Although bacteria rates are rising, federal funding cuts threaten water quality testing

In its national annual report, Surfrider Foundation revealed that Waikomo Stream at Kōloa Landing in Poʻipū was on a list of the top ten beach bacteria hotspots.

Surfrider Foundation is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves, and beaches for all people, and their 2024 Clean Water Report was released to build awareness of issues that affect water quality and health at the beach.

Meanwhile, federal funding cuts could threaten future water quality testing.

“We sample for enterococcus bacteria,” said Surfrider Foundation Hawaiʻi Regional Manager Hanna Lilley. “This is a fecal indicator bacterium, and when it’s present, it indicates that there might be wastewater pollution.”

According to 2024 Clean Water Report, 90% of samples from Waikomo Stream at Kōloa Landing had a high level of bacteria.

In the state report, 100% of samples collected at Nāwiliwili Stream on Kauaʻi last year failed to meet state health standards.

The Surfrider Foundation chapters are consistently measuring high bacteria levels that exceed state health standards for recreational water. However, Lilley said the reason Hawaiʻi’s beaches are among the most polluted in the country shouldn’t be a surprise.

“In Hawaiʻi, we have a really big cesspool issue,” Lilley said. “We have 83,000 cesspools that are leaching 52 million gallons a day of sewage into our coastal waters.”

All cesspools in Hawaiʻi must be replaced by 2050, but cesspools are just part of the problem, according to Lilley.

Thirty-six percent of Surfrider’s samples collected at Māliko Bay on Maui’s North Shore and 33% of samples taken at Honolua Bay in West Maui last year failed to meet state health standards.

“Generally, we see that sites where there’s a freshwater outlet, streams, rivers, because they’re picking up all the pollutants in our watershed and draining into our coastal waters, we seem to have higher bacteria at those sites,” Lilley said.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health’s Clean Water Branch also monitors select beaches across the state.

“The Department of Health leads a range of programs to prevent water contamination, monitor water quality, investigate, and address pollution sources, and enforce environmental regulations,” said the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health.

Officials said water quality conditions can change rapidly and encourage the public to subscribe to updates on water quality advisories, where real-time beach advisories are also posted. The advisories are also posted on the Department of Health’s social media channels.

They also said they are working with county officials to install permanent signage at beach parks statewide that alerts the public to avoid entering waters that appear brown.

However, the state’s monitoring may be in jeopardy as President Trump proposes to slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget, which Lilley said helps fund testing.

“This would have devastating implications not only for Hawaiʻi, but for coastal states that rely on this money to have water quality monitoring and also the information getting out to the public,” Lilley said.

Lilley said the Surfrider Foundation has a petition on its website calling on Congress to maintain funding for the Environmental Protection Agency.