Ka nota a ka luna hoʻoponopono: Unuhi ʻia na Kamalani Johnson. Click here to read this article in English.

“E maʻi paha au inā e ʻau ma laila?” ʻO ia kahi nīnau a ka Surfrider Foundation e ʻimi ana e pane no nā mea noho o Oʻahu, Maui, a me Kauaʻi ma kona moʻolelo kūlana wai hope iho nei.

Hōʻiliʻili ʻia ma ka moʻolelo ka ʻikepili mai ka 1,100 a ʻoi ʻano wai i ʻohi ʻia e nā mea hana manawaleʻa ma ke 90 kahawai mai ʻō a ʻō o ka pae ʻāina ma ka ʻekolu mokupuni i ka makahiki 2025 ma luna nō hoʻi o ko ka hui mau hana hoʻopaipai akeakamai kaiaulu. Ua hāʻule he 24 o ia mau wahi ma ka 50% ma ka hoʻolawa i nā ana ola kino hoʻonanea o ka mokuʻāina no ka nui mūhune kūkae. A ua hāʻule ʻelua wahi — ka muliwai o ke Kahawai o Moloaʻa ma Kauaʻi a me ka Pāka Kahakai o Punaluʻu ma Oʻahu — i nā manawa a pau i ana ʻia ai ka wai.

Civil Beat stories ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi

‘Ka Ulana Pilina’ is an ongoing collection of news articles and opinion pieces written in the Hawaiian language to better connect with our Indigenous readers, identify underreported stories and improve our engagement with an underserved community.

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Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Hannah Lilley, ka manakia laulā o Hawaiʻi ma ka Surfrider Foundation, i loko nō o ka ʻohi ʻia o ka wai e nā mea hana manawaleʻa mai nā wahi ʻokoʻa i nā wahi i ʻohi mua ʻia ai ka wai ma ka 2024, ua kū nō ka ʻikepili i nā makahiki i hala.

“He kūlana kēia i kū i ke kaumaha, a e mau ana ke emi ma ka loli o ka honua,” i ʻōlelo ai ʻo Lilley.

Hiki ke pilikia nā kahua hoʻomaʻemaʻe wai o ka pae ʻāina i ka piʻi o ke kai and ka hālana o ka wai.

Manaʻo ʻo Lilley, ua lilo nā ʻino Kona Low hope iho nei he hōʻoia a hōʻike nō hoʻi no ka paʻa a me ka ʻole o ia kahua hoʻomaʻemaʻe wai.

“ʻAʻole nō hoʻi kākou i puka me ka maikaʻi. E ʻohi wai ana mākou ma ka wā o nā ʻino ma hope pū nō hoʻi mai ko mākou mau keʻena Blue Water Task Force a ua pā ʻumi a pā iwakālua ka nui mūhune o Maui a me Oʻahu i ka palena,” wahi āna. “He mea ka wai hālana e ʻike nui ʻia ai nā mea hoʻohaumia i loaʻa ʻē ma ka ʻōnaehana wai.”

He hui kauʻāina ʻo Blue Water Task Force Now nona ke 60 a ʻoi keʻena e ana ana i ka nui mūhune ma ka 600 a ʻoi mau wahi wai kai, hono, muliwai, a inu mai ʻō a ʻō ka ʻāina.

Wahi a ka noiʻi Surfrider, ʻo nā kahakai i kai o nā wahi nona nā lua kūkae he nui a aia ma kahi o nā muliwai kahawai, a i ʻole paha ia, ma kahi o nā wai e puka ana i kai, nā mea e haumia ana paha i ka mūhune enterococcus.

ʻAʻole ka enterococcus he mea hōʻino ma ka maʻamau, kapa ʻia nō naʻe ia mea he “mūhune hōʻailona nui kūkae,” ʻo ia hoʻi, he hōʻailona ia i ka loaʻa paha o ke kūkae kanaka a holoholona ma ka wai. A inā he nui loa ma ka wai, nui ka papaha o ka loaʻa o nā mūhune, maʻi, a mea like paha e maʻi ai kānaka.

ʻAʻole i ka Surfrider ka ʻikepili e pono ai e hoʻopili ʻia ai nā maʻi ponoʻī me ka loaʻa o ka haumia, ua ʻōlelo nō naʻe ʻo Lilley no kona ʻike maka i nā laʻana o ia ʻano pilikia. “Kamaʻāina au i nā kānaka he nui e hele ana i ke Kapa Kai ʻĀkau a e kōkua ana ma nā hana kōkua i ka wai hālana, a maʻi honua ihola a pilikia ʻino ka naʻau,” wahi āna i ʻōlelo ai. “Ua loaʻa ka poʻe ma ka laulā e ʻimi ana i ko mākou mau alakaʻi Blue Water Task Force, e wehewehe ana no ka loaʻa ʻana i ka maʻi.”

Kuhikuhi akula ʻo ia he kiʻina hoʻopaʻa moʻolelo mai ka hui kū i ka ʻauhau ʻole ʻo WAI i kapa ʻia ʻo Seasick, e ʻimi ana e ʻohi i ka ʻikepili me ka pahuhopu hoʻokahi ʻo ka lilo he kahua no nā kulekele no ka hoʻololi lua kūkae.

Aia he 83,000 lua kūkae mai ʻō a ʻō o Hawaiʻi — a ʻo kekahi hapa ma Hawaiʻi Mokupuni ia — he 52 miliona kālani wai kūkae e holo ana i ka wai honua i kēlā lā kēia lā ma muli o nā mea noho. E pono ka mokuʻāina e hoʻololi he 3,000 kālani i kēlā me kēia makahiki e kō ai ka pahuhopu i hoʻopaʻa ʻia na ke koina mokuʻāina ʻo ka hoʻololi i nā mea a pau ma mua o ka 2050.

“Ke hoʻololi nei mākou he māhele wale nō o kēlā,” wahi a Lilley.

“Hiki ke piʻi ke kumukūʻai o ka hoʻololi he lua kūkae i ka ʻōnaehana hoʻoholo kūkae i ka $20,000 a ʻoi kālā, a ʻaʻole nō nui ke kākoʻo mai ka mokuʻāina a i kēia. ʻO ka pololei, ua hoʻokumu ʻia he kōmike aʻoaʻo ma lalo o kahi pila i hoʻolauna ʻia ma ke kau ʻaha ʻahaʻōlelo i hala akula, nona ke kuleana ʻo ke kālailai a hoʻoholo ʻana i nā lula e kū nei, nā ālaina ma ka hoʻololi a pēlā pū ka ʻimi ʻana i nā ala emi i pani no nā hoʻololi maʻamau. ʻAʻole i puka, ua ʻāpono nō naʻe ka ʻAhaʻōlelo i kekahi e hoʻokumu ana he puʻu kālā hōʻaiʻē maʻamau no ka hoʻolako ʻana i nā kālā hōʻaiʻē ʻia ma ka uku paneʻe emi no nā mea nona ka hale e hoʻololi ai i nā ʻōnaehana o ko lākou mau hale.

Ke hoʻopaipai pū nei ka Surfrider no ke kālā pekelala hou aku ma lalo o ke Kānāwai Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health, ʻo ia hoʻi ke Kānāwai BEACH, he pākuʻi i ke Kānāwai Clean Water i hoʻolako i ke kālā i nā papahana makaʻala maʻemaʻe wai ma nā mokuʻāina he 50.

“Hoʻokumu ʻia ko mākou Blue Water Task Force me ka manaʻo he kōkua ia ma luna o ia papahana, ʻo ka minamina nō hoʻi ka hoʻolako ʻole ʻia o ke kālā e holo ai no ka 25 makahiki, no laila, ke ʻimi nei mākou he huina $17.6 miliona kālā, he huina nona ka uku waiwai kū i ka wā,” i ʻōlelo ai ʻo Lilley. He kālā hou aku e pono ai ma ka pae kalana a mokuʻāina, wahi āna i pākuʻi ai, no ka loaʻa ʻole o ke kālā pekelala i ka mokuʻāina no ka noiʻi kūlana wai.

ʻOi aku ke kiʻekiʻe o ka haumia wai ma nā wahi ʻau ma Oʻahu a ma Kauaʻi ma mua o Maui ma muli o ka paʻa ʻana mai o ka honua o ia mau mokupuni — ʻoi aku ka nui o nā kahakai ma ka ʻaoʻao Koʻolau, ka ʻaoʻao pulu o Oʻahu a me Kauaʻi. A he mau wahi hele nui loa ʻia nā wahi e puka ai ka wai i ke kai no ka ʻau ma kona ʻano nui loa, a ʻo ia ke kumu a Lilley i ʻōlelo ai no ke koʻikoʻi o ka hana ma ka ʻohi a hōʻoia i ka wai ma ia mau wahi a i kēia lā.

“ʻIke mākou i nā keiki he nui e hoʻonanea ana ma laila a me ka ʻākoakoa ʻana o nā ʻohana — ma Moloaʻa ma ka hāiki. ʻO kēia kahi e hui ai nā hui e hoʻonaʻauao ana i nā keiki ma ka hale, he wahi nui kēia i nā lawaiʻa, a ʻo ia kahi a mākou e ʻike maʻamau ai i ka nui haumia mūhune nui loa,” wahi a Lilley. “ʻO ia ke kumu e koʻikoʻi ai ka makaʻala a hoʻolaha i ka ʻikepili.”

Kākoʻo ʻia ko Civil Beat mau moʻolelo no ka loli honua a me ka ʻāina na The Healy Foundation, ka Marisla Fund o Hawai‘i Community Foundation, a me ka Frost Family Foundation.

Kākoʻo ʻia ʻo “Data Dive” ma ka māhele na ka Will J. Reid Foundation.