![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
2007 Swimming Season Update
Hawaii
July 2008
- Introduction
- 2007 Summary Results
- For More Information
- Print version (PDF) of this document (251 K, 2 pp.; About PDF)
- Raw data (MS-Excel) for Hawaii (316 K)
Introduction
Figure 1. Hawaii coastal counties with 2007 monitored beach data.
The BEACH Act of 2000 requires that coastal and Great Lakes states and territories report to EPA on beach monitoring and notification data for their coast recreation waters. The BEACH Act defines coastal recreation waters as the Great Lakes and coastal waters (including coastal estuaries) that states, territories, and authorized tribes officially recognize or designate for swimming, bathing, surfing, or similar activities in the water.
This fact sheet summarizes beach monitoring and notification data submitted to EPA by the state of Hawaii for the 2007 swimming season.
Under the BEACH Act, almost all of Hawaii's coastal waters are considered "beaches." A beach can be a cliff, rocky shoreline, or a sandy stretch of coastline. As long as the water along the coastline is used for full contact water recreation, it is considered a beach.
Hawaii's monitoring program focuses on intensity of use, as the guide in the selection of beaches to be monitored and the frequency of sampling. Hawaii's 444 beaches represents about 297 miles of coastline, of which 91 miles are monitored. On Oahu, where most of the State's population resides, 144 beaches represents about 125 miles of coastline, of which 55 miles are monitored.
| County | Total Beaches | Monitored | Not Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 104 | 22 | 82 |
| Honolulu | 144 | 65 | 79 |
| Kauai | 73 | 17 | 56 |
| Maui | 123 | 11 | 112 |
| Totals | 444 | 115 | 329 |
2007 Summary Results
How many notification actions were reported and how long were they?
Figure 2: Beach notification actions by duration.
Hawaii's approach is to issue a beach advisory when water quality standards are exceeded at a particular beach that warns people to avoid contact with the ocean water. Figure 2 presents a full breakdown of notification action durations. A total of 7 beaches had at least one advisory issued during the 2007 swimming season. About 25 percent of Hawaii's notification actions lasted two days or less.
What percentage of days were beaches under a notification action?
Figure 3: Beach days with and without notification actions in 2007.
For Hawaii's 2007 swimming season, actions were reported about 1 percent of the time (Figure 3).
How do 2007 results compare to previous years?
Table 2 compares 2007 notification action data with monitored beach data from previous years.
| Year | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of monitored beaches | 134 | 112 | 115 |
| Number of beaches affected by notification actions | 13 | 16 | 8 |
| Percentage of beaches affected by notification actions | 10% | 14% | 7% |
| Percentage of beach days affected by notification actions | <1% | 1% | <1% |
What pollution sources affect monitored beaches?
Figure 4 displays the percentage of Hawaii's monitored beaches potentially impacted by various pollution sources. In 2007, 100 percent of the beaches included storm-related runoff as a known potential source.
Figure 4: Percent of monitored beaches potentially affected by pollution sources (115 beaches).
For More Information
Hawaii's 2006 Beach Season Data | General information about beaches | Beaches in Hawaii
