The Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) Clean Water Branch (CWB) administers the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, promulgated in 2000 as an amendment to the federal Clean Water Act (ACT) which establishes national standard criteria for coastal recreational water monitoring and public notification of possible pollution within coast recreational waters (i.e., beaches).
The MCBH One Water Program recommends that all base residents, employees, and visitors subscribe to the CWB’s Environmental Health Portal to receive notifications when a beach advisory, beach notification, brown water advisory, sewage spill, or permit exceedance is issued, or any water quality advisory is cancelled.
CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF CURRENT WATER QUALITY ADVISORIES
Common water quality advisories issued for the beaches and near-shore ocean waters surrounding MCBH Kaneohe Bay include:
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Brown Water Advisory – A brown water advisory (BWA) is issued to advise beach users to use caution when waters are brown, turbid, or cloudy as these waters may contain land-based polluted runoff. A BWA is generally issued by the CWB when the National Weather Service issues a Flash Flood Warning. A BWA may also be issued when CWB field personnel receives information or observes conditions consistent with a brown water event. Heavy rain may cause excessive runoff of water carrying land-based pollution that eventually flows into the ocean via beaches. However, rain need not occur on the beaches; rain in the mountains may cause runoff to impact a beach through streams, storm drains or drainage canals even on a sunny day at the beach. Other events such as water main breaks may also cause land-based pollutants to be washed into beaches and streams.
Stormwater runoff may include water from overflowing cesspools, sewers, and manholes; pesticides; animal fecal matter; dead animals; pathogens; chemicals; and associated flood debris. Not all coastal areas may be impacted by runoff, however, if the water is brown you are advised to stay out. The issuance of a BWA does not mean that the beach is closed. The CWB reminds you to continue to practice good personal hygiene and follow-up with your primary care physician if you have any health concerns.
Very high surf may also warrant a BWA because large waves may wash up beyond the normal high-water mark and can draw in land-based pollutants from the surrounding area, including around picnic areas, or parking lots where the sand or ground does not normally get wet.
MCBH WILL NOT CLOSE ON-BASE BEACHES DURING ACTIVE BWAs
BEACH USERS ARE ADVISED TO USE CAUTION WHEN WATERS ARE BROWN, TURBID, OR CLOUDY AND ADHERE TO ALL HDOH CWB RECOMMENDATIONS
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Sewage Spill – A sewage spill may occur at the on-base Water Reclamation Facility (WRF), the Kailua Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (KRWWTP) located on Kaneohe Bay Drive, or more likely occur when an underground sewage line becomes blocked and causes a backup through manholes into streets and storm drains. Additional information regarding the MCBH WRF is available on the Wastewater Program tab.
MCBH WILL CLOSE ON-BASE BEACHES IF THEY ARE IMPACTED BY A SEWAGE SPILL, INCLUDING SPILLS THAT MAY ORIGINATE OFF-BASE
BEACH USERS ARE ADVISED TO ADHERE TO ALL POSTED CLOSURES
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Permit Exceedance – Several permits, including the MCBH WRF and KRWWTP discharge permits, require regular water quality monitoring. If routine water quality sampling exceeds the limitations established by their respective discharge permit, the HDOH CWB may issue a water quality advisory. Typical permit exceedances that impact MCBH are associated with elevated indicator bacteria counts. Additional information regarding MCBH’s discharge permits is available on the Storm Water and Wastewater Program tabs.
MCBH WILL CLOSE ON-BASE BEACHES IF THEY ARE IMPACTED BY A PERMIT EXCEEDANCE, INCLUDING EXCEDANCES THAT MAY ORIGINATE OFF-BASE
BEACH USERS ARE ADVISED TO ADHERE TO ALL POSTED CLOSURES
What are indicator bacteria and why do you use them? Indicators are defined by the Clean Water Act as “a substance that indicates the potential for human infectious diseases.” Testing for all possible disease-causing organisms (pathogens) is time consuming (if even possible) and very costly. Because the state cannot test for all possible pathogens in ocean water, the state uses indicator bacteria to determine whether there is a potential presence of fecal matter from warm-blooded animals, including humans, and therefore indirectly indicates the potential presence of pathogens. Enterococci is an EPA-recommended fecal indicator that are found in high concentrations in the intestinal tract of humans and other warm-blooded animals. Testing for enterococci is relatively easy and cost effective. Indicators are generally not considered pathogens, but they mimic (although not perfectly) the fate and transport of most common gastrointestinal pathogens as it goes through the sewage treatment process. This means that if indicators are not found after the treatment process, then it is safe to assume that pathogens will also not be found. Most pathogens, unlike indicators, do not survive well in the environment.
What are enterococci? Enterococci are bacteria that live in the intestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals, including humans, and therefore indicate possible water contamination by fecal waste. Sources of fecal indicator bacteria such as enterococci include wastewater treatment plant effluent, leaking septic systems, stormwater runoff, sewage discharged or dumped from recreational boats, domestic animal and wildlife waste, improper land application of manure or sewage, and runoff from manure storage areas, pastures, rangelands, and feedlots. There are also natural, non-fecal sources of fecal indicator bacteria, including plants, sand, soil and sediments, that contribute to a certain background level in ambient waters and vary based on local environmental and meteorological conditions.
Why is it important to evaluate enterococci? Enterococci are indicators of the presence of fecal material in water and, therefore, of the possible presence of disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. These pathogens can sicken swimmers and waders and those who eat raw shellfish or fish. Other potential health effects can include diseases of the skin, eyes, ears and respiratory tract. Eating fish or shellfish harvested from waters with fecal contamination can also result in human illness.
What do the enterococci numbers mean? The CWB has adopted an EPA-recommended threshold value, called the Beach Action Value or BAV, of 130 enterococci per 100 mL of water sample. The illness rate associated with the BAV has been determined to be 36 illnesses/1,000 swimmers or waders. Enterococci levels greater than 130/100 mL indicates that there may be an increased probability of risk of illness due to pathogens that cause gastrointestinal (GI) illness in swimmers and waders of the affected beach. It does not necessarily mean that you will become ill, but there is an increased probability.
What is the difference between enterococci from sewage and enterococci from other sources? Current tests used for beach monitoring cannot distinguish between enterococci originating from different sources.
Who is at risk? Children are especially at risk. Studies show that children swallow up to four time the amount of water as adults when swimming or wading. Other populations at risk of developing illness include the elderly, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems. Fortunately, while swimming-related gastrointestinal illnesses are unpleasant, they are usually not life threatening - they require little or no treatment or quickly resolve upon treatment, and they have no long-term health effects.
What types of illness could I get from swimming at beaches with high levels of enterococci? The most common illness associated with swimming in beaches polluted by sewage is gastroenteritis from ingesting or drinking polluted water. Gastrointestinal illness (GI) is defined by the EPA 2012 Recommended Water Quality Criteria (RWQC) and includes any of the following symptoms within 10-12 days after swimming:
You must swallow or ingest water containing fecal pathogens to contract GI illness. Other minor illnesses associated with swimming may include ear, eye, and nose infections. These infections are contracted by direct contact with polluted waters. In highly polluted waters, swimmers may occasionally be exposed to more serious diseases.
Skin infections are mainly caused by pathogens that are not specifically detected by enterococci. This means that these pathogens may be present in the water even if the BAV threshold has not been exceeded. Likewise, the presence of enterococci does not automatically mean that pathogens that cause skin infections are also present in the water.