LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i might have some of the best beaches in the nation, but according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, they may not be the cleanest. Hawai‘i ranked sixth in NRDC’s 2008 beachwater quality report, with Kaua‘i having the
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i might have some of the best beaches in the nation, but according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, they may not be the cleanest.
Hawai‘i ranked sixth in NRDC’s 2008 beachwater quality report, with Kaua‘i having the most beaches statewide to exceed certain bacterial counts. The Garden Isle was followed by O‘ahu, the Big Island and Maui.
While the percentage of health standard exceedences in Hawai‘i decreased from 9 percent in 2007 to 3 percent in 2008, Dr. Carl Berg of Kaua‘i Surfrider Foundation said the findings — based on samples acquired by the state Department of Health — are incomplete.
“In some cases, Hawai‘i beaches with high incidences of exceeding state standards in 2007 were not sampled at all in 2008, skewing the data to make the waters appear cleaner than they really are,” he said, adding that drier weather conditions would also affect results.
Neither Hanama‘ulu Beach County Park, which was considered tied for the 10th most polluted beach in the nation in last year’s report, nor Hanalei River at Weke Road, which topped the list in 2006, were included in this year’s study, Berg said.
Only five sites — Po‘ipu Beach Park, Kalapaki Beach, Hanalei Beach Park, Salt Pond Beach Park and Lydgate State Park — out of 73 on Kaua‘i were tested at least once a week.
Another five beaches were tested bi-monthly, including Waimea Recreational Pier State Park, which had the highest percentage of bacterial exceedences in the state.
The other 63 beaches were either not tested at all in 2008, or were sampled infrequently.
Laurence Lau, deputy director of environmental health for the state Department of Health, said frequency of monitoring is largely dependent upon beach usage.
Tier one beaches, or those sampled once or twice a week, include Lydgate Park, Hanalei Bay Pavilion, Kalapaki Beach, Po‘ipu Beach Pavilion, Hanapepe Salt Pond and Hanalei Bay Landing.
Berg, who samples water quality across the island once a month, said others should be monitored more frequently, including Nawiliwili and Niumalu Park, where “extremely high levels” of enterococcus bacteria — normally found in the feces of people and many animals — were present in recent Surfrider studies.
The county says it is not responsible for monitoring water quality at its 20 beach parks, as this falls under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Health’s Clean Water Branch, according to spokesperson Mary Daubert.
“It is the responsibility of the state Department of Health Clean Water Branch to protect the health of residents and visitors in and around Hawai‘i’s coastal and inland resources,” she said Wednesday. “If water quality becomes an issue at a county park, health officials contact the county and county personnel will then post DOH warning signs at the affected park.”
Case in point being Hanalei River at Black Pot Park, where signs were recently installed warning individuals of the “wastewater bacteria which may be in river and cause illness.”
“Aging and poorly designed sewage and stormwater systems hold much of the blame for beachwater pollution,” says the NRDC on its Web site.
Berg agrees that wastewater runoff is a likely cause for much of the high levels of bacteria found in the island’s water systems, as Kaua‘i remains largely dependent upon cesspools as its method of waste disposal which can seep into waterways, especially during heavy rains.
Lau says that even though technology has improved and investigations are continuing, it’s still hard to determine what is causing the high levels of bacteria in Kaua‘i’s waters.
To view the report, visit www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/titinx.asp.
• Coco Zickos, business and environmental writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or czickos@kauaipubco.com
