HAWAII
Hawaii has expended much effort to gain cooperation and support from
significant entities both inside and outside the state. Its success in working
with other groups to make headway in controlling nonpoint source pollution is
evident in the following successes in the Pearl Harbor Bay watershed.
Pearl Harbor Programs Flourish through Cooperation
Innovation, perseverance, and cooperation are the watchwords in Hawaii's
efforts to control nonpoint source pollution in the Pearl Harbor Bay watershed,
with section 319 money getting the projects rolling.
In 1990, the U.S. Navy expressed interest and concern about the problem of
heavy silt loading into the East Loch of Pearl Harbor from Halawa Stream. At
the Navy's request, the South Oahu Soil and Water Conservation District held an
interagency meeting to look for ways to prevent soil erosion across all land
uses. From this meeting, the Pearl Harbor Estuary Program Interagency Committee
(PHEPIC) formed, consisting of 17 agencies and groups, and received the first
section 319 implementation grant.
PHEPIC began a public education and information campaign, using $3,000 in
section 319 funds and $12,500 in other funds. The committee selected storm
drain stenciling as one of the projects because of its high visibility. The
project was intended to encourage community participation and raise public
awareness about how storm drains are connected directly to streams and the
ocean. Storm drains are commonly used to dispose of used motor oil, pet waste,
rotting fruit, and other rubbish.
At the Navy's request, the Hawaii Department of Health briefed the base
admiral on the education project. The Navy's enthusiastic contribution included
producing an 8-minute video to train volunteers to stencil storm drains in Navy
housing areas, and in other areas on the base. The admiral attended the kickoff
event and expressed support to television news reporters. The one-year project
started in October 1992.
The Navy's education and outreach support included modifying a DOH nonpoint
source brochure, adding a message about the Navy recycling program, and
printing 5,000 copies to distribute to Navy personnel. In another effort,
PHEPIC targeted the Waiawa wetland to enhance wildlife habitat and to serve as
a sediment retention area. The Navy committed $200,000 to conduct a thorough
study of the wetland to determine if restoration was feasible; this was begun
in September 1991. The committee continues to work to prevent and control
nonpoint source pollution from entering Pearl Harbor. With the Navy's
cooperation assured, the Health Department turned its attention and section 319
resources to other matters.
Miles of Hawaii's highways are afflicted with erosion. Sediment from road
cuts enters storm runoff collection systems and is delivered to the ocean. The
need to revegetate eroding roadside cuts with drought tolerant, low maintenance
vegetation was not only a good idea but a necessary one. Erosion and sediment
control is difficult to sell to the public when the state is not controlling
its own erosion.
The obstacles were numerous, however. The State Department of
Transportation had no resources to devote to such a project. Maintenance funds
were scarce and federal funds were earmarked exclusively for new construction.
With a water shortage looming, the Transportation Department did not want to
create additional areas requiring irrigation. However, to justify spending 319
grant monies on such a project, involvement and enthusiasm for transferring the
demonstrated technology to other sites was needed. The Health Department worked
hard to sell the idea. It held meetings and drafted letters to top
transportation management. It offered to demonstrate a system that required no
mowing or permanent irrigation, and that would save money since the
Transportation Department would not need to clean sediment from the ditches.
The Health Department also suggested that the project would be good public
relations and help the Transportation Department meet new requirements in the
Surface Transportation Act to control nonpoint source pollution. Finally, the
Transportation and Health Departments, SCS, and PHEPIC signed a memo of
understanding. A $20,000 section 319 grant and $14,000 in additional funds were
used for the project.
The Health Department selected a severely eroded site adjacent to the Pearl
Country Club. The club donated irrigation water for a temporary drip irrigation
system for two years. A consultant with expertise in xeriscape landscaping
developed a plan using 26 species, including eight native plants. Local
botanical gardens and nurseries donated a portion of the plants. SCS designed
an irrigation system, which the Transportation Department installed. With the
assistance of community volunteers, Transportation did the planting. The soil
and water conservation districts and McDonald's donated food for the
workers.
The Transportation Department will maintain the site for at least two years
and the University of Hawaii will monitor the site, using an adjacent site as
control. The university will use runoff plot methodology to measure sediment,
herbicide, and nutrients in stormwater runoff, and a student will receive a
stipend to map all eroding roadcuts in the watershed and rank them for future
plantings.
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