The state wants comments from residents concerned about the water quality of neighborhood streams or bays for its "2002 List of Impaired Waters in Hawaii." State seeks comment
on degraded waterways
By Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.comComments are due to the Department of Health by Sept. 30.
The term "impaired" refers to any water that doesn't meet state water quality standards, which in turn match the national Clean Water Act standards, said June Harrigan, manager of the DOH's environmental planning office.
The standards mean that the water shouldn't have too much sediment in it, nor too much nitrogen or phosphorus (key ingredients in fertilizers) or trash, and should have enough dissolved oxygen to sustain healthy aquatic life, Harrigan said.
In the future, the DOH plans to measure toxic chemicals, she said.
Though the Clean Water Act became law in 1972, it "wasn't until a series of lawsuits on the mainland that the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) started paying attention," Harrigan said.
EarthJustice sued the state of Hawaii, which carries out water quality monitoring for the EPA, saying that its 1998 list of 19 polluted waters was "arbitrary and capricious because we didn't list all the polluted waters," Harrigan said.
A federal judge agreed and last year required the DOH to increase its polluted waters list to 111. The 2002 list, available from the DOH, adds seven streams, 16 coastal waters and removes two that were on the list in 2001, Harrigan said. This year's report lists 132 polluted waters.
Putting a water body on the list is just the first step of identifying a problem, Harrigan said. The next step is to determine "how much of a pollutant load is present in excess and how much needs to be removed."
Those studies, called Total Maximum Daily Loads or TMDLs, have been performed so far only for the Ala Wai Canal, Waimanalo Stream and Kawa Stream in Kaneohe, Harrigan said.
The agency currently is working on a TMDL study for Kaneohe Stream. Coming next is Waikele Stream, then streams that drain into Pearl Harbor, Nawiliwili Bay on Kauai, and Hilo Bay on the Big Island will be assessed, she said.
Public comment could help prioritize which streams are studied next.
The solution comes when groups like the Ala Wai Watershed Association take steps to reduce the pollutants coming into water, Harrigan said.
"Any kind of environmental repair is always a long-term project," Harrigan said.
The DOH's draft report is available for public inspection at the Health Department's Environmental Planning Office, 919 Ala Moana, room 312, and at Neighbor Island district health offices.
A copy of the report can be obtained by calling 808-586-4337, district health offices, or going online at www.hawaii.gov/health/eh/epo/
DOH Environmental Planning Office/
State of Hawaii
