Federal agencies
give isles thumbs up
on coastal plan

Steps will reduce
Hawaii ocean runoff that
causes pollution

By Lori Tighe
Star-Bulletin

Hawaii's plan to reduce polluted runoff in coastal areas, considered the state's worst water quality problem, was approved today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The approval saved a possible 10-30 percent cut in the $806,000 a year Hawaii receives in federal money to clean polluted coastal waters.

"It gives us a better handle in coordinating and addressing polluted runoff, which is our largest water quality issue for the state," said Randy Rush, coordinator of the polluted runoff control program at the Department of Health.

"It's important because it allows us to keep receiving federal funds for further implementation of the program," he said.

The Hawaii plan tries to coordinate state and county agency programs in a smoother effort, Rush said. It also allows funding for public education on ways people can help reduce polluted runoff.

EPA and NOAA made their approval contingent upon further improvements to protect water quality and comply with federal requirements, according to the EPA. The agencies gave the state one to five years to implement its program.

"I'd certainly say this agreement is important," said June Harrigan, manager of the Health Department Environmental Planning Office. "Polluted runoff is a significant problem in the state. Rain hits the ground and carries everything on the ground to the coast."

With no major industrial complexes here, polluted runoff from agricultural lands, urban areas and dumping sites were cited by the state Health Department as major sources of contamination -- washing fertilizers, pesticides, oils and animal waste into the ocean.

Polluted runoff is now the leading cause of coastal water pollution, according to the EPA.

The federal Coastal Zone Reauthorization Act Amendments of 1990 require states to establish programs to protect and restore coastal waters, the EPA said.

Hawaii submitted its plan along with California to EPA and NOAA, which acknowledged their "substantial" effort in preparing their programs, said EPA spokesman Dave Schmidt.