Anything going “down the drain” in the old clich means something – usually money – being wasted. But rainwater and other stuff finding its way into storm drains on the island is really on the beginning of a long journey
Anything going “down the drain” in the old clich means something – usually money – being wasted.
But rainwater and other stuff finding its way into storm drains on the island is really on the beginning of a long journey eventually leading to the sea.
Intent on improving water quality in rivers and oceans are the Nawiliwili Bay Watershed Council and Pacific Island Sustainable Ecosystems (PISCES), which last week installed 25 catch basin inserts – wire baskets with absorbent liners – in storm drains of state and Kaua’i County roads in and around Lihu’e.
In cooperation with the state Department of Transportation and the county Department of Public Works, the groups intend to monitor the inserts to see what types and quantities of pollutants are making their way into Nawiliwili Bay.
There is a possibility that, if the inserts are trapping stuff that should stay out of the bay, the pilot project will become permanent, with the non-profit organizations regularly monitoring the inserts, said David Martin of PISCES.
The work is the beginning of the Nawiliwili Bay Watershed Restoration Project, a one-year program aimed at improving water quality in the bay watershed.
The purpose of the project is to demonstrate water-quality practices and implement educational programs leading to a watershed restoration strategy for the watersheds discharging into Nawiliwili Bay.
According to state and federal environmental reports, the bay is in desperate need of some tender, loving care. It is on the state Department of Health’s list of polluted waters, and is a “Category 1 Watershed in Need of Restoration” by health department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards.
The need to identify and reduce non-point pollution runoff, restore habitat and enhance recreational usages are the reasons the bay got on the state and federal environmental hit lists.
Educational programs of the two organizations included a water-quality workshop last Saturday at Kaua’i Community College and the Nawiliwili Bay Watershed Festival at Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor on Sunday.
The workshop focused on the current status of water quality in Nawiliwili Bay, and the roles of education, business, government and community-based watershed councils in water quality improvement.
The festival, marking the second anniversary of Nawilwili Bay Watershed Council, featured free guided boat tours of the lower Hule’ia watershed, water quality and watershed education displays, children’s activities, crafts, food and entertainment.
The council is an unincorporated community group formed two years ago in response to an initiative by PISCES to establish watershed councils on Kaua’i.
PISCES is serving as the council’s non-profit umbrella organization for a $64,000 grant received from the state health department for Clean Water Act matters, and for a $30,000 grant from Hawai’i Community Foundation.
The council elects officers, works with government agencies, private businesses and other community groups to protect and restore the natural, cultural and scenic resources within the watersheds draining into Nawiliwili Bay.
The council, which meets the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs conference room off Kuhio Highway in Lihu’e, also restores traditional taro lands for cultivation, implements the ahupua’a concept in the management and planning of the watershed, and encourages the public to accept responsibility for the watershed’s health and future.
Additional information is available from Martin at 823-8077 or Cheryl Lovell-Obatake at 245-8783.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
