whi

ch a

re th

e ac

cess

poi

nts;

how

do

prac

titio

ners

acc

ess

the

back

of t

he v

alle

y, th

e pl

atea

u, th

e pe

trogl

yph

rock

? O

ne c

ultu

ral p

ract

ition

er c

omm

unic

ated

that

he

was

den

ied

acce

ss to

a h

eiau

bec

ause

of t

he le

ase

with

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms.

Thi

s is

a d

irect

im

ping

emen

t on

the

right

of a

Nat

ive

Haw

aiia

n to

free

ly p

ract

ice

his

cultu

re a

nd c

onst

itute

s an

in

dire

ct im

pact

. Tho

ugh

the

heia

u is

not

with

in th

e bo

unds

of t

he p

ropo

sed

dairy

, acc

ess

to th

e he

iau

was

den

ied

base

d on

a le

ase

to th

e da

iry.

We

reco

mm

end

spel

ling

out c

lear

ly th

e in

dire

ct c

ultu

ral i

mpa

cts

of th

e pr

opos

ed p

roje

ct s

uch

as

acce

ss. I

n ad

ditio

n, m

easu

res

to m

itiga

te e

ach

cultu

ral i

mpa

ct s

houl

d be

incl

uded

with

in th

is

sect

ion

of th

e EI

S.

Long

-Ter

m C

ultu

ral I

mpa

cts

Agai

n he

re, t

he D

EIS

fails

to d

efin

e w

hat t

he im

pact

s or

miti

gatio

n ar

e. T

he fi

rst p

arag

raph

st

ates

: “Th

e pe

rcep

tion

of m

ost c

omm

unity

mem

bers

inte

rvie

wed

was

that

the

dairy

may

hav

e in

dire

ct a

nd d

irect

neg

ativ

e im

pact

s on

the

envi

ronm

ent i

n th

e ar

ea.”

Ther

e is

no

effo

rt he

re to

lis

t the

indi

rect

or d

irect

neg

ativ

e im

pact

s th

at c

omm

unity

mem

bers

hav

e sh

ared

with

the

cons

ulta

nt. T

he o

bjec

tive

of th

e C

IA is

to id

entif

y if

ther

e co

uld

be c

ultu

ral i

mpa

cts

rela

ted

to th

e H

DF

proj

ect a

nd if

so,

wha

t the

y ar

e. R

eadi

ng th

roug

h th

e in

terv

iew

s in

the

CIA

, it i

s cl

ear t

hat

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

11

ther

e ar

e cu

ltura

l im

pact

s, h

owev

er n

eith

er th

e C

IA it

self

or th

e D

EIS

has

mad

e an

y ef

fort

to

clea

rly d

efin

e an

d ad

dres

s th

ose

impa

cts.

Afte

r sta

ting

in th

e fir

st p

arag

raph

that

the

com

mun

ity m

embe

rs a

re c

once

rned

abo

ut in

dire

ct

and

dire

ct n

egat

ive

impa

cts,

the

cons

ulta

nt c

oncl

udes

in th

e se

cond

par

agra

ph th

at “t

he

exer

cise

of n

ativ

e H

awai

ian

right

s or

any

eth

nic

grou

p re

late

d to

num

erou

s tra

ditio

nal c

ultu

ral

prac

tices

will

not b

e im

pact

ed b

y es

tabl

ishm

ent o

f the

dai

ry.”

In li

ght o

f the

firs

t sta

tem

ent,

the

seco

nd s

tate

men

t doe

s no

t mak

e se

nse.

How

can

you

con

clud

e th

at tr

aditi

onal

cul

tura

l pr

actic

es w

ill no

t be

impa

cted

by

esta

blis

hmen

t of t

he d

airy

whe

n th

e co

mm

unity

is te

lling

you

the

oppo

site

? Th

ere

is n

o re

al e

ffort

here

to id

entif

y, c

lear

ly s

tate

, and

add

ress

the

conc

erns

of

the

com

mun

ity.

The

CIA

sho

uld

clea

rly id

entif

y an

d lis

t all

dire

ct o

r ind

irect

impa

cts

to tr

aditi

onal

cul

tura

l pr

actic

es a

s gl

eane

d fro

m h

isto

rical

sou

rces

and

inte

rvie

ws.

The

CIA

doe

s no

t ade

quat

ely

do

this

(ple

ase

see

com

men

ts fo

r the

CIA

). Th

e D

EIS

does

not

cle

arly

and

ade

quat

ely

stat

e th

e im

pact

s. A

fter i

nclu

ding

a li

st o

f the

impa

cts,

the

DEI

S sh

ould

offe

r miti

gatio

n m

easu

res

for e

ach

impa

ct.

Dem

ogra

phic

and

Eco

nom

ic C

ondi

tions

: Th

e ba

sis

of th

e D

EIS

econ

omic

ana

lysi

s is

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms:

Soc

io-e

cono

mic

Con

ditio

ns,

Econ

omic

Impa

cts,

and

Fis

cal I

mpa

cts,

con

duct

ed b

y Pl

ash

Econ

Pac

ific

(PEP

) Inc

. May

, 201

6.

Not

e th

e co

nsul

tantʻs

dis

clai

mer

that

“As

a ge

nera

l rul

e, e

cono

mic

and

fisc

al im

pact

est

imat

es in

th

is re

port

are

accu

rate

with

in a

bout

25%

” (p.

1.V

ol 2

, I-3

) Th

e ex

istin

g de

mog

raph

ics

(soc

ial a

nd e

cono

mic

) of t

he K

oloa

-Poi

pu a

rea

are

adeq

uate

ly

cove

red

in th

is s

tudy

. The

Eco

nom

ic A

naly

sis

does

sta

te th

at “i

f nui

sanc

e im

pact

s w

ere

to o

ccur

, w

hich

is n

ot e

xpec

ted

– it

coul

d re

sult

in re

duce

d to

uris

m, s

ales

, em

ploy

men

t, sa

larie

s an

d w

ages

, pro

perty

val

ues

and

pers

onal

wea

lth.”

(Vol

2, I

II-8)

The

eno

rmou

s po

tent

ial e

cono

mic

lo

sses

are

not

val

ued.

Alth

ough

it m

ight

onl

y pr

ovid

e sm

all c

ompe

nsat

ion

for i

mpa

cts,

HD

F sh

ould

car

ry a

larg

e en

viro

nmen

tal i

nsur

ance

pol

icy.

In a

dditi

on, H

DF

coul

d es

tabl

ish

a so

cial

an

d en

viro

nmen

tal r

emed

iatio

n en

dow

men

t, pa

rtial

ly fu

nded

by

a po

rtion

of m

ilk s

ales

. Th

e ec

onom

ic a

naly

sis

sect

ion

of a

n EI

S is

requ

ired

to p

rovi

de a

cos

t ben

efit

anal

ysis

of a

pr

opos

ed p

roje

ct a

s th

e ba

sis

for d

eter

min

ing

econ

omic

and

fisc

al im

pact

s. T

he e

cono

mic

and

fis

cal i

mpa

cts

of H

DFʻ

s da

iry c

anno

t be

dete

rmin

ed b

ecau

se th

e EI

S do

es n

ot p

rovi

de b

asic

in

form

atio

n.

Wha

t is

the

pric

e pe

r gal

lon

that

HD

F ex

pect

s to

real

ize?

The

pric

e, e

ven

a ra

nge

of p

roje

cted

pr

ices

, at w

hich

HD

F m

ilk w

ill be

pur

chas

ed b

y th

e w

hole

sale

r/pro

cess

or is

not

dis

clos

ed in

this

“d

iscl

osur

e do

cum

ent.”

(Ta

ble

III-3

Eco

nom

ic Im

pact

s At

Ful

l Ope

ratio

ns)

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

12

The

Tota

l Sal

es fo

r a h

erd

of 6

99 o

f $10

,121

,716

and

the

Tota

l Pro

fits

$1,

012,

172

can

not b

e su

bsta

ntia

ted

whe

n pr

ice

is “n

ot s

how

n to

avo

id d

iscl

osur

e.”

( Vol

2. A

ppen

dix

J Pa

rt 3

Tabl

e 11

1-3)

Usi

ng th

e in

form

atio

n pr

ovid

ed, t

he p

rice

of H

DF

milk

is $

6.62

per

gal

lon

or $

3.31

per

ha

lf ga

llon

-6 g

allo

n pe

r day

x 6

99 c

ows

= 4,

194

gallo

ns o

f milk

per

day

or 1

,530

,810

gal

lons

per

ye

ar d

ivid

ed in

to to

tal s

ales

of $

10,1

21,1

72.

Cur

rent

ly, a

t Big

Sav

e gr

ocer

y st

ore,

Kol

oa, a

gal

lon

of m

ainl

and

milk

is b

eing

sol

d fo

r $4.

99,

whi

le a

hal

f gal

lon

of M

eado

w G

old

milk

is b

eing

sol

d fo

r $4.

19.

Both

are

on

sale

. W

hile

som

e po

rtion

of t

he M

eado

w G

old

bran

d m

ilk m

ay h

ave

been

“gro

wn”

on

the

Big

Isla

nd, m

ost o

f tha

t m

ilk is

mai

nlan

d m

ilk th

at h

as b

een

re-p

aste

uriz

ed o

n O

ahu.

Pr

ice

is c

erta

inly

a fa

ctor

in p

eopl

e pu

rcha

sing

milk

from

big

box

reta

ilers

suc

h as

Cos

tco

whe

re

a ga

llon

of m

ilk c

osts

wha

t a h

alf g

allo

n of

Mea

dow

Gol

d m

ilk c

osts

. Ano

ther

seg

men

t of t

he

mar

ket b

uys

orga

nic

milk

. HD

F is

not

pro

duci

ng o

rgan

ic m

ilk.

In th

e ec

onom

ic a

naly

sis

ther

e is

no

disc

ussi

on o

f dem

and.

Pro

duct

dem

and

is g

ener

ally

a p

art

of e

cono

mic

ana

lysi

s. A

ppar

ently

no

mar

ketin

g st

udy

was

con

duct

ed. C

an H

DF

milk

com

pete

w

ith im

porte

d m

ainl

and

milk

? W

hat a

re H

awai

i con

sum

ers

willi

ng to

pay

for t

he “l

ocal

” milk

gr

own

at M

aha`

ulep

u? W

hat i

s th

e de

man

d fo

r loc

al, n

on o

rgan

ic m

ilk?

Wha

t is

the

trend

in

Haw

aii r

egar

ding

milk

con

sum

ptio

n?

Dem

and

is n

ot in

depe

nden

t of p

rice.

Put

ano

ther

way

, the

mar

ket f

or th

e m

ilk c

anno

t be

assu

med

to b

e a

perc

enta

ge o

f vol

ume

of m

ilk p

rese

ntly

impo

rted,

repa

steu

rized

, pac

kage

d an

d so

ld b

y M

eado

w G

old.

It

appe

ars

that

HD

F do

es n

ot h

ave

a m

ilk p

urch

ase

agre

emen

t in

plac

e. I

f HD

F ha

s to

pro

cess

an

d di

strib

ute

its m

ilk, t

he c

ost p

er g

allo

n w

ill in

crea

se.

Even

if th

e m

ilk is

not

shi

pped

to

ʻOʻa

hu, w

ill th

e co

st o

f HD

F m

ilk o

n Ka

uaʻi

be c

ompe

titiv

e? T

he fo

llow

ing

stat

emen

t ver

ifies

the

lack

of m

ilk p

urch

ase

agre

emen

t:“Ev

entu

ally

, a m

ilk p

roce

ssin

g pl

ant m

ight

be

built

in a

n ex

istin

g in

dust

rial a

rea

on K

auaʻ

i or ʻ

Oʻa

hu if

war

rant

ed. T

he p

lant

wou

ld p

rodu

ce fi

nish

ed m

ilk

pack

aged

for c

onsu

mer

s,an

d po

ssib

ly s

ome

milk

-rela

ted

prod

ucts

(e.g

., yo

gurt

and

chee

ses)

.” Vo

l. 2

Appe

ndix

J, I

-8 (p

. 62

2). T

he D

EIS

shou

ld b

e cl

ear a

bout

wha

t is

bein

g fa

rmed

. H

DF

has

been

neg

otia

ting

with

Dea

n Fo

ods

owne

r of M

eado

w G

old

Haw

ai`i.

A W

isco

nsin

Pu

blic

Rad

io s

tory

of F

riday

, Jan

uary

30,

201

5, s

tate

d “D

ean

Food

s is

clo

sing

dai

ry p

lant

s ac

ross

the

US.

“The

com

pany

, whi

ch is

bas

ed in

Dal

las

has

clos

ed 1

2 da

iry p

lant

s ar

ound

the

coun

try in

the

last

thre

e ye

ars.

Man

agem

ent s

tate

d th

at ʻ

Dea

n ha

s to

be

smal

ler t

o be

mor

e ef

ficie

nt a

nd s

tay

prof

itabl

e.” D

ean

blam

es h

ighe

r cos

ts fo

r raw

milk

and

tran

spor

tatio

n.”

The

DEI

S pr

ovid

ed c

onfli

ctin

g fig

ures

for h

ow m

uch

milk

may

be

prod

uced

. Vol

ume

1 st

ates

that

th

e su

pply

of l

ocal

milk

will

be in

crea

sed

by a

ppro

xim

atel

y 1.

5 m

illion

gal

lons

ann

ually

, a 5

0 pe

rcen

t inc

reas

e in

sta

tew

ide

milk

pro

duct

ion.

” (p.

4-5

0 ) T

he in

trodu

ctio

n to

the

DEI

S sa

ys m

ilk

prod

uctio

n w

ill in

crea

se b

y m

ore

than

1 m

illion

gal

lons

. Vol

ume

2, th

e H

ydro

logi

c As

sess

men

t

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

13

auth

ored

by

Gro

up 7

0, s

ays

that

“At a

ste

ady

stat

e, p

rodu

ctio

n w

ith 6

99 c

ows

the

dairy

farm

will

prod

uce

roug

hly

1.2

milli

on g

allo

ns a

nnua

lly.”

(p. 6

93) T

he E

cono

mic

Stu

dy u

ses

the

high

est

figur

e fo

r ann

ual p

rodu

ctio

n fo

r 699

(or 2

000)

cow

s w

hen

it fo

reca

sts

antic

ipat

ed p

rofit

s.

The

dairy

will

not i

ncre

ase

stat

ewid

e m

ilk p

rodu

ctio

n by

50%

. The

201

5 St

atew

ide

Agric

ultu

ral

Land

Inve

ntor

y st

ates

that

“Bas

ed o

n da

ta p

rovi

ded

in A

ugus

t 201

5 by

the

DO

Aʻs

Milk

Con

trol

Prog

ram

, Haw

ai`ʻs

dai

ries

prod

uce

3.3

milli

on p

ound

s of

milk

mon

thly

or t

he e

quiv

alen

t of

appr

oxim

atel

y 38

0,00

0 ga

llons

per

mon

th.”

(p. 4

2) H

awai

iʻs p

rodu

ctio

n is

app

roxi

mat

ely

4,56

0,00

0 ga

llons

per

yea

r (12

tim

es 3

80,0

00).

The

refo

re a

n ad

ded

1.5

milli

on g

allo

ns w

ould

be

a 3

3% in

crea

se a

t mos

t. A

milli

on g

allo

ns w

ould

be

an in

crea

se o

f 22%

.

Inco

mpl

ete

Cos

t Ana

lysi

s M

any

of th

e co

sts

of o

pera

ting

this

dai

ry a

re n

ot d

iscl

osed

. Th

e on

ly e

xpen

ditu

res

disc

lose

d in

Ta

bles

III-

2, 3

, 4 a

nd 5

are

for c

onst

ruct

ion,

pay

roll

and

prop

erty

taxe

s. T

he fo

llow

ing

expe

nses

(e

ven

just

est

imat

ed) a

re n

ot s

tate

d:

●an

nual

land

leas

e, (d

oes

this

leas

e in

clud

e an

y ch

arge

for i

rriga

tion

wat

er o

r pot

able

w

ater

?)

●co

st o

f pur

chas

ing

the

initi

al c

ows,

●

estim

ated

cos

t of f

eed,

●

cost

of i

nsem

inat

ion

of th

e he

ifers

, ●

cost

of b

oard

ing

“rest

ing”

hei

fers

, ●

estim

ated

cos

ts o

f aux

iliary

per

sonn

el s

uch

as v

eter

inar

ians

, ●

cost

of c

onsu

ltatio

n fo

r mon

itorin

g,

●co

st o

f agr

icul

tura

l ins

uran

ce

It is

not

pos

sibl

e to

est

imat

e da

iry p

rofit

s w

ithou

t a fu

ll pi

ctur

e of

wha

t it c

osts

to o

pera

te. T

he

risin

g co

st o

f fee

d is

ack

now

ledg

ed to

be

a fa

ctor

in th

e cl

osin

g of

dai

ries,

and

feed

cos

t will

af

fect

HD

F to

o. O

n th

e Bi

g Is

land

, whe

re th

ere

are

two

rem

aini

ng d

airie

s, 4

0% o

f fee

d is

now

be

ing

grow

n lo

cally

. (St

atew

ide

Agric

ultu

ral I

nven

tory

, 201

5) A

n en

viro

nmen

tal d

amag

e su

it by

a

Kaua

i nei

ghbo

r (du

e to

dai

ry e

fflue

nt fl

ow in

to s

tream

and

oce

an) a

gain

st th

e M

oloaʻa

la

ndow

ner a

nd M

eado

w G

old

is a

noth

er fa

ctor

in th

e cl

osin

g of

the

Mol

oa`a

dai

ry.

Job

Bene

fits

The

num

ber o

f ful

l tim

e ne

w jo

bs th

at th

e da

iry w

ill ge

nera

te is

sm

all.

The

prim

ary

job

bene

fits

- bo

th d

irect

and

indi

rect

- ap

pear

to b

e du

ring

the

two

year

con

stru

ctio

n pe

riod

whe

n as

man

y as

36

jobs

(28

on K

auai

) are

pos

ited

to b

e cr

eate

d. H

owev

er, i

t doe

s no

t app

ear t

hat m

any

of

thes

e w

ill be

new

jobs

but

des

ign

and

cons

truct

ion

trade

wor

k pr

ovid

ing

a pe

riod

of e

mpl

oym

ent

for e

xist

ing

trade

peo

ple

and

supp

liers

. D

urin

g op

erat

ions

, the

dai

ry is

pos

ited

to p

rovi

de 5

farm

jobs

at h

erd

size

of 6

99 a

nd 1

0 at

her

d si

ze o

f 200

0 an

d 6

indi

rect

jobs

, 3 o

n Ka

uai,

3 on

Oah

u. T

he fi

ve jo

bs w

ill in

clud

e “a

farm

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

14

man

ager

, a m

arke

ting/

com

mun

ity re

latio

ns p

erso

n, s

uper

viso

rs, s

kille

d an

d se

mi-s

kill

wor

kers

.” Ea

rnin

gs p

ropo

sed

rang

e fro

m $

40,0

0 (n

ot a

dequ

ate

to s

uppo

rt a

fam

ily o

n Ka

uai)

to $

115,

000

or m

ore.

The

stu

dy d

oes

not s

tate

wha

t the

se e

mpl

oyee

s w

ill do

, the

ir tra

inin

g le

vels

, whe

ther

th

ey w

ork

full

or p

art t

ime.

Th

e re

venu

e to

the

Cou

nty

and

the

Stat

e ap

pear

to b

e ne

glig

ible

. Tho

se to

the

Stat

e ar

e “o

ffset

” by

the

$1 m

illion

tax

cred

it fo

r im

prov

emen

ts o

n th

e la

nd d

esig

nate

d IA

L. H

ow lo

ng a

re th

ese

tax

cred

its a

pplic

able

? W

ill H

DF

real

ize

tax

bene

fits

if it

oper

ates

at a

loss

? Th

ese

unkn

owns

gre

atly

affe

ct th

e im

med

iate

and

long

term

via

bilit

y of

the

dairy

. U

lupo

no,

owne

r of H

DF,

is a

for p

rofit

bus

ines

s. U

lupo

no h

as b

een

clea

r tha

t the

y in

tend

and

exp

ect t

o be

fin

anci

ally

suc

cess

ful w

hile

ach

ievi

ng th

e go

al o

f inc

reas

ing

food

sel

f-suf

ficie

ncy.

Fr

om th

e fo

llow

ing

stat

emen

ts, i

t app

ears

that

it w

ill be

man

y ye

ars

befo

re H

DF

is p

rofit

able

: “At

fu

ll op

erat

ions

, with

her

d si

ze o

f 699

pro

fits

on d

irect

and

indi

rect

sal

es a

re e

stim

ated

at $

1 m

illion

per

yea

r and

$2.

9 m

illion

per

yea

r for

the

2000

Dai

ry.”

Furth

erm

ore,

“Th

is in

clud

es

estim

ated

pro

fits

of th

e D

airy

, its

sub

cont

ract

ors,

com

pani

es s

uppl

ying

goo

d an

d se

rvic

es to

the

Dai

ry a

nd to

the

fam

ilies

of th

e D

airy

wor

kers

.” (p

. III-

5)

Milk

Pro

cess

ing

by H

DF:

Fr

om th

e be

ginn

ing,

HD

Fʻs

publ

icly

sha

red

info

rmat

ion

abou

t the

pro

ject

incl

uded

the

stat

emen

t th

at a

milk

pur

chas

e ag

reem

ent w

ith M

eado

w G

old

(Dea

n Fo

ods)

was

imm

inen

t. T

wo

year

s la

ter,

does

HD

F ha

ve a

milk

buy

er?

Doe

s H

DF

have

a m

ilk p

roce

ssor

on

any

isla

nd?

Will

HD

F ha

ve to

est

ablis

h its

ow

n pr

oces

sing

pla

nt o

n Ka

uai o

r els

ewhe

re?

Ea

ch o

f the

se u

nans

wer

ed q

uest

ions

sig

nific

antly

affe

cts

the

prof

itabi

lity

of th

e da

iry a

nd th

e pr

ice

of th

e m

ilk to

con

sum

ers.

If H

DF

has

to u

nder

take

milk

pro

cess

ing

itsel

f, it

will

add

subs

tant

ially

to o

vera

ll op

erat

ing

cost

s. T

he p

rice

of th

e m

ilk is

a m

ajor

fact

or in

whe

ther

the

dairy

suc

ceed

s.

Milk

Pro

cess

ing

by H

DF

is c

onsi

dere

d bo

th a

n “a

ltern

ativ

e” (1

.7.4

.) an

d “a

n un

reso

lved

issu

e.”

How

ever

, milk

pro

cess

ing

by H

DF

is n

ot a

ctua

lly a

n al

tern

ativ

e in

the

prop

osed

loca

tion

with

the

on-s

ite o

pera

tions

of t

he d

airy

. If

HD

F ha

s to

pro

cess

thei

r milk

, the

pro

cess

ing

plan

t - w

heth

er

loca

ted

on K

auai

or O

ahu

- bec

omes

par

t of H

DFʻ

s op

erat

ions

and

can

not b

e as

sum

ed to

hav

e “n

o en

viro

nmen

tal i

mpa

cts.

” As

sess

men

t wou

ld b

e pa

rticu

larly

nee

ded

for a

Kau

ai p

roce

ssin

g pl

ant b

ecau

se “C

ount

y w

ater

, sew

age”

wou

ld b

e ut

ilized

. Nea

rby

busi

ness

es a

nd n

eigh

bors

w

ould

be

affe

cted

. Bui

ldin

g pe

rmits

, hea

lth in

spec

tions

and

, pos

sibl

y, a

Cou

nty

use

perm

it w

ould

be

need

ed.

Air

Qua

lity

and

Odo

r Im

pact

s:

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

15

The

follo

win

g is

not

a n

eglig

ible

or i

nsig

nific

ant i

mpa

ct: “

For t

he c

onte

mpl

ated

her

d si

ze, o

dor

may

reac

h ap

prox

imat

ely

2,78

0 fe

et s

outh

of t

he H

DF

boun

dary

in th

e w

orst

-cas

e m

eteo

rolo

gica

l con

ditio

ns.”

(p. 4

-109

) W

hat a

re w

orse

-cas

e co

nditi

ons?

Any

day

whe

n th

e w

ind

patte

rn is

not

regu

lar t

rade

s of

less

than

10

mph

? Th

is c

an o

ccur

freq

uent

ly d

epen

ding

on

the

time

of y

ear a

nd a

tmos

pher

ic fl

uctu

atio

ns. T

his

indi

cate

s th

at w

ithin

½ m

ile o

f the

dai

ry,

whi

ch m

eans

at t

he M

aha`

ulep

u co

ast i

tsel

f and

alo

ng th

e co

asta

l tra

il an

d on

the

Gol

f cou

rse,

th

e da

iry s

mel

ls w

ill be

exp

erie

nced

. Vi

sual

and

Aes

thet

ic R

esou

rces

: Th

e da

iry s

ite is

vis

ible

from

pub

lic v

anta

ge p

oint

s. M

aha`

ulep

u Va

lley,

with

its

Ha`

upu

Mou

ntai

n ba

ckdr

op, c

an b

e se

en b

y pe

ople

in c

ars

at th

e ju

nctu

re o

f the

coa

stal

hau

l can

e ro

ad a

nd th

e M

aha`

ulep

u M

ill R

oad.

Wal

kers

vie

w th

e va

lley

from

the

trail

at th

e M

akau

wah

i Cav

e R

eser

ve.

The

use

of th

is tr

ail i

s en

cour

aged

by

two

self-

guid

ed tr

ail m

aps:

the

Poip

u Be

ach

Res

ort

Mah

a`ul

epu

Her

itage

Tra

il M

ap a

nd th

e M

akau

wah

i Cav

e R

eser

ve tr

ail m

ap.

(p. 4

-19)

O

ne o

f the

long

term

loss

es fr

om th

e da

iry a

s pl

anne

d is

the

visu

al e

njoy

men

t of v

iew

s fro

m

insi

de th

e va

lley.

Tho

se v

iew

s in

clud

e th

e on

es d

epic

ted

as V

iew

A,B

,C,D

, and

E o

n pa

ge 4

-20.

Th

ese

view

s ar

e go

ing

to b

e tra

nsfo

rmed

by

the

dairy

bui

ldin

gs, “

mob

s” o

f cow

s, fe

nces

, irr

igat

ion

pivo

ts, r

oadw

ays,

cow

pat

hs e

tc. –

the

foot

prin

t of t

his

inte

nsiv

e fo

rm o

f dai

ryin

g.

Allo

win

g th

e pu

blic

man

aged

acc

ess

to w

alk,

ride

hor

ses

and

non-

mot

oriz

ed v

ehic

les

on th

e ol

d ca

ne ro

ads

arou

nd th

e va

lley

perim

eter

wou

ld p

rovi

de s

ome

resi

dual

vis

ual p

leas

ure

and

heal

th

bene

fits,

as

wel

l as

acce

ss to

cul

tura

l site

s.

Flor

a an

d Fa

una:

Th

e st

udy

done

by

Ran

a Bi

olog

ical

Con

sulti

ng is

inco

rrect

. The

re is

fede

rally

des

igna

ted

criti

cal

habi

tat i

n tw

o ar

eas,

bot

h w

ithin

a m

ile fr

om th

e da

iry s

ite. T

he M

akau

wah

i Cav

e is

crit

ical

ha

bita

t for

the

ende

mic

Kol

oa b

lind

cave

spi

der a

nd b

lind

cave

am

phip

od.

Ove

r the

ridg

e fro

m

the

prop

osed

dai

ry is

the

Puka

moi

Hea

dlan

d w

hich

is a

lso

criti

cal h

abita

t for

thes

e ca

ve s

peci

es.

The

blin

d ca

ve s

peci

es o

f the

Mak

auw

ahi C

ave

syst

em a

re p

artic

ular

ly v

ulne

rabl

e.

Offs

ite H

erd

Man

agem

ent:

The

prop

osed

dai

ry s

ite in

the

DEI

S is

the

prim

ary,

but

not

the

only

, loc

atio

n of

the

dairy

sys

tem

. Tw

o au

xilia

ry ra

nche

s, lo

cate

d in

Kap

a`a

and

Om

aʻo,

as

wel

l as

the

pro

cess

ing

plan

t, ar

e al

l in

tegr

al to

this

dai

ry o

pera

tion.

The

acr

eage

and

cur

rent

her

d si

zes

of th

ese

ranc

hes,

thei

r pr

esen

t and

max

imum

her

d ca

paci

ties,

are

not

dis

clos

ed. T

he n

umbe

r of

anim

als

that

will

be

trans

porte

d an

d at

wha

t fre

quen

cy is

not

sta

ted.

The

siz

e of

the

cattl

e tru

cks/

traile

rs s

houl

d be

cl

early

sta

ted.

Whi

le th

e pr

ivat

ized

Mah

a`ul

epu

Mill

road

will

be u

sed

for p

art o

f tho

se tr

ips,

mos

t of

this

tran

spor

t will

occu

r on

Cou

nty

road

s an

d th

e St

ate

high

way

. Mal

e ca

lves

“will

beco

me

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

16

part

of th

e of

the

beef

cat

tle h

erd.

” (p.

1-1

2) Is

this

cro

ssbr

ed d

airy

cow

goo

d ea

ting?

Wha

t will

ra

nche

r Bob

by F

aria

s be

cha

rgin

g pe

r hea

d?

Bur

ials

: M

any

loca

l res

iden

ts, i

nclu

ding

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

mem

bers

, bel

ieve

the

buria

l of c

ows

in

Mah

a`ul

epu

Valle

y co

nstit

utes

a c

ultu

ral v

iola

tion.

The

des

igna

ted

loca

tion

for c

ow b

uria

l is

the

area

that

is c

lose

st to

arc

haeo

logi

cal s

ites,

bot

h kn

own

and

as y

et n

ot in

vent

orie

d. It

is

repu

gnan

t to

envi

sion

699

cow

bur

ials

in th

ree

to fi

ve y

ears

let a

lone

the

num

ber o

f cow

s th

at

wou

ld b

e bu

ried

with

a la

rger

her

d ov

er d

ecad

es.

Wha

t are

alte

rnat

ive

disp

osal

met

hods

for l

ives

tock

? Is

inci

nera

tion

poss

ible

, per

haps

at t

he

Gre

en H

awai

`i fa

cilit

y in

mau

ka K

oloa

? W

hat a

re H

awai

iʻs a

nim

al d

ispo

sal r

egul

atio

ns?

Arka

nsas

, for

inst

ance

, has

load

ing

and

site

lim

itatio

ns th

at p

recl

ude

bury

ing

anim

als

at th

e ba

se o

f a h

ill. H

DF

inte

nds

to b

ury

cow

s at

the

base

of M

t. H

a`up

u, th

e hi

ghes

t ele

vatio

n of

the

dairy

. D

ecom

mis

sion

ing

Dai

ry O

pera

tion:

D

ecom

mis

sion

ing

of th

e pr

ojec

t at t

he c

oncl

usio

n of

its

20 y

ear l

ease

will

nece

ssita

te

cons

ider

able

cos

ts. A

“sin

king

fund

” sho

uld

be e

stab

lishe

d th

at w

ill al

low

for e

ither

a c

ompl

ete

deco

mm

issi

onin

g an

d fo

r the

rem

oval

of t

he w

ind

farm

, or t

he re

plac

emen

t of t

he e

xist

ing

win

d to

wer

s. W

ithou

t a p

rope

r fun

d be

ing

avai

labl

e, th

is in

frast

ruct

ure

may

rem

ain

as a

per

man

ent

blig

ht o

n th

e M

aha`

ulep

u Va

lley

land

scap

e.

Failu

re to

Tak

e a

Har

d Lo

ok a

t Im

pact

s of

Spi

lls a

nd R

uptu

res:

O

ne o

f the

gre

ates

t env

ironm

enta

l con

cern

s as

soci

ated

with

the

proj

ect i

s th

e ris

k th

at H

DF

will

inad

verte

ntly

spi

ll an

imal

effl

uent

into

the

Mah

a`ul

epu

Valle

y w

ater

reso

urce

s. T

here

is a

n as

soci

ated

con

cern

that

HD

F an

d st

ate

agen

cies

will

fail

to re

spon

d qu

ickl

y an

d th

orou

ghly

to

such

a d

isas

ter.

Ther

e ha

ve b

een

a nu

mbe

r of r

ecen

t effl

uent

spi

lls th

at h

ave

deva

stat

ed ri

vers

an

d w

ater

way

s in

Am

eric

a an

d N

ew Z

eala

nd. E

ach

of th

ese

spills

has

had

ruin

ous

impa

cts

on

publ

ic h

ealth

with

in c

omm

uniti

es n

earb

y an

d en

viro

nmen

tal i

mpl

icat

ions

dow

nstre

am o

f the

spi

ll lo

catio

n. H

owev

er, H

DF

fails

to p

rovi

de a

mea

ning

ful a

naly

sis,

or m

ake

reas

onab

le fo

reca

sts

and

proj

ectio

ns, o

f the

pot

entia

l ris

ks o

f spi

lls o

f effl

uent

der

ived

from

HD

F’s

oper

atio

ns.

Acci

dent

s ha

ppen

and

pla

ns s

houl

d be

in p

lace

for t

heir

even

tual

ity.

Miti

gatio

n M

easu

res:

H

DF

faile

d to

Pro

perly

Ana

lyze

Miti

gatio

n M

easu

res,

or C

onsi

der T

erm

s an

d C

ondi

tions

to

Prot

ect t

he E

nviro

nmen

t. N

EPA

Req

uire

s Ag

enci

es to

Con

side

r Miti

gatio

n M

easu

res.

“[O

]mis

sion

of a

reas

onab

ly c

ompl

ete

disc

ussi

on o

f pos

sibl

e m

itiga

tion

mea

sure

s w

ould

un

derm

ine

the

‘act

ion-

forc

ing’

func

tion

of N

EPA.

With

out s

uch

a di

scus

sion

, nei

ther

the

agen

cy

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

17

nor o

ther

inte

rest

ed g

roup

s an

d in

divi

dual

s ca

n pr

oper

ly e

valu

ate

the

seve

rity

of th

e ad

vers

e ef

fect

s.”

Beca

use

Mah

a`ul

epu

is o

ne o

f the

last

rem

aini

ng o

pen

spac

es o

n th

e so

uth

shor

e an

d is

be

love

d by

bot

h re

side

nts

and

visi

tors

it is

impo

rtant

that

bin

ding

miti

gatio

n m

easu

res

be

incl

uded

in th

e fin

al E

IS.

An e

nviro

nmen

tal r

emed

iatio

n bo

nd, m

onito

ring

regi

mes

with

gu

aran

teed

com

mun

ity in

volv

emen

t, or

eve

n a

“goo

d ne

ighb

or a

gree

men

t” ar

e ex

ampl

es o

f m

itiga

tive

mea

sure

s th

at w

ere

igno

red

by H

DF,

mos

t lik

ely

due

to c

onfid

ence

in th

eir e

xist

ing

mon

itorin

g m

etho

ds.

A

ltern

ativ

es:

The

alte

rnat

ives

ana

lysi

s is

inad

equa

te b

ecau

se it

is n

ot a

rigo

rous

exp

lora

tion

and

cons

ider

atio

n of

all

reas

onab

le a

ltern

ativ

es. T

he C

ounc

il of

Env

ironm

enta

l Qua

lity

regu

latio

ns

impl

emen

ting

NEP

A re

quire

that

an

agen

cy “r

igor

ousl

y ex

plor

e an

d ob

ject

ivel

y ev

alua

te a

ll re

ason

able

alte

rnat

ives

.” 40

C.F

.R. §

1502

.14(

a).

Whi

le a

n ag

ency

nee

d no

t con

side

r an

infin

ite

rang

e of

alte

rnat

ives

, it m

ust c

reat

e a

list o

f alte

rnat

ives

nec

essa

ry to

per

mit

a re

ason

ed c

hoic

e.

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

does

not

bel

ieve

that

HD

F co

nsid

ered

a s

uffic

ient

rang

e of

alte

rnat

ives

in

the

DEI

S. T

he s

imila

rity

betw

een

and

amon

g th

e al

tern

ativ

es p

rese

nted

in th

e D

EIS

and

the

excl

usio

n of

sev

eral

via

ble

but u

nexa

min

ed a

ltern

ativ

es ig

nore

NEP

A's

man

date

that

an

EIS

pres

ent d

ecis

ionm

aker

s an

d th

e pu

blic

with

an

adeq

uate

"ran

ge" o

f alte

rnat

ives

. Thi

s fa

ilure

pr

even

ts th

ose

grou

ps fr

om m

akin

g an

info

rmed

ana

lysi

s an

d "r

easo

ned

choi

ce."

M

alam

a M

aha`

ulep

u fu

rther

bel

ieve

s th

at th

e D

EIS

as c

urre

ntly

dra

fted

does

not

sat

isfy

the

regu

lato

ry re

quire

men

ts fo

und

at 4

0 C

.F.R

. §15

02.1

4. T

hose

regu

latio

ns re

quire

an

agen

cy to

pr

esen

t "th

e al

tern

ativ

es in

com

para

tive

form

, thu

s sh

arpl

y de

finin

g th

e is

sues

and

pro

vidi

ng a

cl

ear b

asis

for c

hoic

e am

ong

optio

ns b

y th

e de

cisi

onm

aker

and

the

publ

ic."

40 C

.F.R

. §

1502

.14.

The

age

ncy

mus

t "de

vote

sub

stan

tial t

reat

men

t to

each

alte

rnat

ive

cons

ider

ed in

det

ail

incl

udin

g th

e pr

opos

ed a

ctio

n so

that

revi

ewer

s m

ay e

valu

ate

thei

r com

para

tive

mer

its."

40

C.F

.R §

150

2.14

(b).

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

finds

that

the

Alte

rnat

ives

ana

lysi

s in

the

DEI

S fa

ils to

mee

t the

abo

ve

requ

irem

ents

. In

revi

ewin

g th

e m

atrix

of i

mpa

cts

to m

ultip

le re

sour

ces,

ther

e is

ver

y lit

tle

varia

tion

from

one

alte

rnat

ive

to th

e ne

xt, s

ugge

stin

g th

at e

ither

ther

e is

an

insu

ffici

ent r

ange

of

alte

rnat

ives

or a

n in

adeq

uate

ana

lysi

s of

impa

cts

pres

ente

d (o

r bot

h).

In a

dditi

on, t

he im

pact

s an

alys

is is

inco

nsis

tent

and

atte

ntio

n to

det

ail d

ispa

rate

am

ong

the

vario

us a

ltern

ativ

es, p

reve

ntin

g de

cisi

onm

aker

s an

d th

e pu

blic

from

eva

luat

ing

the

com

para

tive

mer

its o

f alte

rnat

ives

A, B

, and

C. S

uch

a cu

rsor

y an

alys

is ii

s ex

ceed

ingl

y un

help

ful t

o th

e de

cisi

onm

aker

s an

d to

the

mem

bers

of t

he g

ener

al p

ublic

who

are

tryi

ng to

dis

cern

the

cost

s an

d be

nefit

s of

the

vario

us a

ltern

ativ

es.

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

18

Non

-Via

ble

Alte

rnat

ive:

Con

serv

atio

n C

onde

mna

tion

Afte

r con

duct

ing

a na

tura

l, cu

ltura

l, ag

ricul

tura

l, hi

stor

ical

and

recr

eatio

nal i

nven

tory

, Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

reco

gniz

ed th

at th

e en

tire

unde

velo

ped

ahup

ua`a

of M

aha`

ulep

u co

mpr

ises

a

cultu

ral l

ands

cape

. Agr

icul

ture

is p

art o

f tha

t his

tory

. Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

supp

orte

d th

e IA

L de

sign

atio

n fo

r the

val

ley

for t

hat r

easo

n an

d be

caus

e th

e G

rove

Far

m A

gric

ultu

ral M

aste

r Pla

n pr

opos

ed u

ses

that

wer

e co

mpa

tible

with

pre

serv

atio

n of

the

othe

r her

itage

reso

urce

s an

d ex

perie

nces

. Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

faile

d to

env

isio

n th

e us

e of

the

Valle

y la

nds

for a

n in

tens

ive

tech

nolo

gica

l agr

icul

tura

l ope

ratio

n an

d co

nsid

ers

this

a m

isus

e, in

com

patib

le w

ith th

e Ag

ricul

tura

l Mas

ter P

lan

inte

ntio

ns. T

he q

uest

ion

of w

heth

er th

e da

iry p

artia

lly o

r ent

irely

de

grad

es th

e la

nd, t

he s

tream

and

oce

an w

ater

s, a

nd th

e re

crea

tiona

l exp

erie

nces

of t

he

coas

tal a

rea

is th

e he

art o

f our

con

cern

abo

ut th

e pr

opos

ed p

roje

ct, n

ot a

gric

ultu

ral u

se p

er s

e.

Long

time

com

mun

ity d

esire

for p

rese

rvat

ion

is d

iscu

ssed

in th

e D

EIS

(p. 5

4) T

he S

tate

Le

gisl

atur

e R

esol

utio

n of

200

1, re

fere

nced

in th

e D

EIS,

onl

y su

ppor

ted

dial

ogue

to e

xplo

re

optio

ns fo

r con

serv

atio

n. It

did

not

stip

ulat

e go

vern

men

t ow

ners

hip.

Gov

ernm

ent o

wne

rshi

p is

on

e po

ssib

ility,

and

, eve

n in

that

eve

nt, l

and

coul

d no

t be

“take

n” w

ithou

t com

pens

atio

n.

No

land

owne

rʻs ri

ght t

o pl

an fo

r lan

d w

ould

be

abro

gate

d by

dis

cuss

ions

of p

ossi

ble

futu

re

optio

ns fo

r Mah

a`ul

epu.

Lan

dow

nerʻs

pla

nnin

g is

alw

ays

bala

nced

by

the

publ

ic ri

ght t

o pa

rtici

pate

in c

omm

entin

g on

any

pla

ns w

hich

requ

ire g

over

nmen

t rev

iew

/per

mitt

ing.

In

add

ition

, par

ks a

nd p

rese

rves

can

be

crea

ted

in m

ore

way

s th

an b

y em

inen

t dom

ain.

Inde

ed,

the

fede

ral g

over

nmen

t will

not c

reat

e an

y ki

nd o

f nat

iona

l par

k if

land

owne

rs a

re n

ot w

illing

se

llers

nor

par

tner

s.

Con

serv

atio

n an

d bu

sine

ss m

inde

d la

ndow

ners

can

hol

d pr

ivat

e ow

ners

hip

and

allo

w p

ublic

us

es th

roug

h co

nser

vatio

n ea

sem

ents

. (Th

ese

are

also

use

d to

per

petu

ally

pro

tect

agr

icul

tura

l la

nds.

)

Park

s al

so in

crea

se th

e ec

onom

ic v

alue

of s

urro

undi

ng la

nds.

The

Nat

iona

l Par

k Se

rvic

e re

cent

ly re

leas

ed a

stu

dy s

how

ing

that

the

valu

e of

Am

eric

aʻs

natio

nal p

arks

is 9

2 bi

llion

dolla

rs.

But a

ll ki

nds

of p

arks

add

val

ue to

com

mun

ities

by

incr

easi

ng v

isito

r spe

ndin

g fo

r ac

com

mod

atio

ns a

nd s

ervi

ces

near

by, b

y m

akin

g pe

ople

hea

lthie

r men

tally

and

phy

sica

lly, b

y in

crea

sing

nea

rby

prop

erty

val

ues,

by

offe

ring

educ

atio

nal e

xper

ienc

es a

nd e

ngag

emen

t and

in

the

case

of a

nat

ural

are

a pa

rk, a

llow

ing

open

land

to s

eque

ster

car

bon,

incr

ease

gro

undw

ater

, an

d fil

ter w

aste

wat

er.

Cem

etar

y:

If re

mov

ing

the

valle

y la

nds

from

the

IAL

desi

gnat

ion

wer

e to

be

cons

ider

ed a

s a

pote

ntia

l al

tern

ativ

e, th

en a

noth

er u

se fo

r the

val

ley

wou

ld b

e as

a g

reen

bur

ial c

emet

ery

and

sanc

tuar

y w

ith m

emor

ial f

ores

ts a

nd o

rcha

rds.

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

19

Mah

a`ul

epu

is a

lread

y a

hist

oric

bur

ial a

rea,

par

ticul

arly

in th

e co

asta

l dun

es a

nd in

cav

es.

Som

e of

the

areaʻs

inhe

rent

pow

er c

omes

from

that

man

a. F

urth

erm

ore,

peo

ple

have

sca

ttere

d th

e as

hes

of fa

mily

mem

bers

alo

ng th

e co

ast a

nd in

the

ocea

n. W

hile

not

as

cost

ly a

s tra

ditio

nal

buria

ls, g

reen

bur

ials

are

a b

usin

ess.

Inde

ed, p

eopl

e w

ould

ver

y lik

ely

pay

for t

he o

ppor

tuni

ty to

be

bur

ied

at M

aha`

ulep

u, to

sca

tter f

amily

rem

ains

in th

e oc

ean

or to

com

mem

orat

e lo

ved

ones

w

ith a

frui

t or f

ores

t tre

e.

Agric

ultu

ral S

ubdi

visi

on:

The

use

of th

e va

lley

for a

gric

ultu

ral s

ubdi

visi

on s

houl

d ha

ve n

ot e

ven

been

pos

ited

beca

use

the

land

is d

esig

nate

d IA

L (Im

porta

nt A

gric

ultu

ral L

ands

). H

owev

er, a

s de

pict

ed, 4

5 ho

mes

and

37

1 ac

res

of d

iver

se a

gric

ultu

ral c

rops

wou

ld li

kely

gen

erat

e m

ore

jobs

than

the

dairy

. Al

tern

ativ

e Lo

catio

n fo

r the

Pas

ture

-Bas

ed D

airy

: Th

is a

ltern

ativ

e lo

catio

n pr

esen

ted

was

an

impo

ssib

ility

at th

e tim

e th

e D

EIS

was

bei

ng w

ritte

n.

Cou

nty

real

pro

perty

tax

reco

rds

show

that

the

alte

rnat

ive

parc

el (

972

acre

s in

Puh

i) w

as s

old

in 2

013.

To

sugg

est i

t as

an a

ltern

ativ

e si

te in

the

DEI

S sh

ows

disr

espe

ct fo

r the

pro

cess

. The

D

EIS

faile

d to

ana

lyze

sev

eral

oth

er p

arce

ls th

at c

ould

be

serio

usly

con

side

red

as a

ltern

ativ

es

and

are

owne

d by

Gro

ve F

arm

Co.

or i

ts s

ubsi

diar

ies,

(Mah

a`ul

epu

Farm

s, H

a`up

u La

nd

Com

pany

, Vis

iona

ry L

ands

). Fu

rther

mor

e, s

ites

not o

wne

d by

Gro

ve F

arm

cou

ld a

lso

have

bee

n co

nsid

ered

. N

othi

ng in

the

DEI

S de

mon

stra

tes

a co

ntra

ct th

at o

blig

ates

HD

F to

loca

te o

n G

rove

Far

m L

and.

If t

here

is

such

a fi

nanc

ial c

omm

itmen

t, it

shou

ld b

e di

sclo

sed

in th

e ec

onom

ic a

naly

sis

beca

use

a no

n-re

voca

ble

leas

e ag

reem

ent c

onst

itute

s a

sign

ifica

nt a

nnua

l ope

ratio

nal c

ost.

Why

was

land

ex

chan

ging

not

con

side

red

for s

tate

land

s up

coun

try fr

om H

anam

aulu

? W

hy w

ere

loca

tions

on

othe

r isl

ands

not

con

side

red?

Whi

le th

ese

alte

rnat

ives

mig

ht m

ean

shor

t-ter

m m

onet

ary

loss

es

for H

DF

and

perh

aps

Gro

ve F

arm

, lon

g te

rm re

loca

tion

to a

mor

e su

itabl

e si

te c

ould

be

cost

sa

ving

and

not

pre

sent

all

of th

e ne

gativ

e im

pact

s of

the

Mah

a`ul

epu

loca

tion.

The

Fin

al E

IS

need

s to

take

into

con

side

ratio

n ot

her r

easo

nabl

e lo

catio

ns b

oth

on K

auai

and

els

ewhe

re in

H

awai

i tha

t mee

t HD

F’s

acre

age

and

wat

er a

cces

s ne

eds.

N

o-Ac

tion

Alte

rnat

ive

This

crit

ical

sec

tion

of th

e EI

S is

sel

f-ser

ving

. Firs

t, no

agr

icul

tura

l alte

rnat

ives

to li

vest

ock

graz

ing

are

cons

ider

ed. L

ando

wne

r Gro

ve F

arm

pro

duce

d an

agr

icul

tura

l mas

ter p

lan

in 2

008

whi

ch p

ropo

sed

sign

ifica

ntly

mor

e ka

lo c

ultiv

atio

n (3

00-4

00 a

cres

) and

leas

ing

land

for a

var

iety

of

veg

etab

le a

nd fr

uit c

rops

. Cro

p cu

ltiva

tion

was

to b

e di

rect

ed b

y a

“mas

ter f

arm

er” a

nd

prod

uce

was

to b

e pa

ckag

ed a

nd d

istri

bute

d fro

m th

e ol

d Ko

loa

Mill

Site

. Con

tinui

ng to

wor

k to

fu

lfill

this

pla

n is

an

equa

lly v

alid

sta

tus

quo

alte

rnat

ive

to th

e da

iry.

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

20

Furth

erm

ore,

the

assu

mpt

ion

that

rais

ing

cattl

e w

ould

elim

inat

e “s

peci

al p

rovi

sion

s fo

r man

agin

g ag

ricul

tura

l lan

d us

e, c

over

cro

ps a

nd ru

noff”

impl

ies

that

Gro

ve F

arm

, the

land

owne

r, w

ould

ne

ver e

mbr

ace

or re

quire

bes

t man

agem

ent p

ract

ices

of r

anch

ers.

Avo

idin

g N

RC

S st

anda

rds

wou

ld n

ot b

e po

ssib

le w

ith a

n in

crea

sed

num

ber o

f cat

tle in

the

valle

y.

Smal

ler H

erd

Size

An

othe

r im

porta

nt a

ltern

ativ

e is

the

impl

emen

tatio

n of

a s

mal

ler h

erd

size

. It m

ay b

e th

at th

e si

te

cann

ot re

spon

sibl

y su

ppor

t the

699

cow

s. T

he a

mou

nt o

f milk

that

sev

eral

alte

rnat

ive

herd

si

zes

wou

ld p

rodu

ce s

houl

d ha

ve b

een

incl

uded

, as

wel

l as

the

long

er p

erio

d th

e pr

ojec

t wou

ld

have

to a

ttain

pro

fitab

ility.

C

onve

ntio

nal F

eedl

ot:

The

conv

entio

nal f

eedl

ot d

airy

alte

rnat

ive

is h

ighl

y im

prob

able

. Thi

s ty

pe o

f ope

ratio

n is

cu

rrent

ly s

trugg

ling

on th

e Bi

g Is

land

and

els

ewhe

re. O

n th

e ot

her h

and,

sin

ce a

ny d

airy

op

erat

ion

wou

ld a

chie

ve th

e st

ated

pur

pose

of i

ncre

asin

g lo

cal m

ilk p

rodu

ctio

n, a

dai

ry h

erd

of

any

size

incl

udin

g a

smal

l fee

dlot

ope

ratio

n w

ith v

ario

us m

anur

e m

anag

emen

t tec

hniq

ues

such

as

met

hane

dig

estio

n, w

ould

be

an e

qual

ly p

ossi

ble

alte

rnat

ive.

R

evis

ed D

raft

EIS

It ha

s co

me

to th

e at

tent

ion

of c

omm

unity

mem

bers

and

Mah

a`ul

epu

stak

ehol

der g

roup

s th

at

HD

F ha

s m

odifi

ed th

e D

EIS

befo

re a

nd d

urin

g th

e 45

day

pub

lic c

omm

ent r

evie

w p

erio

d in

re

spon

se to

feed

back

from

the

revi

ewin

g ag

ency

. Thi

s cr

eate

s a

mov

ing

targ

et fo

r rev

iew

as

it is

im

poss

ible

to a

scer

tain

wha

t com

pone

nts

of th

e D

EIS

have

bee

n m

odifi

ed a

nd th

ereb

y de

crea

sing

the

usef

ulne

ss o

f pub

lic c

omm

ents

.

HD

F m

ust p

repa

re a

Rev

ised

Dra

ft EI

S to

allo

w re

view

ers

to c

omm

ent o

n an

un-

mod

ified

dra

ft.

Alth

ough

an

EIS

is p

repa

red

in tw

o ph

ases

(i.e

., a

draf

t and

fina

l pha

se),

the

draf

t EIS

mus

t ful

fill

and

satis

fy, t

o th

e fu

llest

ext

ent p

ossi

ble,

the

requ

irem

ents

est

ablis

hed

for a

n FE

IS. 4

0 C

.F.R

. §

1502

.9(a

). N

EPA

regu

latio

ns m

anda

te th

at “[

i]f a

dra

ft st

atem

ent i

s so

inad

equa

te a

s to

pre

clud

e m

eani

ngfu

l ana

lysi

s, th

e ag

ency

sha

ll pr

epar

e an

d ci

rcul

ate

a re

vise

d dr

aft o

f the

app

ropr

iate

po

rtion

.” Id

. The

DEI

S m

odifi

catio

ns p

rior a

nd d

urin

g th

e pu

blic

com

men

t per

iod

effe

ctiv

ely

unde

rmin

es “t

he tw

in g

oals

of e

nviro

nmen

tal s

tate

men

ts: i

nfor

med

dec

isio

nmak

ing

and

full

disc

losu

re” b

y de

priv

ing

the

publ

ic a

nd d

ecis

ionm

aker

s of

the

chan

ce to

und

erst

and

thos

e im

pact

s, a

nd to

revi

ew a

nd c

omm

ent o

n an

ana

lysi

s of

thos

e im

pact

s. T

hese

EIS

Rul

es a

re

codi

fied

unde

r cha

pter

200

of t

he H

awai

i Adm

inis

trativ

e R

ules

.

Con

clus

ion:

M

alam

a M

aha`

ulep

u be

lieve

s th

at d

efic

ienc

ies

in th

e D

EIS,

alo

ng w

ith o

ngoi

ng m

odifi

catio

ns to

th

e dr

aft,

frust

rate

info

rmed

pub

lic d

isco

urse

abo

ut th

e im

pact

s of

the

prop

osed

dai

ry o

pera

tion,

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

21

prev

ent d

ecis

ionm

aker

s fro

m c

onsi

derin

g an

ade

quat

e ra

nge

of a

ltern

ativ

es a

nd m

akin

g an

in

form

ed c

hoic

e am

ong

alte

rnat

ives

, and

thus

vio

late

the

man

date

s of

NEP

A.

We

requ

est t

hat D

OH

rem

edy

the

defic

ienc

ies

desc

ribed

and

allo

w th

e pu

blic

to p

rovi

de

com

men

ts o

n th

e D

EIS

bef

ore

mak

ing

any

deci

sion

s ab

out t

he d

airy

ope

ratio

n.

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

requ

ests

that

the

revi

ewin

g au

thor

ities

find

this

DEI

S in

com

plet

e an

d pr

emat

ure.

With

out i

nclu

ding

cha

nges

mad

e to

the

docu

men

t prio

r and

dur

ing

the

publ

ic re

view

, th

e pr

ojec

t is

not i

n co

mpl

ianc

e w

ith th

e en

viro

nmen

tal r

evie

w la

ws

of th

e St

ate

of H

awai

i. W

e re

ques

t tha

t the

DEI

S be

resu

bmitt

ed w

hen

the

mis

sing

info

rmat

ion

can

be in

clud

ed a

nd w

hen

the

abov

e-m

entio

ned

inco

nsis

tenc

ies,

om

issi

ons,

mis

stat

emen

ts, i

nacc

urac

ies,

and

oth

er

com

men

ts h

ave

been

ade

quat

ely

addr

esse

d.

Com

mun

ity p

artic

ipat

ion

is k

ey to

dev

elop

ing

a co

mpr

ehen

sive

EIS

and

we

appr

ecia

te th

is

oppo

rtuni

ty to

sha

re o

ur re

mar

ks. W

e lo

ok fo

rwar

d to

pro

vidi

ng th

ough

tful r

evie

w a

nd s

crut

iny

to

the

revi

sed

DEI

S do

cum

ent.

W

ith A

loha

, G

reg

Pete

rs

Exec

utiv

e D

irect

or,

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

PO

Box

169

1 Ko

loa,

Haw

aii

9675

6

Mal

ama

Mah

a`ul

epu

Com

men

ts o

n D

EIS

for H

awai

i Dai

ry F

arm

s’ P

ropo

sed

Dai

ry O

pera

tion

January 3, 20

17 Greg Pe

ters Execut

ive Director

Malama Maha

‘ulepu P.O. Bo

x 1691 6

Subj

ect:

onmental Imp

act Statement

(EIS)

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

r. Peters:

Thank you for

your input d

ated July ,

2016 on the

Draft E

IS. comm

ents. Pastora

l Rotational G

razing Dairy E

xamples

suitable farm

ing regions in

the United S

tates. Severa

l rotational g

razing dairy

containing ove

r 2,000 anima

ls. Successful

rotational gra

zing dairies al

so exist in

Maryland, No

rth Carolina,

and Missouri

. Numerous a

rticles and pu

blications on

rotational gra

zing dairies a

re cited in P

rogressive Da

iryman and o

ther industry

Natura

l/Cultural Env

ironment

The natural e

nvironment o

f Kauai is em

bodied by act

ive farming on

lands intende

d for agr

iculture. The

EIS addresse

s the existing

visual and ae

sthetic resour

ces of the

parks,

and conserva

tion lands in th

e mountains a

nd along the c

oast. The imp

ortant upu Mount

ains that surr

ound the proje

ct area to the

northeast.

The dairy site

is noMhu

lep limits f

or agricultura

l zoned lan

upu Mountains

surrounding t

he project.

Greg Peters, E

xecutive Direc

tor, Malama M

aha‘ulepu

January 3, 20

17 Page 2

of 12

The developm

ent and long-

ntende

d purpos

e of diversified

agriculture, f

ood productio

n and agricultu

ral self-

opportunity f

or Kaua‘i citiz

ens to reside

in an agricultu

ral community

. This is in co

ntrast to the

described

development

as quasi-

Dairy

-based

carryin

g capacity of th

e land.

Carrying capa

city is determ

ined by nutrie

nt inputs and

outputs.

standards of

the Natura

l Resources

Conservation

Service (NRC

S). determ

ining a nutr

t soils by

improving org

anic matter

infiltration a

nd improves

Components o

f a Nutrient M

anagement Pla

n developed f

or N

utri

ent

Bala

nce and

are included

in the N

utri

ent

Bala

nce

emplate the p

ossibility of ex

panding the h

erd in the

future.

pasture-

ld be require

d. The applic

ation proces

s for a Nati

onal Pollutan

t Discharge E

limination Sy

stem (NPDES

) pplicat

ion to expand

operations u

p to the

r e. In ge

neral, levels

in the alluvia

l layer are 3

0-feet t

-feet higher t

han the piezo

metric head o

f the 4.16 Hy

drol

ogy and 4

.17

contain furthe

r information o

n the analyses

.

Greg Peters, E

xecutive Direc

tor, Malama M

aha‘ulepu

January 3, 20

17 Page 3

of 12

Surface Water

and Nearshor

e Marine Wate

r Quality

Waiopili Ditch

agricul

tural lands bo

rdering the di

tdairy t

o actively ma

nage surface r

unoff, nutrient

s and suspend

ed sediments

, concerns abo

ut the potenti

al effects

of dairy operat

ions to ocean

beach recreati

on are not ant

icipated.

Complaints fro

m the public

citing the high

levels of ent

erococcus in

Waiopili Ditch

and public c

oncerns

-ershed a

nd the adjace

nt Waikomo

expression of

concern

-

-

The Part 1 Sa

nitary Survey

found no sig

nificant impa

ct to the ditc

h from any a

ctivity that co

uld be

noted that W

aiopili Ditch i

s a man-made

drainage ditc

h on private

a University of

California lab

oratory to mor

e definitively

determine the

source of the

fecal contamin

ation in

Sanitary Surv

e

-ple and

analyze nutri

ent and chemi

cal constituen

t levels in the

near-shore

tion of possib

le contam

ination source

s. State W

ater Policies

State Water qu

ality policies.

The minor co

ntributions of

nutrients fro

m episodic ra

infall anticipa

ted to ditch.

The rapid decr

ease

Greg Peters, E

xecutive Direc

tor, Malama M

aha‘ulepu

January 3, 20

17 Page 4

of 12

the surface an

Your commen

ts address sev

eral of the E

IS technical r

eports include

d in the appe

ndix. This re

sponse

addresses eac

h of your com

ments. We fu

rther direct y

ou to the resp

onses to EIS c

omments on t

he EIS

are included a

s addendum m

emoranda atta

ched to the rel

evant study.

-

(EIS . Rainf

all rates

and use of n

on-The st

udy

and after 2 da

ys of a signifi

cant rain even

t, ed by t

he thick k

ikuyu thatch c

reated by the

establishmen

t of “good” pas

ture condition

s. In term

s of nutrient

loading,

of 16.3 tons o

f DM per acre

per year, the

re is simply n

ot enough nitr

ogen nutrient

from manure

sources

(as- phosphor

-application o

f are rot

ated so over-a

pplication of n

utrients does

not occur.

– nt

. The EIS docu

ments the exi

sting conditi

ons of the nea

rshore marin

e environmen

t, including a

characterizati

on of the biot

ic environme

nt biologi

cal constitu

ater slevels o

f indicator bac

teria do not e

xtend beyond

the shoreline.

See EIS Sectio

n 4.17.3 Near

shor

e M

arin

e W

ater

s

terrigenous in

puts from the

Waiopili Ditc

h discharge, d

ue to the sub

stantial physi

cal mixing con

ditions in

a greater exte

nt for dispersi

on of the ditch

runoff inputs

i

–

he paddocks. -made and na

tural -

--site re

tention

Greg Peters, E

xecutive Direc

tor, Malama M

aha‘ulepu

January 3, 20

17 Page

of 12

runoff and pre

vent pollutant

s from reachin

g the on-

If the o

ff--

for surface r

unoff through

and from the

paddocks is

significantly

ity assessment

s in the DEIS,

-site and perco

late for use by

the crop.

Soils

Climate Impac

ts There

are no

the 2006

Intergovernme

ntal Panel on

Climate Chang

e (IPCC) Guide

lines for Natio

nal Greenhous

e Gas Invento

ries, as

dioxide equiva

lents (CO 2

CO 2. The IPCC

the rotatio

nal-grazed dai

ry operation a

nd See the

EIS Sections

4.19 and 4.26

for complete in

formation.

Tthe com

mitted herd

size of 699 m

ature dairy

estimated as

2,693 CO2e me

tric tons (2,96

9 U.S. tons) pe

r year. This is

equivalent

170 4-person

households.

from the conte

mplated futur

e herd size of

up to 2,000

mature dairy

2equiva

lent to -

estimates for

household e

nergy consum

ption include

s home ener

gy use,

. -term b

eneficial impa

ct of the grazi

ng fields is the

seques

tration of carb

on as CO 2

ich enhances s

oil quality, gra

ss production,

and ha

s the potentia

l to offset up to

one-third the

annual increa

se in CO2 produ

ction of an are

a. NRCS

Conservat

source, timing

, amounts, an

d placement o

f nutrients. Sp

ecific practice

s to brelease

fertilizers; nu

trient enhance

ment technolo

gies; and stabi

lized nitrogen

fertilizers.

Greg Peters, E

xecutive Direc

tor, Malama M

aha‘ulepu

January 3, 20

17 Page 6

of 12

–

monitored on

a regular basi

s. –

applica

tion is part of

the requir

-site ranches

is accounted

in the traffic

projections fo

r the EIS. EIS

Sections 4

, at acce

ptable -

surrounding a

rea. Deliver

Cultura

l Practices and

Resources

EIS process, th

e project

is subject to a

histE and

Chapter 13-

the proposed

project.

reports in

This includ

ed

generally eng

age the cul

tural communi

ty, telepho

ne inquiries an

d referrals. Ou

treach meetin

gs included in

dividual and s

mall group di

scussions, site

visits, and a

large group

meeting held

in

-depth person

al

entire valley

(including the

project area)

, as evidence

d by the infr

astructure in

the valley. Ea

rly 20th

century maps

also documen

t the extent of

thcurren

t project area

consisted of s

ugarcane land

s. Based on th

e research and

comments re

ceived from th

e

of the dairy.

plantation-

-30-10-

--

Greg Peters, E

xecutive Direc

tor, Malama M

aha‘ulepu

January 3, 20

17 Page 7

of 12

at the project

. Demog

raphic and Ec

onomic Condit

ions

property valu

es as a result

of dairy const

ruction

h‘ulep

or diminish p

roperty sales o

r property valu

es in the area.

Nuisance and

footprints of

typical dairies

found on the

mainland are

n-

grazing.

recreational a

ctivities, gues

ts in nearby re

sorts, or dimin

ish property s

ales or proper

ty values in th

e area.

Milk Business

and Processing

Unlike a conv

entional feedlo

t dairy facility

that must col

lect and store

all manure p

roduces until

future

disposal, the m

ajority of ma

nure from a p

astoral-

one- to three-

day period.

Without a dair

y in operation

, computer-

--half of

a mile) beyon

d the souther

n boundary. T

he closest

miles further

south, and th

e closest resid

ential and res

ort units are

1.3 miles bey

ond the poss

ible odor

e-1).

With applicat

ion at the mo

st impactful l

ocation, paddo

cks south of t

he taro farm,

the odor from

slurry

application ba

rely cross

Greg Peters, E

xecutive Direc

tor, Malama M

aha‘ulepu

January 3, 20

17 Page

of 12

th percentile i

s reduced to

potentially pe

rceiving the o

dor just 29

hours per year

.

– paddocks so

uth of the tar

o farm – the o

dor from

-third of a mile

. The odor iso

pleth for the

typical irriga

tion effluent e

xtends beyon

d the dairy far

m boundary ap

proximately 3

,070-feet (ove

r one-

-case

The comment

regarding me

thane produc

tion is addre

ssed earlier

in this respo

nse under th

e climate

subject.

Resources

The EIS addres

ses the existin

g visual and a

esthetic resou

rces of the da

iry site, and th

e potential imp

acts of

space, parks,

and conserva

tion lands in th

e mountains a

nd along the c

oast. The maj

ority of the pr

oject area

ands. D

airy farm stru

ctures pu Mou

ntains surrou

nding the proj

ect.

nearest cave o

f the K

ve Wolf

miles from t

he dairy farm

property. Th

ere is no

evidence of la

va tubes or ca

ves on the pro

perty, and no s

uch features h

ave been repo

rted for the ar

ea near

No cave inver

tebrate specie

into th

e referenc

organic matter

derived from

roots and oth

er decaying pl

ant debris, and

since nitrogen

ous and phos

phoric ll, can

be expected t

o expand the

food supply

in this oligotr

ophic subterra

nean ecosystem

.

Greg Peters, E

xecutive Direc

tor, Malama M

aha‘ulepu

January 3, 20

17 Page 9

of 12

ment healthy

beef cattle. R

anchers are e

xperienced

The availab

ility of calves

from a dairy s

uch as in or ex

pand a beef h

erd. Ra

nche

rs

. Section 4.26.

2 Potentia

l Sec

onda

ry E

ffect

s -

business and

operational g

oals. Section

4.20.2 Potent

ial S

econ

dary

Effe

cts docum

ents anticipate

d offsite trans

portation as u

p to one truck

contem

plated herd si

ze, Section 4.2

6.2 Poten

tial S

econ

dary

Effe

cts

site. The an

imal cemetery

is specifically

located on the

uphill side of

the farm,

in an area of

relatively flat

pasture. Site s

election crite

ria for the cem

etery paddock

included pro

tection

and distanced

more than

more than 20

feet from an

y buildings. W

ithin the

cemetery pad

dock, sited b

ased on soil s

uitability and

slope. square

feet is neede

d for the anim

al cemetery a

t the contempl

ated herd size

of up to 2,00

0 mature dair

y - to -a

cre paddock.

-off on to, an

d from, the

cemetery site.

overal

l deep, a

re designed to

accommodate

carcass

es of the con

templated her

d size. Individ

ual pits

be a minimum

of 2-feet

appropriate to

bury the carc

ass. Pits

lined Conser

vation Practic

e Standard,

, .

for a carcass to

decompose.

single layer a

nd at leas

t 2 feet of

organic mater

ial. Multiple l

ayers may be c

rea area

in the cemete

ry paddock m

ay be used a

s needed. Ba

sed encoun

tering g

cemetery padd

ock area

pits.

not be grazed

.

Greg Peters, E

xecutive Direc

tor, Malama M

aha‘ulepu

January 3, 20

17 Page 1

0 of 12

may also cons

ider procuring

and installing

an incinerato

r to use for m

anaging mort

ality on the far

m. – State a

nd to ensu

re no adverse

air quality imp

act from th

e incinerator

operations.

Dairy Decomm

issioning

In the event of

a future closu

re of the dairy

operations,

decommission

ing actions

as required in

comagricul

tural a

, comme

nt addresses d

ecommissionin

g a potential

is not relevant

to the propos

ed action.

Effluent Stora

ge Pond

for siting of th

e effluent stor

age ponds. Th

e EIS specifie

s the reg

ulatory requir

ements in Sec

tion 3.3.2.4 Eff

luen

t Sto

rage

Pon

ds-

--foot d

istance to the

nearest on-

protect agains

t seepage in

313. -year, 2

4-than th

is is simply not

required by r

egulators and

unreasonable

.

-year, 24-hour

storm event i

n the form of e

xtra guideli

nes. The sec

ondary conta

inment area a

nd berm esse

ntially provid

es an additio

nal 30 days

of – -ye

ar, 24 hour sto

rms. Mitigat

ion Measures

-Section

4.0 of the

EIS includes t

he presentati

on and

discussion of

mitigation me

asures to min

imize or avoid

potential imp

acts. Substan

tial mitigation

actions

itigation

measures

plemented to m

inimize or avo

id adverse effe

cts to the natu

ral and human

environment.

fits, costs, an

d risks of eac

h reasonable a

lternative

Of all the alte

rnative action

s and location

s considered,

the planned a

gricultural ope

rationdescrib

ed in EIS Sect

ion 2.3.4.

Greg Peters, E

xecutive Direc

tor, Malama M

aha‘ulepu

January 3, 20

17 Page 1

1 of 12

obj sugge

sted alternat

ive for ceme

tery criteri

a. These opti

ons the foo

d production

capacity of thi

s important a

gricultural land

, as designated

by the County

and State.

the

project object

ives and meet

ing each of th

e five Evaluati

on Criteria. T

he selected si

te represents

the best

option among

those conside

red. The alte

rnative locatio

n studied in t

he EIS is a va

lid representa

tion of

other siting op

tions availabl

e. Preliminar

y site screenin

g found other

locational opt

ions to have u

nsuitable

courses, neigh

boring uses, a

ccess and othe

r factors.

To provide a

meaningful

analysis, the

EIS evaluatio

n of other a

lternatives (n

o action, agri

cultural

subdivision, c

onventional f

eedlot) each i

ncluded quan

titative estima

tes of potent

ial uses and a

ssociated

impacts.

Draft EIS Cont

ent The pu

blication of th

e Draft EIS i

ncluded infor

mation neces

sary to meet

the content a

nd submittal

-the sam

e information o

n the same da

te. The m

odificati

The Waste Ma

nagement Pla

n is a technical

document tha

t

Your comment

, aloinal EIS

. .

Sincere

ly,

Je

Principal Plan

ner

Greg Peters, E

xecutive Direc

tor, Malama M

aha‘ulepu

January 3, 20

17 Page 1

2 of 12

cc: arms

Envi

ronmental Pla

nning Office

Ju

ly 2

4, 2

016

Dr.

Laur

a M

cInt

yre

Haw

aii D

epar

tmen

t of H

ealth

12

50 P

unch

bow

l St.

Hon

olul

u, H

awai

i 96

713

Dea

r Dr.

McI

ntyr

e:

The

Haw

ai’i

Farm

to S

choo

l and

Sch

ool G

arde

n H

ui w

hich

incl

udes

ove

r 168

sch

ool g

arde

ns,

21,5

77 s

tude

nts,

830

teac

hers

, and

30

acre

s of

land

, was

firs

t est

ablis

hed

in th

e fa

ll of

201

0 an

d cu

rren

tly in

clud

es th

e is

land

s of

Kau

a’i,

Oah

u, M

aui,

Lān

a‘i,

Mol

oka’

i, an

d H

awai’i.

H

FSSG

H’s

com

mitm

ent t

o ou

r K-1

2 yo

uth

incl

udes

pro

vidi

ng a

cces

s to

incr

easi

ng s

ourc

es o

f lo

cal f

oods

incl

udin

g m

ilk s

ince

loca

lly g

row

n fo

ods

are

muc

h le

ss li

kely

to lo

se th

eir n

utrit

iona

l va

lue

befo

re b

eing

con

sum

ed b

y ou

r res

iden

ts th

an im

porte

d fo

ods.

M

aui’s

last

dai

ry, H

alea

kala

Dai

ry, o

wne

d by

the

Bald

win

fam

ily, w

as p

urch

ased

by

Mea

dow

G

old’

s So

uthe

rn F

oods

Cor

pora

tion

cent

ered

in D

alla

s, T

exas

in 1

998

due

mai

nly

to in

crea

sing

co

sts

of fe

ed fo

r the

cow

s an

d pr

ice

com

petit

ion

from

the

mai

nlan

d, th

us le

avin

g on

ly o

ne lo

cal

dairy

left

in th

e st

ate

of H

awai’i.

With

the

redu

ctio

n in

acc

ess

to m

ilk p

rodu

ced

loca

lly, i

slan

d re

side

nts

have

hel

d th

e w

ish

that

eve

ntua

lly a

mod

el c

ould

be

pres

ente

d to

us

that

wou

ld re

turn

da

iry fa

rmin

g to

our

isla

nds

at a

cos

t tha

t wou

ld m

ake

the

indu

stry

pro

fitab

le to

run

and

affo

rdab

le fo

r dis

tribu

tion

to o

ur s

choo

ls a

nd o

ur s

uper

mar

kets

. W

e un

ders

tand

that

Kau

a‘i w

as

foun

d to

be

the

optim

al lo

catio

n fo

r a s

econ

d lo

cal d

airy

and

Mah

a‘ul

epu

valle

y w

as s

elec

ted

due

to it

s A

gric

ultu

ral L

and

desi

gnat

ion,

gro

win

g co

nditi

ons,

and

acc

ess

to re

quire

d op

erat

iona

l in

puts

. Th

e pr

opos

ed H

awai’i

Dai

ry F

arm

s fo

r Kau

a’i o

ffers

a m

odel

Haw

ai’is

resi

dent

s ne

ed. C

ows

will

be fe

d on

gra

ss, t

hus

redu

cing

cos

ts o

f im

porte

d fe

ed c

onsi

dera

bly.

As

gras

s-fe

d ca

ttle,

they

will

rota

te th

roug

h va

rious

pad

dock

s th

us a

ssur

ing

soil

nutri

ents

are

app

lied

even

ly a

nd th

e gr

ass

is

able

to g

row

and

be

mai

ntai

ned

as a

feed

sou

rce.

Atte

ntio

n to

the

mov

emen

t of t

he c

attle

and

pr

oper

dis

tribu

tion

of m

anur

e ar

e in

tegr

al to

this

mod

el. I

n ad

ditio

n, th

e “o

ffsite

pro

cess

ing

elem

ent w

ould

sig

nific

antly

redu

ce th

e ov

eral

l tim

e fo

r milk

and

milk

pro

duct

s to

get

from

farm

to

tabl

e.”

Thus

, the

mod

el re

spon

ds to

que

stio

ns o

f cos

t, nu

tritio

n, jo

b cr

eatio

n, a

nd in

crea

se in

the

pote

ntia

l for

our

chi

ldre

n to

see

farm

rela

ted

care

ers

as a

via

ble

mea

ns fo

r est

ablis

hing

thei

r ow

n ho

mes

her

e in

the

isla

nds

and

rais

ing

a fa

mily

. The

find

ings

of t

he E

IS d

emon

stra

te th

at

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms

will

be p

rote

ctiv

e of

the

envi

ronm

ent a

nd s

erve

as

a m

odel

for s

usta

inab

le

agric

ultu

re in

the

isla

nds.

Ple

ase

help

to s

uppo

rt th

e H

awai’i

Dai

ry F

arm

s’in

itiat

ive

whi

ch w

ill as

sist

us

in m

eetin

g th

e nu

tritio

nal n

eeds

of a

ll ou

r res

iden

ts b

y ex

pand

ing

acce

ss to

loca

l milk

an

d m

ilk p

rodu

cts.

S

ince

rely

, M

s. L

ehn

Huf

f, D

irect

or

Mau

i Sch

ool G

arde

n N

etw

ork

PO B

ox 4

58, H

aiku

, Haw

aii

9670

8 w

ww

.mau

isch

oolg

arde

nnet

wor

k.or

g (8

08) 2

50-8

323

msg

n@ha

wai

i.rr.c

om

January 3, 20

17 Ms. Leh

n Huff Directo

r Maui S

chool Garden N

etwork

P.O. Box 458

Haiku, Hawai‘

i 96708

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

Mhulep, K

loa District, K

aua‘i, Hawai‘i

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

s. Lehn Huff:

Thank you for

your letter d

ated July 24,

2016 regardin

g the Hawai‘i

Dairy Farms

(HDF) Draft E

IS. We acknow

ledge your com

ments in supp

ort of the HDF

EIS. Your c

omment, along

with this res

ponse, will be

come part of t

he public reco

rd and

will be publis

hed in the Fin

al EIS. A copy

of the Final E

IS is included

on a compac

t disc w

ith this letter.

When publis

hed, the Final

EIS will be a

vailable on th

e OEQC

website whic

h you can acc

ess using the

following URL

, and search “

Hawaii Dairy

Farms”

: http://tinyur

l.com/OEQCKA

UAI. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly, GROUP

70 INTERNAT

IONAL, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

January 3, 20

17 Poipu B

ay Golf Course

2250 A

inako Street

Poipu, Hawai‘

i 96756

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

Respon

se to Comment

on Draft EIS

Dear :

letters receive

d July 25, 2016

Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

(HDF)

Draft EIS.

Depar following resp

onses are offer

ed to your com

ments.

Economics

EIS, including

a fiscal impac

t assessment

revalues

as a result of

dairy implemen

tation or ope

rations. No no

ticeable odors

, flies, of prop

erty values ad

jacent to beef

cattle operat

ions ional a

ctivities,

Rainfall Data

Table 4.1-

l data for a pe

riod of nearly

70 -to-yea

r variations s

tatewide over

941.1 station

, sited at 80

cent 30-year

Poipu Bay Golf

Course

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 2

of 4

operational s

torage period

(HD-

Table 4.1-1

rded from a r

ain gauge

catacly

smic rainfall o

ccur. dairy c

ows. As detai

Rain

Gauge il

recorded reve

als a couple d

ays of no rain

fall – insigni

ficant rainfall

– to 9, 20

06 including a

3-–

including a 3-

Follow

ing NRCS guid

ance and bes

t practices, H

DF will not a

pply effluent

immediately b

efore, during,

or

Pasture

-locatio

ns in New Zea

land, and

-i‘i’s dec

lining dairy in

dustry, and

--

-reduce

s imp-suffici

ency and foo

d ndown

er to support f

arming and lo

cal food

conven

tional feedlot

dairy operatio

ns of Hawai‘i’s

past. Convent

ional feedlot d

airies collect a

ll manure from

-

-

Poipu Bay Golf

Course

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 3

of 4

on--

pasture-

le Federal an

d State enviro

nmental

standards.

Residential Ar

eas Severa

l criticisms of

HDF are

a conventional

feedlot dairy

-pollute

d runoff, is b

ased on wild

ly different a

ssumptions a

nd in som

ding agricultu

ral lands.

-

pastur-

-day period.

-

cows using ty

pical effluent

irrigation con

ditions

-r could

-

-1).

per ye

ar.

Poipu Bay Golf

Course

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 3, 20

17 Page 4

of 4

– –

-

-feet (over

one-

-case

Your Final EIS.

.

Sincerely,

Je

Princip

al Planner

cc: Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Hawa

January 3, 20

17 Roy Th

ompson, Pres

ident Poipu B

each Resort A

ssociation

P.O. Box 730

Poipu, Hawai‘

i 96756

Subj

ect:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Final E

nvironmental

Impact Statem

ent (EIS)

Mhulep, K

loa District, K

aua‘i, Hawai‘i

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

r. Thompson:

Thank you for

your input d

ated July 20,

2016 on the H

awai‘i Dairy F

arms (HDF)

Draft EIS. The

following res

ponses are off

ered to your c

omments.

Results of tec

hnical studies

and the find

ings of this

EIS show no

unmitigated

nuisances tha

t could affect

property val

ues as a resu

lt of dairy co

nstruction or

operations. N

o noticeable o

dors, flies, noi

se, waste or w

ater discharg

es will impac

t resort

or residential

areas. Odor

is a nuisance

impact that m

ay reach beyo

nd the

dairy boundar

ies but will b

e limited to a

djacent farm

and ranch lan

ds owned by

Mahaulepu F

arm, LLC, les

sor of the da

iry site, and w

ould occur fo

r limited and

infrequ

ent duration.

As such, the

dairy will not

adversely affe

ct residents, n

earby recreat

ional activitie

s, guests in n

earby resorts

, or diminish

property sal

es or proper

ty values in th

e area. EIS Se

ction 4.15 add

resses demog

raphic and ec

onomic

factors, with t

he complete re

port in Appen

dix J. Your c

omment, along

with this res

ponse, will be

come part of t

he public reco

rd and

will be publis

hed in the Fin

al EIS. A copy

of the Final E

IS is included

on a compac

t disc w

ith this letter.

When publis

hed, the Final

EIS will be a

vailable on th

e OEQC

website whic

h you can acc

ess using the

following URL

, and search “

Hawaii Dairy

Farms”

: http://tinyur

l.com/OEQCKA

UAI. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly, GROUP

70 INTERNAT

IONAL, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

Sier

ra C

lub

of H

awai

‘i, K

aua‘

i Gro

up |

PO B

ox 3

412,

Lih

ue, H

awai

‘i 96

766

| hi.s

ierr

aclu

b.or

g

Emai

led

corr

espo

nden

ce re

duce

s pap

er w

aste

. If y

ou d

o pr

int t

his l

ette

r, pl

ease

recy

cle.

Mah

alo.

M

ALA

MA

I K

A H

ON

UA

C

heri

sh th

e E

arth

Ju

ly 2

5, 2

016

[V

IA e

mai

l]

Jeff

Ove

rton

(HD

F@G

roup

70in

t.com

) G

roup

70

Inte

rnat

iona

l 92

5 B

ethe

l St.,

5th

Flo

or

Hon

olul

u, H

I 9

6813

La

ura

McI

ntyr

e (d

oh.e

po@

doh.

haw

aii.g

ov)

Stat

e of

Haw

aii,

Dep

artm

ent o

f Hea

lth

Env

iron

men

tal P

lann

ing

Off

ice

1250

Pun

chbo

wl S

tree

t H

onol

ulu,

HI

9681

3 R

E:

Com

men

ts o

n D

raft

Env

iron

men

tal I

mpa

ct S

tate

men

t (D

EIS

) for

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms’

Pr

opos

ed D

airy

Ope

rati

on

Alo

ha:

Than

k yo

u fo

r th

e op

port

unit

y to

com

men

ts o

n th

e ab

ove

refe

renc

ed D

EIS

. P

roje

ct O

bjec

tive

#2.

Ple

ase

cite

spe

cific

exa

mpl

es o

f “pr

oven

, sus

tain

able

pas

tora

l gr

azin

g sy

stem

s” th

at r

educ

e re

lianc

e on

fert

ilize

r an

d fe

ed.

Sinc

e th

e N

ew Z

eala

nd-b

ased

m

odel

is n

ot s

ucce

ssfu

l, w

here

are

the

succ

essf

ul m

odel

s fo

und?

C

arry

ing

Cap

acit

y. W

ith

rega

rd to

exp

andi

ng o

pera

tion

s fr

om 6

99 to

2,0

00 m

ilkin

g co

ws,

ple

ase

prov

ide

data

that

add

ress

es in

crea

sed

nutr

ient

load

s in

sur

face

wat

ers

and

the

likel

ihoo

d of

thos

e le

vels

impa

ctin

g ne

arsh

ore

mar

ine

reso

urce

s.

Gro

un

dw

ater

Dis

char

ge.

Plea

se e

xpla

in w

hy d

rain

age

of g

roun

dwat

er in

to th

e di

tche

s ru

nnin

g th

roug

h th

e lo

wer

por

tion

of t

he H

DF

site

wou

ld n

ot o

ccur

dur

ing

tim

es o

f hig

h ra

infa

ll.

Su

rfac

e W

ater

Con

tam

inat

ion

. T

he in

term

itte

nt s

trea

ms

and

agri

cultu

ral d

itch

es in

th

is w

ater

shed

con

tain

hig

h le

vels

of a

nim

al w

aste

pol

luta

nts.

Sin

ce th

e su

rfac

e w

ater

qu

alit

y is

alr

eady

deg

rade

d, p

leas

e ex

plai

n ho

w th

e pr

opos

ed d

airy

will

not

hav

e ad

diti

onal

im

pact

s.

Page

2

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms

DE

IS

July

25,

201

6 Pl

ease

pro

vide

add

itio

nal d

ata

for

mar

ine

wat

er q

ualit

y te

stin

g du

ring

per

iods

of h

igh

stre

amflo

w o

f Wai

opili

Str

eam

whe

re it

dis

char

ges

into

the

ocea

n. T

he n

ears

hore

wat

er

test

ing

data

stu

dy w

as in

suff

icie

nt.

Des

pite

35-

foot

buf

fers

aro

und

all w

ater

way

s on

sit

e, w

ith

stor

mw

ater

flow

s, m

anur

e pa

rtic

les

coul

d ru

n of

f int

o dr

aina

ge d

itch

es a

nd d

owns

trea

m.

Dur

ing

heav

y ra

infa

ll an

d ru

noff

eve

nts,

ple

ase

expl

ain

how

pol

luta

nt c

once

ntra

tion

s an

d lo

ads

will

not

incr

ease

dur

ing

thes

e pe

riod

s. L

arge

vol

umes

of r

unof

f, ra

ises

con

cern

s th

at

sign

ifica

nt n

on-p

oint

sou

rce

pollu

tion

can

occ

ur.

Cli

mat

e C

han

ge.

Live

stoc

k, s

uch

as d

airy

cow

s, a

re a

kno

wn,

larg

e so

urce

of g

reen

hous

e ga

s em

issi

ons

(met

hane

) and

will

con

trib

ute

to c

limat

e ch

ange

.

Soi

ls.

Wha

t ste

ps w

ill b

e ta

ken

on a

n on

goin

g ba

sis,

to m

onit

or s

oil h

ealt

h an

d so

il nu

trie

nts

and

impl

emen

t act

ions

for

man

agem

ent t

hat w

ill m

inim

ize

envi

ronm

enta

l ris

ks?

C

ult

ura

l Im

pac

t Ass

essm

ent (

CIA

).

The

CIA

doe

s no

t pro

vide

ade

quat

e in

form

atio

n re

late

d to

the

loss

of f

utur

e ac

cess

to c

ultu

ral p

lace

s an

d cu

ltura

l pra

ctic

es b

ased

on

the

conc

erns

voi

ced

by c

omm

unit

y m

embe

rs w

ho w

ere

inte

rvie

wed

. W

hat m

itig

atio

n m

easu

res

can

be ta

ken

to a

ddre

ss th

ese

impa

cts?

E

con

omic

Im

pac

ts.

Nui

sanc

e im

pact

s “c

ould

res

ult i

n re

duce

d to

uris

m, s

ales

, em

ploy

men

t, sa

lari

es a

nd w

ages

, pro

pert

y va

lues

and

per

sona

l wea

lth.

” T

he s

igni

fican

t po

tent

ials

for

econ

omic

loss

es a

nd m

itig

atio

n m

easu

res

wer

e in

adeq

uate

ly a

ddre

ssed

in th

e D

EIS

. Pl

ease

pro

vide

a d

etai

led

cost

ben

efit

ana

lysi

s of

the

prop

osed

pro

ject

as

the

basi

s fo

r de

term

inin

g ec

onom

ic a

nd fi

scal

impa

cts.

The

ana

lysi

s sh

ould

add

ress

pro

duct

dem

and

and

prov

ide

cons

iste

nt fi

gure

s fo

r ho

w m

uch

milk

may

be

prod

uced

. A

lter

nat

ives

An

alys

is.

Ther

e ar

e to

o fe

w a

lter

nati

ves

desc

ribe

d in

the

DE

IS d

espi

te

NE

PA’s

man

date

that

a r

ange

of a

lter

nati

ves

be p

rovi

ded

for

deci

sion

mak

ing.

Fu

rthe

rmor

e,

it w

as m

isle

adin

g to

incl

ude

the

972-

acre

Puh

i par

cel a

s an

alte

rnat

ive

loca

tion

bec

ause

G

rove

Far

m s

old

the

prop

erty

in 2

013.

Ple

ase

expl

ain

the

omis

sion

of o

ther

pot

enti

al

loca

tion

s fo

r da

iry

oper

atio

ns.

Page

3

Haw

aii D

airy

Far

ms

DE

IS

July

25,

201

6 D

raft

EIS

Not

in C

omp

lian

ce.

Due

to d

ocum

ent m

odifi

cati

ons

pres

ente

d to

rev

iew

ing

agen

cies

dur

ing

the

publ

ic c

omm

ent p

erio

d, th

e op

port

unit

y fo

r m

eani

ngfu

l and

acc

urat

e pu

blic

com

men

ts o

n th

e D

EIS

is u

nder

min

ed. T

he D

OH

sho

uld

requ

ire

HD

F to

res

ubm

it a

n in

tegr

ated

and

com

preh

ensi

ve W

MP

and

DE

IS w

here

in th

e D

airy

Pla

n is

con

sist

ent

thro

ugho

ut.

The

com

men

t per

iod

on th

e D

EIS

sho

uld

not b

egin

unt

il H

DF

has

resu

bmit

ted

com

plet

e, c

onsi

sten

t doc

umen

ts fo

r re

view

and

the

publ

ic h

as b

een

noti

fied.

Th

ank

you

in a

dvan

ce fo

r yo

ur c

onsi

dera

tion

. M

ahal

o,

R

ayne

Reg

ush

Exe

cuti

ve C

omm

itte

e M

embe

r O

n be

half

of th

e Si

erra

Clu

b K

aua'

i Gro

up

cc: M

arti

Tow

nsen

d, S

ierr

a C

lub

Haw

ai'i

Cha

pter

Dir

ecto

r

January 3, 20

17 Mr. Ray

ne Regush

Executive Com

mittee Membe

r Sierra

Club Kaua‘i Gro

up P.O. Bo

x 3412

, Hawai‘i 9679

6 Su

bjec

t: Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Final Environ

mental Impac

t Statement (EI

S)

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear M

r. Regush:

Thank you for

your input d

ated July 25,

2016 on the H

awai‘i Dairy F

arms (HDF)

Draft EIS. The

following res

ponses are off

ered to your c

omments.

Pastoral Rotat

ional Grazing

Dairy Example

s Succes

sful pastoral

dairies exist a

t numerous lo

cations in New

Zealand, as w

ell as suitabl

e farming reg

ions in the U

nited States.

Several rotat

ional grazing

dairy operat

ions located

in Florida a

nd Georgia

operate succ

essfully, with

farms

containing ove

r 2,000 anima

ls. Successful

rotational gra

zing dairies al

so exist in

Maryland an

d North Car

olina, along

with Missouri

. Numerous

articles and

publications o

n rotational g

razing dairies

are cited in

Progressive D

airyman and

other industr

y news source

s. Dairy H

erd Size

For dairy ope

rations with 7

00 or more m

ature dairy co

ws, additiona

l regulatory

review and p

ermitting by t

he State Depa

rtment of Hea

lth would be

required. The

application pr

ocess for a Na

tional Pollutan

t Discharge El

imination Sys

tem (NPDES)

Concentrated

Animal Feedin

g Operation (

CAFO) permit

includes pub

lic notification

and inp

ut. At the disc

retion of HDF

, managemen

t may choose

to expand ope

rations

up to the ca

rrying capacit

y of the land

, which is est

imated to be

up to 2,000

produc

tive milking

dairy cows. P

ermit process

compliance w

ould be follo

wed at

such time HD

F may decide t

o pursue an ex

panded operat

ion. The mi

nor contributio

ns of nutrient

s from episod

ic rainfall anti

cipated to occu

r just 10 day

s annually fro

m dairy operat

ions will not a

dversely affec

t ocean water

quality

and the mari

ne environme

nt. The nearsh

ore area is a

highly mixed

environment

which activel

y disperses i

nputs within

several mete

rs from shore

. Comparing

nutrient const

ituents in sur

face water sa

mples taken

from the HD

F site and th

e agricul

tural ditches

down gradien

t to nutrients

sampled in t

he nearshore

ocean

water revealed

that indicator

bacteria were

substantially

lower in the o

cean than in

the ditch. The

rapid decrea

se is likely a

result of phys

ical mixing of

water masse

s and tox

icity from sal

ine water. In

any event, the

elevated level

s of indicator b

acteria

do not extend

beyond the s

horeline. Base

line water qua

lity data and t

he surface and

marine

water impact

report is inclu

ded in the EIS

as Appendix F

.

Mr. Rayne Reg

ush, Sierra Clu

b Kaua‘i Grou

p Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Environmenta

l Impact Statem

ent Januar

y 3, 2017

Page 2 of 5

There will be

ongoing natu

ral inputs to

Waiopili Ditch

contributed

from the over

all watershed

and the

agricultural la

nds bordering

the ditch dow

nstream of the

dairy. With the

measures bein

g taken by the

dairy to activ

ely manage su

rface runoff, nu

trients and su

spended sedim

ents, concerns

about the pot

ential effects

of dairy operat

ions to ocean

beach recreati

on are not ant

icipated.

Groundwater D

ischarge

There has been

no rainfall eve

nt that would

exceed the cap

acity of the eff

luent ponds si

nce rainfall ha

s been require

ment of conta

ining the 25-

year, 24-hour

rainfall even

t. Under the c

ommitted he

rd size of 69

9 mature

dairy cows, t

he ponds cou

ld hold an add

itional 45 per

cent volume; u

nder the conte

mplated herd

size of

up to 2,000

mature dairy

cows, the p

onds could h

old an additi

onal 12 perc

ent volume.

An emerge

ncy containme

nt berm has als

o been added

to the design

, providing add

itional capacit

y equivalent

to 30 days o

f effluent for

the potential

contemplated

herd size up

to 2,000 ma

ture dairy co

ws. For

additional info

rmation regar

ding rainfall a

nd other natur

al hazards, see

Draft EIS Secti

on 4.6.

The groundw

ater engineer

consulting to

HDF estimated

the potential

nutrients that

could leave t

he site

from HDF ope

rations as two

percent of nit

rogen (totalin

g 10,000 poun

ds per year),

and one per

cent of

phosphorus (

totaling 900

pounds per y

ear). This wo

uld not occu

r as chronic d

aily releases,

rather,

contributions

would be lim

ited to period

s of major ra

infall events t

hat exceed 0.8

inches. Such

rainfall

events are es

timated to occ

ur, on averag

e, 10 days ann

ually. No efflue

nt application

would be con

ducted

two days prio

r to, during,

and two days

after such w

eather events

per best ma

nagement pr

actice guideli

nes. The estim

ate of nutrient

s leaving the s

ite is the same

for both the

committed he

rd size of 699

mature

dairy cows an

d the contemp

lated herd siz

e of up to 2,00

0 mature dair

y cows.

To p-

or 3.5 times m

ore than the e

stimate of pot

ential nutrien

t throughput

from HDF. Ph

osphorus for

both domes

tic wastewate

r and landscap

e fertilization

in the region

is estimated to

be 1,260 pou

nds annually,

or 1.4 tim

es greater tha

n the potentia

l discharge fr

om HDF. The

nutrient input

s from domes

tic uses in th

e P

Accord

ing to TNWR

E (April 2016

), toward the

makai end of

the HDF site,

the groundwa

ter level in th

e alluviu

m is substanti

ally below the

manmade cha

nnel invert. T

his means tha

t groundwater

discharge fro

m the allu

vium into the c

hannels does

not occur at th

e makai end o

f the HDF site

. Waiopi

li Ditch Water

Quality

Complaints fro

m the public

citing the high

levels of ent

erococcus in

Waiopili Ditch

and public c

oncerns

watersheds. D

OH conducted

water sampli

ng within the W

aiopili Ditch a

nd areas upstr

eam, and initia

ted a series

of investigatio

ns into water

quality issue

s. The Sanitar

y Survey foun

d no significa

nt impact to

the ditch f

rom any activ

ity that could

be attributed

to the dairy.

Feral animal w

aste, decaying

organic debr

is and in

puts from exi

sting agricultu

ral operations

may all be c

ontributing fa

ctors in the i

ndicator level

s -made drainag

e on private

property, and

is not an inv

iting recreatio

nal body of w

ater utilized b

y people. The

Sanitar

y Survey can

be accessed

on the DO

H Clean Wa

ter Branch

website und

er “Library”

(http://health

.hawaii.gov/cw

b). Long-te

rm ocean wat

er quality mon

itoring has be

en initiated to

provide a bas

eline for the n

earshore ocea

n waters

. HDF will regu

larly sample a

nd analyze nu

trient and che

mical constitu

ent levels in t

he near-shore

Mr. Rayne Reg

ush, Sierra Clu

b Kaua‘i Grou

p Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Environmenta

l Impact Statem

ent Januar

y 3, 2017

Page 3 of 5

marine enviro

nment. Data f

rom the nears

hore water m

onitoring pro

gram will be m

ade available

to the

DOH CWB, da

iry neighbors

and the loca

l Kauai comm

unity, and w

ill allow for

evaluation of

possible

contamination

sources.

Climate Chang

e and Methane

Emissions

There are no

State or Fed

eral regulatio

ns for greenh

ouse gas emi

ssions from fa

rm operations

or small

businesses. H

owever, livesto

ck and agricu

lture as an in

dustry contri

butes to green

house gas em

issions, so

HDF engaged

a technical exp

ert to model

potential gree

nhouse gas (G

HG) emissions

based on the

2006 Intergo

vernmental P

anel on Climat

e Change (IPC

C) Guidelines f

or National Gr

eenhouse Gas

Inventories, as

no dair

y is currently

in operation. T

he GHG emissi

ons included m

ethane and ni

trous, convert

ed to carbon

dioxide equiva

lents (CO 2e) us

ing the IPCC’s

AR3 global w

arming potent

ial (GWP) that

relates the G

HG to CO 2. Th

e IPCC Parame

ters for Ocean

ic dairy cattle

in warm climat

es were selec

ted as most app

licable to the

rotational-gra

zed dairy oper

ation and con

ditions at HDF

. See the EIS S

ections 4.19 a

nd 4.26, and A

ppendix I

for complete in

formation.

The emissions

potential for

GHG at HDF w

ith the comm

itted herd siz

e of 699 milki

ng cows was e

stimated

as 2,693 CO2e

metric tons (

2,969 U.S. tons

) per year. Th

is is equivalen

t to the GHG g

enerated by 1

70 4-person

households. P

otential GHG e

missions from

the contempla

ted future her

d size of up to

2,000 milking

cows was esti

mated at 7,70

5 CO 2e metric

tons (8,493

U.S. tons) wh

ich is equiva

lent to 485 4

-person

households. G

HG estimates

for househol

d energy con

sumption incl

udes home en

ergy use, tran

sportation

and waste.

While the pre

sence of cows

may increas

e GHG, a long

-term benefici

al impact of th

e grazing field

s is the

sequestration

of carbon as C

O 2 captured by

the process o

f photosynthe

sis by the gras

s. According t

o recent

studies in the

Soil Science So

ciety of Amer

ica Journal, co

nverting form

erly tilled cro

pland to graze

d pasture

can drive subs

tantial accumu

lation of organ

ic carbons in s

oil, which enh

ances soil qua

lity, grass prod

uction,

and has the p

otential to offs

et up to one-th

ird the annua

l increase in CO

2 production o

f an area.

Operational p

ractices to pr

otect air qual

ity by reducin

g nitrogen em

issions will c

ome from gui

dance in

NRCS Conser

vation Practic

e Standard 5

90, Nutrient

Management.

Application

of nutrients

must be

adjusted to m

inimize negati

ve impacts of

GHG release

to the environ

ment through

adjustments

to the source

, timing, amou

nts, and place

ment of nutrie

nts. Specific p

ractices to be

utilized at HD

F include: slo

w release

fertilizers; nu

trient enhance

ment technolo

gies; and stabi

lized nitrogen

fertilizers.

Soils Monitori

ng Soils w

ill be monitore

d through the

process of nu

trient managem

ent, the practic

e of managing

the amount,

rate, source,

method of ap

plication, and

timing of p

lant nutrients

and soil am

endments. Th

e NRCS

Conservation

Practice Stan

dard 590 (re

ferred to as S

tandard 590)

, Nutrient Ma

nagement, ap

plies to

commercial fe

rtilizers, orga

nic by-produc

ts, waste wate

r, organic ma

tter, and irriga

tion water. Th

e timing

and applicatio

n of nutrients

should corres

pond as close

ly as practical

with plant upt

ake, soil prop

erties and

weather condi

tions. More info

rmation abou

t NRCS Standa

rd 590 can be

found in Draf

t EIS Section 3

.5.4.2. A Tech

nical Service

Provider kno

wledgeable in

NRCS Conser

vation Practic

es was retain

ed to work wi

th HDF te

chnical adviso

rs in determi

ning a nutrien

t balance for

the Mhulep

site. Applicat

ion of manur

e can be

beneficial to

soils by impro

ving organic m

atter, increas

ing infiltration

of water, and

improving th

e soils’ a

bility to suppo

rt pasture grow

th and root es

tablishment.

The Nutrient M

anagement Pla

n (NMP) devel

oped for HDF

includes requi

red component

s such as soil

tests and oth

er procedures

to monitor, m

aintain, or im

prove the phy

sical, chemica

l, and biologic

al condition o

f

Mr. Rayne Reg

ush, Sierra Clu

b Kaua‘i Grou

p Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Environmenta

l Impact Statem

ent Januar

y 3, 2017

Page 4 of 5

the soil. It is

important to

note that the

NMP is an ada

ptive managem

ent tool. Some

times describe

d as a “living,

breathing do

cument,” the

nutrient cond

itions are co

nstantly mon

itored and th

e NMP will b

e update

d as condition

s on the dairy

mature. The

results from s

oil testing, ma

nure testing, a

nd forage test

ing will be

utilized to up

date and infor

m the nutrient

management

process for HD

F. Access

to Cultural Pla

ces Based

on the AIS a

nd CIA techn

ical reports,

no significant

cultural resou

rces are locat

ed on the HD

F proper

ty. Access to ad

jacent proper

ties will conti

nue to be the

responsibility

of the land ow

ner, Mahaulep

u Farm, L

LC. Econom

ic Study

Results of tech

nical studies a

nd the finding

s of this EIS sh

ow no unmiti

gated nuisance

s that could af

fect proper

ty values as a

result of dairy

construction o

r operations. N

o noticeable o

dors, flies, noi

se, waste or

water discharg

es will impact

resort or resi

dential areas.

Odor is a nuisa

nce impact th

at may reach

beyond

the dairy boun

daries but wil

l be limited to

adjacent farm

and ranch land

s owned by M

ahaulepu Farm

, LLC, lessor o

f the dairy site

, and would oc

cur for limited

and infrequen

t duration. As

such, the dair

y will not

adversely affe

ct residents, ne

arby recreatio

nal activities,

guests in nea

rby resorts, or

diminish prop

erty sales o

r property valu

es in the area.

EIS Section 4.1

5 addresses de

mographic and

economic facto

rs, with

the complete re

port in Appen

dix J. Alterna

tives As a pa

rt of the EIS, a

lternatives we

re evaluated t

hat could attai

n the objectiv

es of the actio

n’s purpose an

d need, a

nd were comp

ared with env

ironmental be

nefits, costs, a

nd risks of ea

ch reasonable

alternative

against those o

f the proposed

dairy project.

Further discu

ssion of altern

atives can be f

ound in EIS Se

ction 6.

Of all the alte

rnative action

s and location

s considered,

the planned a

gricultural ope

rations of Haw

ai‘i Dairy

Farm is the o

nly approach t

hat achieves p

roject objectiv

es and meets

each of the fi

ve Evaluation

Criteria

described in E

IS Section 2.3

.4. Nutrien

t Balance Ana

lysis The m

odifications t

o the 2014 W

aste Managem

ent Plan were

submitted to

the Departm

ent of Health

“shortl

y before” the D

raft EIS was pu

blished two w

eeks later. Th

e Draft EIS an

alyzed the pro

ject elements,

includi

ng those summ

arized in the l

etter to DOH. T

he Waste Man

agement Plan i

s a technical d

ocument that

is not p

art of the EIS

or subject to p

ublic review a

nd comment. H

owever, all of

the nutrient in

formation is

addressed in t

he EIS as part

of the Nutrien

t Balance Ana

lysis.

Mr. Rayne Reg

ush, Sierra Clu

b Kaua‘i Grou

p Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Environmenta

l Impact Statem

ent Januar

y 3, 2017

Page 5 of 5

Your comment

, along with th

is response, w

ill become par

t of the public

record and w

ill be publishe

d in the

Final EIS. A co

py of the Final

EIS is include

d on a compac

t disc with this

letter. When p

ublished, the F

inal EIS wil

l be available o

n the OEQC we

bsite which yo

u can access u

sing the follow

ing URL, and s

earch “Hawa

ii Dairy Farm

s”: http://tiny

url.com/OEQC

KAUAI.

Thank you for

your participa

tion in the env

ironmental rev

iew process.

Sincerely,

GROUP 70 INT

ERNATIONAL

, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice

•

o

• •

January 11, 2

017 Carl J. B

erg, Ph.D.

Kaua‘i Chapte

r Chair

Surfrider Foun

dation PO Box

819 Waime

a, Hawai‘i 967

96 Su

bjec

t: Hawai‘

i Dairy Farms

Final Environ

mental Impac

t Statement (EI

S)

Response to Co

mment on Dra

ft EIS Dear D

r. Berg:

Thank you for

your input d

ated July 25,

2016 on the H

awai‘i Dairy F

arms (HDF)

Draft EIS. The

following res

ponses are off

ered to your c

omments:

The project p

urpose is to e

stablish a sust

ainable, pasto

ral rotational-

grazing dairy

farm to increa

se local milk

production, b

olster Hawai‘

i’s declining d

airy industry

, and re

duce reliance

on imported

milk from t

he mainland

United States

. The rotatio

nal-grazing da

iry system ut

ilizes 100 per

cent of all ma

nure on-site a

s natural

fertilizer to g

row grass. Th

is cost-effectiv

e method red

uces imported

fertilizer and

feed, a

nd minimizes

potential impa

cts to the env

ironment. The

dairy farm ut

ilizes a

viable approa

ch to use Imp

ortant Agricu

ltural Lands fo

r agricultural s

elf-sufficiency

and foo

d production.

HDF represe

nts a continued

commitment

by the landow

ner to suppor

t farming an

d local food

production, a

nd to aid in

the resurrect

ion of Hawai‘

i’s dairy indus

try. Oppon

ents to the da

i-based

expert

consultants by

using wildly

different assu

mptions and,

in several cas

es, incorrect

data. In most

cases, the as

sumptions ar

e based on p

oorly-managed

conventional

feedlot

dairy opera

tions on the

mainland. HD

F stands by

the environm

ental analyse

s conducted f

or the EIS, wh

ich uses reaso

nable and dili

gent processe

s to disclos

e all probable

impacts and

demonstrates

the dairy wil

l not create n

uisance

impacts down

stream or bey

ond surround

ing agricultur

al lands.

I. Br

ief R

espo

nse

Sum

mar

y

Waiopili Ditch

receives run

off from the la

rger 2,700-ac

re Valley

sub-waters

hed, including

the lands mau

ka and makai

of the propo

sed dairy. Th

e dairy

site represents

roughly 20 p

ercent of the

sub-watershed

, occupying ju

st 557 acres.

With rainfall

at slightly less

than 50 inc

hes annually

in Valley

, this region

is one of the dr

ier areas of the

island.

Carl Berg, Ph.D

., Kauai Chapte

r, Surfrider Fo

undation

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 11, 2

017 Page 2

of 11

The dairy has

been designe

d to minimize

impacts to s

oil and water

resources us

ing best mana

gement

practices from

the Natural

Resources Co

nservation Se

rvice (NRCS)

and other tec

hnical guidan

ce. NRCS

provides exte

nsive guidanc

e for agricultu

ral operations

to meet string

ent standards

including tho

se under

the Clean Wat

er Act. Nutrien

t managemen

t is a key tenet

, and the stand

ard for protec

tion of waterw

ays has

been applied

to the design

of HDF paddo

cks using fenc

ing to create la

rge setbacks f

rom drainages

. Details

of the setback

s and nutrient

management

are provided i

n the following

sections of thi

s response.

The shallow g

roundwater bo

dy in the allu

vium of

Valley has bee

n shown to be

hydrologicall

y discon

nected from

deep groundw

ater confined

in unweathere

d volcanics. T

hus nutrients

added by the

dairy o

peration will h

ave no impact

s to the County

drinking wat

er wells, the s

ource of potab

le water withi

n the dee

p volcanics.

As part of its o

n-going monito

ring of recrea

tional beaches

, the State

(DOH)

Clean Water Br

anch (CWB)

had not cond

ucted water qu

ality sampling

for either ne

arshore recre

ation Unit, a

s the remote

areas are on p

rivate lands.

Priority for H

awai‘i’s nearsh

ore water qua

lity monitorin

g goes to

public beache

s where the g

eneral public

recreates in n

umbers; area

s accessed acr

oss private la

nds are typ

ically not inclu

ded due to lim

ited funding.

II.

HDF has prepa

red an Enviro

nmental Impac

t St§11-20

0), to disclose

the potent

ial for environ

mental impac

ts for the plan

ned dairy farm

at the earlies

t practicable

time. HDF has

Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statements st

atute (HRS 343

) and guiding

rules. As stat

ed previously

, HDF has con

scientiously d

esigned the da

iry to minimize

impacts to so

il and water

resources us

ing best man

agement pra

ctices. Furthe

r detail is pr

ovided in the

Environmen

tal Impact

and in the foll

owing respon

se. HDF has co

llected initial

baseline

data on surfac

e waters, nea

rshore marin

e waters, and

shallow grou

ndwater withi

n the alluvium

, focused

on nutrient a

nd chemical c

onstituents. P

eriodic sampl

ing will be on

going. Results

will provide f

eedback to

the dairy man

agement team

regarding any

potential chan

ges to water qu

ality. Any de

tectable incre

ases in nutrie

nts can inform

modification

of the opera

tion’s nutrient

management.

Modific

ations to the t

iming and plac

ement of efflu

ent can be ma

de; the rate of

application c

an be changed

; differe

nt crops can b

e utilized to i

ncrease upta

ke by plants;

and the num

ber of cows c

an be change

d. Nutrien

t managemen

t is a dynamic

process that

is informed by

monitoring a

number of p

arameters; th

e ability

to monitor ne

arby water bo

dies for chang

es in nutrient

s is an additi

onal check tha

t provides da

ta that ca

n be made ava

ilable to the p

ublic. The Fi

nal EIS reflec

ts refinements

based on co

mment to the

Draft EIS. Th

is includes a

marine biotic

assessm

ent now contai

ned in Append

ix F of Volume

2; relevant find

ings from the a

ssessment are

contained

in this respon

se.

Carl Berg, Ph.D

., Kauai Chapte

r, Surfrider Fo

undation

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 11, 2

017 Page 3

of 11

III.

As a part of th

e EIS, alternat

ives were eval

uated that cou

ld attain the o

bjectives of th

e action’s pur

pose and

need, and wer

e compared w

ith environme

ntal benefits,

costs, and risk

s of each reas

onable altern

ative against

those of the pr

oposed dairy p

roject. Furthe

r discussion o

f alternatives c

an be found in

EIS Section 6

. A searc

h for potentia

l locations wa

s conducted du

ring the site s

election proce

ss, with the ev

aluation based

on loca

tion criteria e

stablished for

the dairy, as

well as trials

to evaluate gr

owth of grass

at locations

statewide. HD

F coordinated

with landow

ners of agric

ulturally-zone

d lands in th

e State, as we

ll as the

Department o

f Agriculture,

the Agribusin

ess Developme

nt Corporation

, and the Trust

for Public La

nd. The

Kaua‘i was

found to be t

he optimal lo

cation, as it

met all the o

perational

requirements

for pasture-ba

sed dairy.

One specific a

lternative

Kpevaluat

ed in the EIS. T

he potential si

te was further

from the coa

st and ocean,

however, the

site was evalu

ated as having

greater poten

tial impacts in

comparison t

o the

location, inclu

ding: steeper

slopes that wo

uld either requ

ire more site d

isturbance or

to not be use

d by dairy co

ws; higher ra

infall and low

er sunlight p

roduced lowe

r grass growt

h rates in the

statew

ide trials, thus

requiring gre

ater pasture a

rea to suppor

t the herd; an

d 26 percent o

f the site lies

in State C

onservation D

istrict and ther

efore is not zo

ned for agricu

lture. Further,

since the initi

al evaluation,

the lan

d has been con

tracted for sal

e and is no lon

ger available f

or use as a pa

sture-based da

iry. In resp

onse to comm

ents on the Dr

aft EIS, Ulupo

no Initiative a

gain searched

for agricultu

rally-zoned lan

d with p

otential long-

term availabi

lity that may

have become

available in t

he past few y

ears. Availabl

e ntly va

cated by Pione

er Seed Compa

ny are closer

to resort

and residentia

l area and ther

efore provide

no additional

benefit. Maui

lands being ph

ased from sug

arcane

to diversified

agriculture ha

ve uncertain

water availab

ility and there

fore do not m

eet the opera

tional criteria

. Thus the rec

ently conduct

ed search for

potential alt

ernate locatio

ns did not id

entify any ne

w proper

ty that meets t

he requiremen

ts for a pastur

e-based dairy.

Of all the alte

rnative action

s and location

s considered,

the planned a

gricultural ope

rations of Haw

ai‘i Dairy

Farm is the o

nly approach t

hat achieves p

roject objectiv

es and meets

each of the fi

ve Evaluation

Criteria

described in E

IS Section 2.3

.4. IV

.

Regulatory Ju

risdiction: Sec

tion 4.17 of th

e EIS identifies

the three pri

mary regulato

ry definitions

for the

surface waters

of

1.The Comm

ission on Wate

r Resource Ma

nagement (CW

RM) defines su

rface water hy

drologic units

to delinea

te and codify

surface water

resources in t

he State. As de

scribed in the

EIS, the HDF si

te is located

with relatively

low stream di

scharge”. The

HDF site is in

the bottom-

Valley, which

is fed by

There are no

perennial stre

ams

2.On the U.S

. Geologic Sur

vey quadrang

le map, the m

ain surface wa

ter that crosse

s the HDF site

is not named

.

Carl Berg, Ph.D

., Kauai Chapte

r, Surfrider Fo

undation

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 11, 2

017 Page 4

of 11

3.The USFW

S National We

tlands Invento

ry (NWI) assig

ned codes tha

t describe the

habitat type

presumed by t

he Inventory (

most informat

ion in the NW

I was derived

from aerial pho

tographs and

maps, n

ot field invest

igations; USFW

S, 2014). All o

f the water dit

ches on the pro

perty (and the

‘auwai

flooded) flowin

g water, in an

excavated cha

nnel. , and n

o native aqua

tic fauna is as

sociated

with the ditch

(Final EIS Vol

ume 5, Appen

dix E-E). Nativ

e aquatic faun

a are freshwat

er animals tha

t spend

their early la

rval stage in

the ocean an

d migrate int

o perennial s

treams. Migra

ting into inte

rmittent

streams is a d

eath sentence

, as such stre

ams do not pr

ovide sufficien

t habitat. As

stated in the

EIS, the

stream is clea

rly intermitten

t in the upper

reaches above

the project a

rea. flow w

hen there is si

gnificant runo

ff (e.g. from ra

in storms). An

alysis at the H

DF site by the

groundwater

engine

er demonstrat

es runoff occu

rs when rainf

all reaches or

exceeds 0.8 in

ches. Based o

n the 30-year

rainfall record

for the area, s

uch rainfall ev

ents are estim

ated to occur

approximately

three percent

of days,

or an average

of 10 days ann

ually (EIS Secti

on 4.17.4).

Classification

Under State W

ater Policy

The Final EIS h

as been clarifie

d to note that

HAR §11-54 do

es not classify

for protection

any flowing in

land waters

fall into Class

2 [HAR §11-54

-objecti

ve of Class 2 w

aters is to pro

tect their use f

or recreationa

l purposes, the

support and

propagation o

f aquatic

life, agricultu

ral and indust

rial water sup

plies, shipping

, and navigati

on....These wa

ters shall not

act as rece

iving waters f

or any discha

rge which has

not received

the best degr

ee of treatme

nt or control

compatible w

ith the criteri

a established

for this class .

. .” (EIS Secti

on 4.17.2 Surfa

ce W

ater

Qua

lity). The

HDF de

sign incorpor

ates the best d

egree of contr

ol to minimize

impacts to w

ater quality.

are included

in critical hab

itat establi

shed by the U

.S. Fish and W

ildlife Service

(USFWS) for e

ndangered spe

cies, HAR §11

-54-5.1(a)(iv)

states: flowing

waters whic

h have been

identified as

a unique or c

ritical habitat

for threatene

d or endang

ered species b

y the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife

Service” (emp

hasis added).

Monk seal cr

itical habitat

includes marin

e habitat defin

ed as the bott

om 10 meters

from shore o

ut to the 200 m

eter depth con

tour, and ter

restrial habita

t as 5 meters in

land. Freshwa

ters are not sp

ecified for mo

nk seal critica

l habitat.

Surfrider asse

rts that HDF

will exacerba

te the already

polluted con

ditions of Wa

iopili Ditch, an

d ignores

the technical

findings of HD

F’-based

expert consul

tants. Among t

he findings pr

ovided in the

Draft and Fin

al EIS docum

ents, it is imp

ortant to note

that estimate

d peak flow o

f stormwater

runoff will be

reduce

d (Final EIS Se

ction 3.3.2.3 D

rain

age

Impr

ovem

ents

). Proposed co

nditions inclu

de roughly 80

acres of mai

ntained draina

geways, veget

ated setbacks,

cow walkway

s topped wit

h soft, crush

ed, permeable

limesto

ne, and farm r

oads. A thick g

rass ground c

over for the p

asture area w

ill constitute t

he majority o

f the far

m: nearly 470

acres of the

557-acre site

. With organic

matter from

manure, the

predominate

ly Kikuyu

grass crop w

ill improve sur

face infiltratio

n of both rain

fall and irrigat

ion (EIS Volum

e 4, Appendix

5-A). Existin

g and propos

ed conditions

related to s

tormwater ru

noff and drai

nage are iden

tified in the

(Group 70, 2

016), containe

d in EIS

Volume 2 App

endix K. Thus

stormwater ru

noff down-gra

dient from th

e site will be r

educed from d

airy manag

ement of the H

DF site.

Carl Berg, Ph.D

., Kauai Chapte

r, Surfrider Fo

undation

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 11, 2

017 Page 5

of 11

The Kaua‘i Ch

apter of the Su

rfrider Found

ation Blue Wa

ter Task Force

began collect

ing water sam

ples in

Waiopili Ditch

near Makauw

ahi Cave Rese

rve in April 2

014. Complai

nts from the

public citing t

he high

levels of ente

rococcus in W

aiopili Ditch a

nd concerns a

bout the prop

osed dairy pr

ompted the St

ate of CWB)

Survey” of th

e

Research into

Watershed C

onditions

DOH C

WB conducte

d water samp

ling within th

e Waiopili Dit

ch and areas

upstream on f

ive dates from

Novem

ber 2014 thro

ugh March 201

5, and initiate

d a series of i

nvestigations

into water qua

lity issues. The

Sanitar

y Survey findi

ngs resulted i

n an expressio

n of concern b

y DOH CWB t

hat the numb

er of injection

wells a

nd cesspools i

n the adjacen

t Waikomo w

atershed, whic

h the wa

ters of the Wa

iopili Ditch.

The Sanitary

Survey found

no significan

t impact to the

ditch from an

y activity tha

t could be att

ributed to

the dairy. Fera

l animal waste

, decaying org

anic debris an

d inputs from

existing agric

ultural operat

ions may

Sampling

Marine

Research Co

nsultants, Inc.

(MRCI) cond

ucted water

quality surve

ys of surface

waters and t

he nearsh

ore marine en

vironment for

the EIS and t

o establish a b

aseline of exis

ting condition

s. Working in

conjun

ction with sam

pling by Tom

Nance Water

Resource Eng

ineers (TNWR

E) of groundw

ater in the are

a, baselin

e data was r

ecorded on g

roundwater, s

urface water,

and nearshor

e marine wat

er quality. Th

e rationa

le of the wate

r quality asse

ssment was to

determine the

contribution

of groundwate

r to the marin

e environ

ment down-gr

adient of the H

DF site, and to

provide a bas

eline of condi

tions prior to

dairy activitie

s. Combin

ing this infor

mation with e

stimates of ch

anges in grou

ndwater and s

urface water

flow rates and

chemic

al compositio

n that could re

sult from the p

roposed proje

ct provided a

basis from wh

ich to evaluate

potent

ial future effe

cts to the mar

ine environme

nt. The techni

cal reports pr

epared by MR

CI and TNWR

E are app

endices E and

F, respectivel

y, of the EIS (V

olume 2).

The State DOH

Water Qualit

y Standards

April 3

0 [HAR §11-5

4-5.2(b)]. Sam

pling was con

ducted during

the wet seas

on. However,

during the 9-

month period

of the baseli

ne data colle

ction, no sign

ificant rainfall

events occu

rred that resu

lted in

observable flo

w to the ocea

n. This is con

sistent with r

esearch by the

groundwater

engineer that

runoff

from the site w

ould be limited

to periods of

major rainfa

ll events that

exceed 0.8 inc

hes. Based on

the 30-

year rainfall r

ecord for the

area, such r

ainfall events

are estimated

to only occu

r approximat

ely three

percent of day

s, or an averag

e of 10 days a

nnually (EIS Se

ction 4.17.4).

Twelve survey

points were

established in

surface wate

rs: two up-gra

dient of the H

DF site; eight

sites in

ditches that tr

averse or bou

nd the HDF si

te; and two be

low the site. S

ix separate sa

mpling sessio

ns were

conducted fro

m October 20

14 to July 20

15. Sampling f

ocused on nu

trient and ch

emical consti

tuents identif

ied in HAR §11

-54-06 (b) of

the State DOH

Water Qualit

y Standards fo

r open coasta

l waters. Not a

ll sites ha

d water withi

n the channel

on some samp

ling dates; thi

s is reflected

as missing sam

ple sites in dat

a collecte

d by MRCI an

d displayed i

n Tables 1 a

nd 2 of the B

aseline Condi

tions report (

EIS Volume 2

, Append

ix F). At the

request of th

e DOH CWB,

MRCI added s

ampling for b

acteriological

components o

n three dates

during 2015.

DOH CWB als

o conducted b

acteriological

testing on two

dates sampled

by MRCI, and

on three

additional dat

es.

Carl Berg, Ph.D

., Kauai Chapte

r, Surfrider Fo

undation

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 11, 2

017 Page 6

of 11

Conclusions fr

om Sampling b

y DOH and HD

F The C

WB results o

f their bacte

riological surv

ey show a c

lear trend of

an increasin

g enterococci

concen

tration towar

ds the stream

mouth. The d

ense vegetati

on forms a can

opy over the

ditch segmen

t where

sampling site

s 11 and 12 ar

e located, blo

cking out a lar

ge portion of

sunlight to the

area. There is

also a

high degree of

turbidity in t

he area. It is b

elieved these

serve as a pro

tective barrie

r to the natura

l inactiv

ation of the in

dicator bacter

ia by sunlight,

thereby leadi

ng to elevated

concentration

s. MRCI c

oncluded that

bacteriologic

al sampling s

howed fecal i

ndicator bacte

ria (FIB) such

as entero

cocc

us,

clos

trid

ium

, in surface wa

ter samples an

d nearshore m

arine samples

showed no re

petitive patter

n: counts

were high and

variable with

in surface wate

r sites and be

tween times o

f sampling. As

no dairy cow

activities

existed during

the sampling

, the high lev

els of indicat

or bacteria a

re the result

of naturally o

ccurring

sources (feral

animals), as w

ell as other ex

isting land us

es. It is im

portant to no

te that huma

n-related sew

age poses the

highest hum

an health risk

. There are

limitations an

d issues surro

unding use of

FIB to determ

ine human hea

lth risks to ba

thers. Correlat

ions have n

ot been estab

lished betwee

n FIB concen

trations and

gastro-intestin

al (GI) illness

es at beaches

charac

terized by non

-point source

s of FIB. Extra

-enteric sourc

es of FIB have

been reporte

d to multiply

in environ

mental habita

ts (soil, sedim

ents, sand, pl

ants, algae) in

tropical as w

ell as tempera

te climates. It

should

be noted that

since extra-en

teric FIB mult

iplied in envir

onmental hab

itats, such as s

oil rather than

intestin

al habitats of

humans or a

nimals, these

bacteria are

not indicators

of fecal cont

amination. As

a result,

the numbers

of extra-enter

ic FIB in env

ironmental w

ater samples

are not relate

d to degree o

f sewage

contamination

or degree of a

nimal fecal co

ntamination (

Final EIS Volu

me 5, Appendi

x D-D).

V.

Beach Recrea

tion HDF ac

knowledges th

e photos subm

itted by you a

nd others sho

wing people w

alking near an

d wading the

stream. The E

IS states what

is cont

Waiopili Ditch

is a man-mad

e drainage on

private prop

erty, and is n

ot an inviting

recreational

body of

water. . .” The

accompanyin

g photos in the

Sanitary Surv

ey show the dit

ch in the vicin

ity of, and abo

ve, the

bridge. Photo

s provided by

commenters

to the DEIS sh

ow people on

the beach, as w

ell as people c

rossing

the channel on

foot nearest

the beach at a

point also ut

ilized by a com

mercial horse

-back riding o

peration

during its twi

ce-daily trail r

ides. The strea

m itself is not

utilized for re

creational pur

poses; the bea

ch is. Impact

s to Critical Ha

bitat and Enda

ngered Specie

s Your a

ssertions tha

t HDF will im

pact critical h

abitats in the

vicinity, as n

oted above, i

gnore the HD

F consult

ants’ findings

. Responses to

your specific

comments on

nutrients follo

w, however it

is important to

highlig

ht the findings

of the H

ydro

logi

c As

sess

men

t (Appe

ndix K to th

e EIS) that sho

w manageme

nt of the HDF

site will redu

ce estimated pe

ak flow of stor

mwater runof

f from th

e site. The Hyd

rologic Assess

ment show th

e calculated re

duction in runo

ff from storm

events, which

was

Ditch immedi

ately south of t

he project site

where flows

combine. For t

he 10-year st

orm event, pe

ak flow leavin

g the project s

ite will be red

uced by 257 c

ubic feet per

second (cfs); f

or the 25

-year storm e

vent, reduced

by 283 cfs; an

d for the 50-ye

ar storm even

t, reduced by

nearly 300 cf

s (Final E

IS Section 3.3

.2.3 Drain

age

Impr

ovem

ents

). There a

re no known c

aves or lava tu

bes found at o

r adjacent to t

he dairy farm

property. The

nearest cave o

f

Carl Berg, Ph.D

., Kauai Chapte

r, Surfrider Fo

undation

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 11, 2

017 Page 7

of 11

evidence of la

va tubes or ca

ves on the pro

perty, and no s

uch features h

ave been repo

rted for the ar

ea near

the HDF site. N

o cave inverte

brate species

will be affecte

d by the dairy

farm. As des

cribed in Chap

ter 3 and Sec

tion 4.17 Surfa

ce Water Reso

urces and Nea

rshore Marin

e Environmen

t, physica

l setbacks an

d vegetated f

ilter strips w

ill be used to

minimize pote

ntial runoff an

d to maintain

nutrien

ts on site for g

rowth of gras

s. It is importa

nt to recognize

the food supp

ly of the whol

ly saprophagi

c arthrop

ods is organic

matter deriv

ed from roo

ts and other

decaying pla

nt debris. Ni

trogenous an

d phosph

oric nutrients

will promote

plant growth,

so impacts of

nutrients - if

any at all - ca

n be expected

to expand

the food supp

ly in the oligo

trophic subter

ranean ecosys

tem (Final EIS

Volume 5, Ap

pendix C-C).

Long-term oce

an water qual

ity monitoring

has been initi

ated to provid

e a baseline fo

r the nearsho

re ocean

waters. HDF w

ill regularly sa

mple and ana

lyze nutrient a

nd chemical c

onstituent lev

els in the nea

r-shore

marine enviro

nment. Data f

rom the nears

hore water m

onitoring pro

gram will be m

ade available

to the

DOH CWB, da

iry neigh

contamination

sources.

HDF is coordi

nating with th

e U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Serv

ice and the Sta

te Departmen

t of Land and N

atural Resour

ces’ Division

of Forestry an

d Wildlife to

employ manag

ement techniq

ues so that fa

rm operations

will ha

ve no adverse

impacts on a

ny endangere

d species that

may access t

he HDF site, es

pecially Hawai

ian initiate

d in coordina

tion with USF

WS and DOFA

W prior to da

iry constructio

n and operat

ions, to ensure

that da

iry operations

would not re

sult in delete

rious impacts

to protected

wildlife. The E

SAPP will be

completed thr

ough further d

iscussion with

the agencies;

the current d

raft is append

ed to the Fina

l EIS in

Volume 2, App

endix L.

Impacts for Da

iry Cows and C

AFO Complian

ce Impact

s evaluated in

the EIS spec

ifically addre

ss your conc

erns regardin

g application

of manure a

s nutrien

ts. The rotati

onal-grazing

dairy system

utilizes 100 p

ercent of all

manure on-s

ite as natura

l fertiliz

er to grow gr

ass. This cost

-effective met

hod reduces

imported fert

ilizer and feed

, and minimize

s potent

ial impacts to

the environ

ment as it ut

ilizes manure

for the nutrie

nt resources

rather than

stockpiling it

as waste.

EIS Figure 4.1

6-1 and V

icin

ity displa

ys the volcani

c geological h

istory of the

area. -

permeable kar

st lavaalluvia

l material whi

ch generally ex

tends about 60

feet under the

surface. This

material is hig

hly weathered

lava co

mposed of da

rk brown to bl

ack silty clay a

nd clayey silt.

Research by t

he groundwate

r engineer on

wells drilled i

n the early 19

00s identified

records of sti

cky red, brown

, and purple c

lay layers fro

m 75- to

300-foot dept

h on the HDF

site. These lay

ers are essent

ially impermea

ble and functio

n as an aquicl

ude to separa

te shallow gr

oundwater in

the alluvium

from the gro

undwater con

fined within t

he underlying

volcani

cs. Furthe

r, the groundw

ater analyses

contained in t

he EIS was co

nducted by H

DF’s consultin

g groundwater

engine

er, who has

more than 50

years of ex

perience in w

ater quality re

search and w

ater resource

engine

ering in Haw

ai‘i. The EIS s

ummarizes th

e accompany

ing technical

report by Tom

Nance Water

Resour

ce Engineerin

g (TNWRE) in

Appendix E, w

hich describes

the four stud

ies that demo

nstrate that

there is comp

lete hydrologi

c separation o

f the shallow g

roundwater in

valley’s alluv

ial material fr

om the

Carl Berg, Ph.D

., Kauai Chapte

r, Surfrider Fo

undation

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 11, 2

017 Page 8

of 11

confined grou

ndwater in the

underlying v

olcanics. Grou

ndwater confi

ned within th

e underlying

volcanics

is the source o

f drinking wa

ter. Your c

haracterization

of the impac

ts to downstr

eam water fr

om manure a

nd effluent ir

rigation ignor

es section

s of the EIS th

at explain con

version of urin

e and manure f

rom cows into

nutrients use

d by both the

Kikuyu grass

forms an exce

edingly thick

thatch that is

certain to atte

nuate, if not c

ompletely blo

ck, surface ru

noff. Further, a

s discussed in

the soils

and agronom

ic analysis in

cluded as EIS

Section 4.3 S

oils, t

indication of

low or poor i

nfiltration, wh

ich refers to

the ability of

water and eff

luents to ente

r the soil profile

rather

than entry thro

ugh the soil su

rface. Soils cl

assified as poo

rly drained of

ten exhibit ana

erobic conditi

ons. Anaerobic

conditions ty

pically result

in higher rate

s of denitrific

ation, which

is the conver

sion of nitrat

e and nitrite

to gaseous for

ms. This

essentially re

duces the po

tential for nit

rate impacts o

n waterbodie

s. With reduc

ed movement

of water

through the s

oil profile, the

mobility of n

utrients such

as potassium

and phosphor

us is also red

uced. Soil

types at the H

DF site are kn

own to adsorb

and retain lar

ge amounts of

phosphorus.

In this way,

drained” soils

may represen

t less risk of n

itrate and nitr

ite leaching

drained” soils (

EIS Section 4.3

.2 Existin

g Co

nditi

ons -

Soi

ls). Poorly

drained soils

typically hav

e low hydrau

lic conductivi

ty. Valley

shows a hydr

aulic conductiv

ity on the ord

er of 10.5 – 5

0 feet per da

y. This repres

ents the rate

of ground

water travel

through soil.

This is much

slower than t

he rate typica

l of more perm

eable volcanic

-

time for the r

emedial prope

rties of soil a

nd associated

bacteria to de

nitrify nitrate

s and render

potential

contaminants

inert. Regula

tors at the Sta

te and nationa

l level recogn

ize the value

of manure as

a source of na

tural fertilizer

, as well as

the ability of

manure to in

crease organic

matter in so

ils and impro

ve carbon seq

uestration (EI

S Section

4.3.2 Lo

ng-T

erm

Im

pact

s an

d M

itiga

tion

– So

ils). HDF

will employ

managemen

t practices

specifically de

signed to mi

nimize enviro

nmental risk w

hile utilizing

100 percent o

f manure on-s

ite to provid

e 70 percent o

r more of the

herd’s feedsto

ck as locally-g

rown pasture

grass. The po

tential maxim

um herd size

has consistent

ly been repres

ented as the n

umber of cow

s that reflects

the carrying c

apacity of the

land as guide

d by the resul

ts of the nutri

ent analysis. H

DF is commit

ted to establi

shing a herd

of up to 699

mature dairy

cows to dem

onstrate the p

asture-based

system as an

econom

ically and env

ironmentally

sustainable m

odel for Hawa

i‘i. Precision

agricultural te

chnology that

monito

rs cows’ healt

h, grass produ

ctivity, and ef

fluent managem

ent will be us

ed to ensure e

nvironmental

health

and safety, as

well as best m

anagement pra

ctices, and he

lp determine

the ultimate c

arrying capaci

ty of the l

and. With pro

ven success at

a herd size of

699, HDF will

contemplate th

e possibility o

f expanding th

e herd in

the future.

The distinction

between the

herd sizes and

permit differ

ences is expla

ined in the EI

S Section 2.4

Plan

ned

. During the

public scopin

g meeting, pa

rticipants

expressed an

interest in und

erstanding imp

acts of the com

mitted herd s

ize of up to 69

9 mature dair

y cows,

Administrativ

e Rules (HAR)

§11-200-7 exp

licitly states in

part that a gro

up of actions

shall be treat

ed as a

single action

when: . . . th

e actions in q

uestion are e

ssentially ide

ntical and a

single statem

ent will

adequately ad

dress the imp

acts of each i

ndividual actio

n and those o

f the group o

f actions as a

whole.

Carl Berg, Ph.D

., Kauai Chapte

r, Surfrider Fo

undation

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 11, 2

017 Page 9

of 11

Therefore, th

e probable im

pacts of the p

otential conte

mplated herd

size are also

analyzed and

clearly

identified in t

he Draft and F

inal EIS.

Calculations o

f Nutrients

A significant p

ortion of the E

IS and its tech

nical appendi

ces are dedica

ted to explain

ing how nutrie

nts are

cycled throug

h a pasture-ba

sed dairy. Nu

trient managem

ent is the prac

tice of manag

ing the amoun

t, rate, source

, method of ap

plication, and

timing of plan

t nutrients and

soil amendme

nts. The NRCS

Conservation

Practic

e Standard 5

90 (referred

to as Standa

rd 590), Nutr

ient Managem

ent, applies t

o commercia

l fertiliz

ers, organic

by-products,

waste water,

organic matte

r, and irriga

tion water. T

he timing an

d applica

tion of nutrie

nts should cor

respond as cl

osely as pract

ical with plan

t uptake, soil

properties an

d weathe

r conditions.

The nutrient

calculations u

sed by the g

roundwater en

gineer to dete

rmine the po

tential quantit

y of nutrien

ts that may le

ave the site ar

e based on the

nutrient mas

s balance for t

he farm includ

ed in his repo

rt (Appen

dix E). The m

ass balance w

as prepared

by the HDF t

echnical servi

ce provider a

nd utilizes th

e Cornel

l Net Carbohy

drate and Pro

tein System (

CNCPS) mode

l, which acco

unts for farm

specific anim

al, environ

mental and di

etary inputs to

determine its

manure produ

ction and nutr

ient excretion

estimates.

Surfrider’s nu

trient calculat

ions do not ac

count for the

agronomic de

mand of the cr

op, the deplet

ed soils,

and the atten

uation of nutr

ients in both

the Kikuyu

thatch and du

ring moveme

nt through so

ils. The

calculations d

o not acknow

ledge the phy

sical setbacks

at HDF, design

ed to exclude

cows from w

aterways

35-feet from

each bank, fo

r a total of 7

0 feet. Wheth

er the calcula

tions acknow

ledge that ru

noff is

generated wit

h only rainfall

in excess of 0.

8 inches, avera

ging 10 events

per year, is d

oubtful.

The experienc

e of tHe is

considered on

e of the foremo

st experts in t

he field, and h

is calculations

employ his de

cades of dedic

ation to

HDF stands b

y the findings

presented in t

he Final EIS an

d Appendix E.

Impact

s of Nutrient L

oading into Co

astal Waters a

re not Fully Pr

esented

To address th

e comments to

the Draft EI

S, HDF engag

ed MRCI to s

urvey the ma

rine biotic co

mmunity

structure and

provide bas

eline docume

ntation of ex

isting conditi

ons. The typ

ical weather

and sea

conditions in

the area are c

haracterized a

s a high ener

gy environme

nt due to fre

quent tradew

inds and

long-period oc

ean swell, wh

ich rapidly mi

x the water co

lumn. This tra

nslates to rou

gh water cond

itions consid

ered dangerou

s for human re

creation and d

uring periods

of exceptional

ly calm wind a

nd waves. The

survey

was conducte

d during such

a period in No

vember 2016

, to allow for s

afety as well

as for visibility

within

the water.

The open coa

stal exposure

to long-perio

d south swells

and tradewin

d-generated s

eas are reflect

ed in the

survey findin

gs. There is es

sentially no b

iotic communi

ty structure in

the area whe

re the ditch w

ater flow

meets the oce

an, as the flow

mixes with oc

ean water con

sistently subj

ected to subst

antial wave act

ion and

current flow t

o the west. Ph

ysical forces o

f water movem

ent are maxim

al, resulting in

an environme

nt too harsh f

or substantial

reef developm

ent. A semi-em

bayment crea

ted seaward o

f a submerged

basaltic shelf

is bou

nded by disti

nct shallow

dikes that foc

us wave ener

gy. Within th

e central are

a of this sem

i-embay

ment are expa

nsive sand fla

ts. Biotopes –

areas of unifor

m environme

ntal condition

s that provide

a living

place for a sp

ecific assembl

age of plants

and animals -

were docum

ented and de

scribed for th

e -1 (Volum

e 2).

Carl Berg, Ph.D

., Kauai Chapte

r, Surfrider Fo

undation

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 11, 2

017 Page 1

0 of 11

The hardy pio

neering coral

Poci

llopo

ra m

eand

rina

occurs throu

ghout the ne

arshore zone

with a hard

bottom

. Areas with a

hard bottom

and sheltered

from wave eff

ects had a 10-

to 20-percent

cover consisti

ng of addi

tional common

coral species

(Porites l

obat

a and P. compr

essa

, and Mon

tipor

a pa

tula

and M. c

apita

te).

A well-establi

shed coral com

munity was id

entified in a sm

all area shelte

red from dest

ructive waves

by a protect

ive lava extru

sion approxim

ately 0.3 mile

s south of the

ditch terminus

. The corals w

ithin this area

are com

posed of the

most common

components o

f most Hawa

iian reefs. Du

e to the dista

nce from the

discharge poin

t (approximat

ely 2,000 feet

, or 0.3 mile),

nutrient or bio

logical inputs

from the ditch

would

be diluted to b

ackground ma

rine levels and

create no imp

act. Furthe

r, MRCI addre

sses the effec

t of elevated n

utrients on co

rals in its rep

ort, included

in A Bas

elin

e As

sess

men

t of M

arin

e Bi

otic

Com

mun

ity S

truc

ture

off

Mah

aule

pu, K

auai

, Haw

aii (Appe

ndix F-1, Volu

me 2 of

the EIS). MRC

I reviewed pu

blished scient

ific research r

elated to pote

ntial effect of

nutrient subsi

dies on

reef corals. M

RCI notes Kin

sey (1991) ob

served that it

is incorrect to

jump from th

e observation

that coral

reefs do well

under low n

utrient condi

tions to the

conclusion tha

t coral reefs

require low n

utrient

environments.

Atkinson and

Falter (2003)

states nutrien

t input to cora

l Great B

arrier Reef in

Australia sho

w corals flour

ish in high nut

rient environ

ments. An em

pirical examp

le that de

monstrates th

e inaccuracy

of the assump

tion that elev

ated nutrient

s always resu

lt in negative

are loc

ated in a mixe

d marine envir

onment simila

r to that of

For dai

ry operations

with 700 or m

ore mature da

iry cows, addit

ional regulato

ry review and

permitting b

y the Sta

te Departmen

t of Health w

ould be requ

ired. The app

lication proce

ss for a Natio

nal Pollutant

Discha

rge Eliminatio

n System (NP

DES) Concent

rated Animal F

eeding Opera

tion (CAFO) p

ermit include

s public

notification an

d input. At the

discretion of

HDF, managem

ent may choos

e to submit an

application to

expand

operations up

to the carryin

g capacity of t

he land, which

is estimated to

be up to 2,00

0 productive

mature dairy c

ows. Permit pr

ocess complia

nce would be

followed at su

ch time HDF m

ay decide to p

ursue an expa

nded operatio

n. VI

.

The source o

f high fecal in

dicator bacter

ia (enterococ

ci) levels wit

hin Waiopili S

tream has no

t been

determined. S

urfrider point

s to HDF; how

ever, DOH CW

B in its Sanita

ry Survey dete

rmined there

is no signific

ant impact to W

aiopili Ditch f

rom any activ

ity that can b

e attributed to

the proposed

dairy. In fact,

DOH C

WB expresse

d concern tha

t impacts coul

d be from on-

site disposal s

ystems (OSDS

) in the adjace

nt are dis

charged from

the 2,238 OS

DS (including

1,600 cesspoo

ls that provid

e no treatmen

t) and the 12

0 private

wastewater

treatment sys

tems in the re

gion. Sources

of FIB may b

e due to extra

-enteric sourc

es. Additio

nal testing is

underway by

DOH CWB w

ith U.S. Geolo

gical Survey

Pacific Island

Water Scienc

e Center

staff and by th

e University of

California at B

erkeley.

HDF has fully

disclosed th

e potential im

pacts from co

nstruction an

d operations,

and has deta

iled its

minimization

practices. Two

types of setb

acks will be e

stablished to p

rotect water q

uality of surfac

e water

and downstre

am areas. A p

hysical setbac

k to keep cow

s and manure

from ditches

and drainage

ways will

be created wit

h paddock fen

cing set 35 fee

t back from th

e top of bank

of drainage w

ays on site. Ve

getation

within the set

backs will act a

s filter strips o

n both sides o

f the drainagew

ays to capture

and retain nu

trients

for forage gr

owth on the s

ite. Additiona

l setbacks res

trict liquid eff

luent applicat

ion within 50

feet of

waterways. Ad

ditional setbac

ks to protect w

ater resource

s include no ef

fluent applicat

ion or grazing

within

Carl Berg, Ph.D

., Kauai Chapte

r, Surfrider Fo

undation

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms Enviro

nmental Impac

t Statement

January 11, 2

017 Page 1

1 of 11

1,000 feet fro

m the neares

t County well

, and 20 feet

from the taro

farm. HDF wil

l follow all reg

ulatory

guidance.

HDF prepare

d the EIS to s

hare the detai

led and thoug

htful planning

put into desi

gning a worl

d-class,

environmental

ly sound dairy

suitable to ou

r island enviro

nment. HDF’s

goal to furthe

r food self-su

fficiency

by reinvigorat

ing throug

h establishm

ent of a finan

cially and

environmental

ly sustainable

, pastoral rota

tional-grazing

dairy will prov

ide more than

one-million g

allons

Your comment

, along with th

is response, w

ill become par

t of the public

record and w

ill be publishe

d in the

Final EIS. A co

py of the Fina

l EIS is includ

ed on a compa

ct disc with th

is letter. Whe

n published, t

he Final

EIS will be a

vailable on th

e OEQC websi

te which you

can access u

sing the follo

wing URL, an

d search

http://tinyurl

.com/OEQCKA

UAI. Thank

you for your p

articipation in

the environme

ntal review pro

cess. Sincere

ly, GROUP

70 INTERNAT

IONAL, INC.

Jeffrey

H. Overton, A

ICP, LEED AP

Principal Plan

ner cc:

Hawai‘i Dairy

Farms

Hawai‘

i State Depart

ment of Healt

h,

Environme

ntal Planning O

ffice