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The water at 55 of the 218 Hawaiian beaches tested by the state Department of Health in 2020 exceeded the state safety threshold for swimming for at least one day a year, and 14 beaches were potentially unsafe for at least 25% of the days tested, noisy a national report released this month.
In Honolulu County, beach water quality exceeded the standard for enterococci, the fecal indicator bacteria, on 4% of the days tested, according to the Safe for Swimming? Study. Report of the non-profit environmental campaign and Frontier Group.
For comparison: Of 258 tested beaches in California, 193 showed potentially unsafe values ââon at least one day and 42 beaches on at least 25% of the days tested. In Los Angeles County, beach water exceeded the threshold on 16% of the test days.
While Oahu‘s 4% average doesn’t seem like much, the frequency of testing does matter, said John Rumpler, director of environmental action research and policy and co-author of the report, who analyzed data collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the federal Beach Act.
“Some beaches are tested more than others,” Rumpler said in a telephone interview, “so beaches with no test days could have high levels of bacteria that go undetected, and swimmers could be unknowingly exposed to pathogens in feces,” leading to diseases such as gastroenteritis.
For example, California’s top 10 high bacteria beaches were tested from 162 to 307 days, while Hawaii‘s top 10 polluted beaches were tested from 5 to 58 days.
In Kauai, which tested the water on 33 beaches, the average beach was potentially unsafe to swim on 5% of the days the samples were taken, a higher percentage than any other county in the state. In Hawaii County, which tested 34 beaches, the percentage was 4%; 4% for Oahu, where 110 beaches were tested; and 2% in Maui County, where 41 beaches were tested.
Mud build-up is a bit of a concern for Hawaii beach goers this year. This is a procedural change that will reduce the number of published bacteria warnings and may delay their publication by a day or two.
The Hawaii Health Department’s Clean Water Branch has been issuing notifications since December after a beach water sample exceeded the EPA’s Beach Action Value of 130 enterococci / 100 ml, “informing the public that we are re-testing the water,” Myron Honda, Branch Administrator said in an email.
The branch had previously issued warnings and placed prohibition signs on beaches where tests showed high levels of bacteria.
“During a notice, no signs will be posted on the affected beaches, but emails will be sent to our subscribers,” and the notice will be posted at eha-cloud.doh.hawaii.gov/cwb, Honda said, calling on people to do so Visit website and subscribe.
If the follow-up sample exceeds 130/100 ml, or if it is Friday or the day before a public holiday, “a notice will be issued so that we can post signs on each affected beach, as we cannot re-test on weekends or public holidays”. He added, noting that follow-up samples will be collected every working day until the levels drop.
“After reviewing the data from more than 8,200 samples between 2017 (start of the beach program) and June 2019, we found that in about 92% of the cases the follow-up samples did not exceed the BAV (and) the beach recommendations were not guaranteed,” said Honda Noting that it takes 24 hours to get test results from the lab.
Hawaii divides beaches into three tiers: On Oahu, tier 1 includes 23 beaches that are tested once a week; Tier 2 has 21 beaches that are less frequently tested; and the 100 or so Tier 3 beaches are tested once or twice a year.
Last year, Waikiki’s Kahanamoku Beach and the beach in front of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Moana Surfrider, Kawaikui Beach Park in Aina Haina, and Laenani Park in Kaneohe had the highest percentage of test days in Oahu with bacterial overruns.
Kahanamoku Beach was tested for 48 days with potentially unsafe contamination found at a rate of 8% over four days. The Royal Hawaiian-Moana Beach was tested for 44 days, with three days with increased bacteria for 7%; Laenani Park was tested for five days, with three high results for a rate of 60%; and Kawaikui Beach was tested for six days, with bacteria levels increasing at a rate of 50% over three days.
The most recent notifications from the Clean Water Branch on Oahu were for Kahanamoku Beach, issued June 29 with 359 bacteria per 100 ml and canceled July 2, and Waianae’s Pokai Bay, issued June 28, with 137 per 100 ml and canceled August 30 June.
In addition to the state program, the Surfrider Foundation offers bi-weekly beach water tests by volunteers. Oahu Chapter volunteers collect samples and bring them to the University of Hawaii at the Kewalo Marine Laboratory in Manoa for analysis.
Test results for the beaches Surfrider monitors can be found on the Blue Water Task Force website at bwtf.surfrider.org/report/44/859.
Surfrider’s most recent tests on June 27 and July 11 showed low levels of bacteria on the beaches of Black Point, Ala Moana Bowls, Point Panic Stairs, Puaena Point, Pupukea Tidepools, Waimanalo and Wailupe Stream.
On July 11th, Kuliouou Stream had medium bacteria of 86/100 ml, but this year every other test had high bacteria ranging up to 15,531 / 100 ml on April 4th.
The Wailupe Stream, which drains near Kawaikui Beach, had low bacteria in tests since May 16, but high bacteria on April 4 and 3,255 / 100 ml on February 2.
A June 13 sample at Chocolates in Haleiwa was 1,918 / 100 ml and a July 11 sample at Hakipuu Boat Ramp in Kaneohe was 327/100 ml.
“One could argue that the Hawaii numbers are artificially low,” said Rumpler, because the state also does not carry out samples or tests on streams or when brown water is present on beaches after heavy rainfall or sewage pollution.
“We don’t test when we issue a brown water warning because we have data that shows that there is a high likelihood that the Beach Action Value will be exceeded for surface runoff,” said Honda.
Instead, the state is putting prohibition signs to watch brown water and shutting down beaches after sewage is spilled, Honda said, noting that enterococci are present in Hawaii’s forest floors as well as in human and animal sewage.
“We can also issue the brown water warning immediately instead of waiting 24 hours for results,” he added.
The study, Rumpler said, underscored the urgent need to reduce ocean pollution.
On July 8, as part of the General Infrastructure Bill drafted by Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $ 40 billion government pure water fund package that includes investments in sewage treatment plants and wetlands that absorb runoff.
Rumpler urged citizens to ask their senators to approve the package on their part.
To read the study and learn more about the legislation, go to environment america.org.
Brown Water Days by Honolulu Star Advertiser
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