KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Waianae residents, from left, Louise Fuaau, Neileen Kalewahea and Joe Seals enjoyed a sunset walk yesterday along the highway over Mailiili Channel outlet. The outlet apparently is polluting waters of the Mailiili Beach area.
Oahu beach makes A well-known surfing spot on the Leeward Coast has been listed as one of the nation's dirtiest beaches, according to a national nonprofit environmental organization.
dirtiest-in-the-nation list
A nonprofit group says storm
runoff pollutes Mailiili surfBy Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.comAccording to the Natural Resources Defense Council, Mailiili Beach near the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center was one of 70 beaches listed under a category called "beach bums."
The group said these beaches are not monitored regularly and have no public notification program when health standards are exceeded. Also, the listed beaches do not meet federal environmental criteria and have known pollution sources nearby, the group said.
Based on the group's 12th annual report, storm water runoff and other pollutants are listed as potential dangers to Mailiili Beach. Drainage from the Mailiili Channel runs into Mailiili Beach near a surfing spot called Green Lanterns.
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
The breakwater along Mailiili Beach, right, hasn't stopped runoff from Mailiili Channel, left, from polluting area waters.
Canoe paddling regattas also are held nearby at Maili Beach Park.
Environmental and neighborhood board officials said they were unaware of the pollution at Mailiili Beach.
"It's definitely a black eye for Hawaii," Jeff Mikulina, director or the Sierra Club-Hawaii chapter, said of the report. "It's an area we take for granted."
Coral reef and fish are potentially affected by the runoff, said Mikulina. He added that the report is a wake-up call for residents who use pesticides and fertilizers for their lawns.
"Islandwide, it really comes back to residents. The city and county can only do so much," Mikulina said.
James Manaku Sr., a 16-year member of the Waianae Neighborhood Board and candidate for the District 1 seat of the Honolulu City Council, said, "If we don't start monitoring these beaches, it can be a serious health problem to us."
Manaku said Waianae was once used as an illegal dump for construction materials that included lead paint and asbestos.
"Possibly after all these years, it's leaking out somewhere," he said.
The Natural Resources Defense Council report's list also includes 40 Florida beaches, 15 Michigan beaches and eight Wisconsin beaches.
Across the country, the number of beach closures and advisories increased, almost 20 percent more than last year.
"This is the time of the year when people are heading to the beach, people are expecting to have fun, looking forward to a day in the sun, a day in the sand, a day in the water," said Nancy Stoner, the council's Clean Water project director.
"What they need to be concerned about is the dirty water, and the possibility that they and their families will get sick from swimming in polluted beach water."
About half of the nation's freshwater and ocean beaches were closed last year for unknown reasons, but the known leading causes include raw sewage or contaminated storm water, which includes pollutant runoff from the ground.
The New York-based council says it has 500,000 members nationwide and advocates for a "safe and healthy environment for all living things." The group's Web site (http://www.nrdc.org) says it fights to safeguard drinking water, to protect, preserve and restore rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands and coastal waters and to promote conservation and better water management in Western states.
Reuters contributed to this report.
