Hawaii issues brown-water alerts

Hawaii health officials are still warning people away from brown or murky ocean water weeks after March’s Kona Low storms pushed polluted runoff into coastal areas. (governor.hawaii.gov) On April 2, the state said brown-water advisories remained in place on Kauaʻi and in communities on Maui and Oʻahu, with advisory signs posted at affected shorelines. The Department of Health’s advisory tracker listed brown-water warnings that day from Kaʻena to Sunset Beach, Pokai Bay, Waimānalo Beach, Maunalua Bay to Wailupe, and several Maui sites. (governor.hawaii.gov) (eha-cloud.doh.hawaii.gov) A brown-water advisory means storm runoff has washed mud, debris, bacteria and other contaminants into nearshore water. Honolulu Ocean Safety told residents and visitors on March 23 to stay out of the ocean for at least 72 hours after the last rainfall and to keep avoiding water that still looks brown or cloudy. (honolulu.gov) State testing backed up that warning. In an April 2 update, Hawaiʻi officials said preliminary samples from flood-carried mud and sediment detected Escherichia coli, Enterococcus and Salmonella in select samples from storm-hit areas. (governor.hawaii.gov) The water alerts are part of a wider recovery from two Kona Low systems that struck beginning March 10 and again on March 19. Governor Josh Green said on March 24 that the storms caused catastrophic flooding, landslides, infrastructure damage and emergency evacuations across all four counties. (governor.hawaii.gov) The state’s disaster request put the scale in dollars: more than $400 million in losses from the first storm alone, with total damage from both storms expected to top $1 billion. The same filing said debris, mudslides and rockfalls blocked major highways, isolated communities and disrupted emergency access statewide. (governor.hawaii.gov) On Oʻahu’s North Shore, the fallout extended beyond beaches. The Hawaiʻi National Guard said it was hauling drinking water to Waialua High School, Waialua Elementary, Sunset Elementary and Haleʻiwa Elementary after storm damage disrupted safe water access in the area. (dod.hawaii.gov) Doctors were told to watch for more than stomach illness. In a March 27 medical advisory, the Hawaiʻi Department of Health said floodwater and storm runoff may contain agricultural waste, animal waste and human sewage, and warned of injury, wound infections, mold exposure and mental health effects after the storms. (health.hawaii.gov) For beachgoers, the state’s guidance has stayed simple through the cleanup: avoid ocean water that looks brown, especially near stream mouths and drainage outlets, and wait for advisories to be lifted. (honolulu.gov)