Near Maui samples were taken slightly off shore. Land based pollutants, such as fertilizers and chemicals in waste water, infiltrate into groundwater beneath land and exit into near shore ecosystems. A concurrent companion study to this work, led by James Bishop at the UHM Department of Geology and Geophysics, found that water collected from beach sands, which represents coastal groundwater, next to the Kahului Wastewater Reclamation Facility contained up to 75% treated wastewater -- highlighting the impact of wastewater in this area.
"Our timely study builds on previous research from UH scientists and recent federal court rulings that show that treated wastewater is illegally discharged to the ocean from injection wells at the Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation facility via SGD to Kahekili Beach Park on West Maui," said Daniel Amato, lead author and recent graduate of the UHM College of Natural Sciences.
"The long-term goal of this research group is to bridge the disciplines of hydrology, geochemistry and marine biology to help answer pressing questions regarding the source and impact of nutrient pollution in Hawaiian coastal waters," said Craig Glenn, Henrietta Dulaiova and Celia Smith, the collaborating principal investigators and co-authors of the Hawai'i Sea Grant project.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161116101435.htm
"Our timely study builds on previous research from UH scientists and recent federal court rulings that show that treated wastewater is illegally discharged to the ocean from injection wells at the Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation facility via SGD to Kahekili Beach Park on West Maui," said Daniel Amato, lead author and recent graduate of the UHM College of Natural Sciences.
"The long-term goal of this research group is to bridge the disciplines of hydrology, geochemistry and marine biology to help answer pressing questions regarding the source and impact of nutrient pollution in Hawaiian coastal waters," said Craig Glenn, Henrietta Dulaiova and Celia Smith, the collaborating principal investigators and co-authors of the Hawai'i Sea Grant project.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161116101435.htm