Hawaii to receive funds for beach monitoring

KAILUA-KONA — More than $300,000 is headed to the state Department of Health to support beach water quality monitoring and information-sharing throughout Hawaii.

The funding, $313,000 to be exact, is part of more than $9.3 million in Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act grants being awarded to 39 eligible coastal states, territories, and tribes to develop and implement beach monitoring and notification programs.

“This funding allows the State of Hawaii to monitor beach water quality and make the results more easily available to the public,” EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker said in a press release. “Thanks to this program, beachgoers can find up-to-date information to help them make informed decisions on when and where to swim.”

Anna Koethe, a communications officer with the state Department of Health, said the majority of the funds are used to support routine laboratory sampling, equipment and supplies statewide at four DOH labs (one in each county) and one contracted laboratory in Kailua-Kona because the department does not have its own lab in the area.

In addition, some of the funds are used to support one-half of a full-time employee position within the department’s Clean Water Branch, she said.

Beach advisories are posted when agencies detect high levels of harmful microorganisms such as bacteria. Beachgoers can avoid exposure to harmful contaminants by checking beach monitoring reports and swimming advisories, choosing to swim in less developed areas with good water circulation, and avoiding beaches near discharge pipes or urban beaches after a heavy rainfall.

The EPA has awarded nearly $167 million for beach monitoring and notification programs since it started awarding grants in 2002. From 2013 to 2017, Hawaii received some more than $1.5 million in grants.

For the latest water quality advisories issued by the state, visit https://eha-cloud.doh.hawaii.gov/cwb/#!/landing.