The Surfrider Foundation Blue Water Task Force monthly testing occurred May 11.
The Surfrider Foundation Blue Water Task Force monthly testing occurred May 11.
The sampling of Kauai waters is for enterococcus, a fecal-indicating bacteria.
The second column (“Single-day results”) in the chart below are the counts/100 ml for that day. The third column (This year’s geomean) are the averages for the past five consecutive months. The values in red exceed Hawaii state standards of 130/100 ml for a single sample and 35/100 ml for a geometric mean of five or more samples.
Island surf sites are mostly clean, while streams and canals are mostly not. It is safest to just stay out of any waters with counts in the thousands.
Heavy rain, such as those experienced in some of communities earlier this month, cause water to be more polluted than normal. Be aware of Brown Water Advisories from the state Department of Health. In addition to increased pollution, brown water also has a potential increase of issues with sharks. Basically, just stay out of the water.
