The following four projects were selected for funding under the 2011 USGS NIWR Water Resources Research Institute Program for the state of Hawaii. Work is now underway on these projects. Several small seed grants are made by WRRC under this program every year.
Long-term aspects of high-elevation rainfall and climate change, Oahu
Abstract:
The climate and precipitation regime of the North Pacific and Hawaii varies substantially across timeframes from annual to decadal and longer, and includes El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) - and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) - scale dynamics. Water resource planning over the long term (several decades) requires an understanding of the patterns and drivers of climate variation and change. Mountain rain is the most crucial component of groundwater recharge on Oahu. In this study, we will investigate the organic geochemical and vegetation history of mountain peat swamp sediments at multiple sites to better understand the intensity and frequency of dry climate periods in Hawaii. This work will bridge important gaps in hydroclimate and climate change knowledge for Hawaii and the Pacific.
Development of an Advanced Surface Tensiometer for Measuring Water Quality
Abstract:
Characterizing the physical, chemical and biological properties of potable and recreational waters plays a vital role in assessing and controlling water quality. The objective of this project is to develop an advanced surface tensiometer for assessing water quality. In addition to surface tension measurement, this surface tensiometer will be integrated with advanced microscopy and spectroscopy techniques for detection of specific contaminants. The resultant surface tensiometer will evaluate water quality based on four measurable parameters: 1) dynamic surface tension; 2) surface dilatational elasticity; 3) microscopy structure of adsorbed contaminant films using atomic force microscopy; and 4) chemical analysis of contaminants using Raman spectroscopy. This advanced surface tensiometer allows determination of specific water contaminants and evaluation of water quality.
Reshaping the Regulatory Framework for Hawaii Aquaculture - Water Quality Standards, Coastal Fishponds, and Shellfish Grounds
Abstract:
The goal of our seed grant project is to establish a broad-based, collaborative effort to promulgate new water quality regulations that will provide for greater community self-reliance in aquaculture production while sustaining environmental health. The four main objectives that we will achieve in pursuing this goal are (1) identify the different types of water quality standards revisions that could be proposed, including a survey of the practices in other jurisdictions; (2) document procedural roadmaps and scientific information needs for each type of revision identified; (3) analyze the potential for success in revising water quality standards for one or more coastal fishponds; and (4) estimate the resources needed to complete revisions on a wider scale.
Training New WRRC Microbiologist to Address Sewage Contamination of Nawiliwili Streams and Kalapaki Beach
Abstract:
This project will address the issue of the applicability of federal recreational water quality standards in Hawaii with particular focus on the impaired Nawiliwili Stream and its receiving water near Kalapaki Beach on the island of Kauai. An earlier research study in the Nawiliwili watershedconcluded the following: 1) Many of the microbial water monitoring data obtained from the island of Kauai were similar to data previously obtained on the island of Oahu. 2) FIB (fecal coliforms, enterococci) are naturally present in high concentrations in soil and represent an environmental, non-sewage source of FIB. 3) Under ambient conditions, concentrations of FIB in streams routinely exceed current water quality standards and the predominant source of FIB is soil rather than sewage. 4) FIB are unreliable indicators of fecal contamination for streams and coastal waters receiving land-based discharges on the islands of Kauai and Oahu. 5) Monitoring for F+ coliphages provided reliable data to detect subsurface contamination of streams by cesspool waste. 6) Although C. perfringens was previously shown to be a good indicator of surface sources of sewage pollution on the island of Oahu, this fecal bacterium was not a good indicator for subsurface contamination of streams by cesspool waste. 7) Identifying and genotyping FRNA coliphages recovered from environmental water samples provided additional data to determine human or animal sources of fecal contamination. 8) The detection of elevated levels of FRNA coliphages of human sources (genotypes II, III) in streams on Kauai indicate that these streams are contaminated with cesspool waste and are likely to be contaminated with human sewage-borne viruses.
This project will build upon this earlier work to further clarify the sources of pollution in the Nawiliwili watershed and how the pollution can be mitigated.
For more information:
tel: (808) 956-3097
fax: (808) 956-5044
email: morav@hawaii.edu
