KAILUA NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD NO. 31

KAILUA WATER QUALITY PSPHCD SUBCOMMITTEE
MEETING AGENDA
Thursday, March 13, 2025
6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
In-person at the Kailua District Park District Meeting Room with ZOOM option:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85475171447?pwd=ayebakfvobS7H5splORcS4bnHPfoIl.1
Meeting ID: 854 7517 1447 Passcode: 433734

Chair: Levani Lipton levani.knb@gmail.com Members: Kelli Ann Kobayashi, Kate Righter, Steve Trecker, and Gary Weller.

1. Call to Order

2. Approval of Minutes

3. Announcements:
a. Kailua Water Quality Data – Honolulu City and County Wastewater Treatment Plant has launched a new water quality data dashboard. Visit: https://www8.honolulu.gov/env/kailua-water-quality-data/
b. Sign up for brown water advisories and alerts: https://eha-cloud.doh.hawaii.gov/cwb/#!/landing . Brown water frequently occurs after storm events. For your safety, it is recommended not to enter the ocean or streams if they are brown or after a storm. If you have an open wound or cut, it is best to avoid the water until you are healed. Check the DOH website for alerts.
c. “FOLLOW THE DROP” is a stormwater mobile app that collects data on how much stormwater is being generated on a property and provides optimum types and sizes of stormwater capture solutions. Schedule a free rainwater assessment at: https://rainwaterhawaii.com to learn how you can use the app to minimize stormwater runoff from your property.
d. Stormwater Town Hall. A town hall will be held on Thursday March 27th at 6 pm at Kailua Intermediate School addressing stormwater issues in Kailua.

4. Presentation: Results of Genki Ball Study in Hāmākua Wetland by Dr. Carmella Vizza and HPU student research team.

5. Resident and Community Concerns

6. Old Business:
a. Storm drain maintenance
b. Culvert and channel cleaning maintenance schedule
c. Bacterial effluent exceedance in Kailua Bay & protocols
d. Stormwater Utility (now SWOOSH)
e. Status of 2008 and 2010 Stormwater BMPs
f. Status of Kawainui Levee Siphon
g. BMP violations
h. Mangrove removal
i. Cesspool conversions in Kailua
j. Kapa’a Quarry impacts on water quality
k. Akiohala Street CIP project
l. Hāmākua Genki Ball Study
m. Castles Beach and Kawainui Stream study
n. Street sweeping schedule & parking restrictions for pollution reduction
o. Kaelepulu Pond TMDL status

7. New Business

8. Ongoing Discussion:
a. What pukas have you noticed in the government response to addressing pollution in our waterways?
b. What are your ideas for solving these challenges?
c. Sustainability of our natural resources: What steps can we take now to keep Kailua Bay and waterways thriving in the future?
d. Who are our allies in this effort
e. What community outreach and events are happening to promote awareness?
f. Who are the agencies and nonprofits who malama the ocean and waterways?
g. What steps can the public take to minimize pollution and maintain small footprints?

9. Adjournment

Kailua Water Quality PHPSCD Subcommittee
February 2025 Meeting Report
Chair, Levani Lipton

1. The subcommittee meeting was held in-person on February 13, 2025, chaired by Levani Lipton and attended by committee member Gary Weller, KNB members Jay Etzenbach and Bill Hicks, and residents or presenters Ali Boehm, Sherine Boomla, Bob Bourke, Michael Brezel, Derek Esibll, Cosette Harms, Linda Jenks, Charles Laidley, Leonard Lepine, Sarah Lowry, Judy Mick, Barry Morgan, Kristen Nalani Kane, Adam Orand, Anuj Pawar, Dana Seagars, Doug Seelig, Cindy Turner, and Carmella Vizza,

2. Two announcements were made:
a. City Council member Esther Kia’aina and the City and County of Honolulu will be hosting a Stormwater Town Hall on Thursday March 27, 2025.
b. Results of the two year Genki Ball Study by a HPU research team will be shared at the March 13, 2025 KNB Kailua Water Quality Subcommittee hybrid meeting at 6:00 pm.
3. A presentation “Castle Beach Water Quality Study Preliminary Results” was given by Sarah Lowry, PhD Candidate and Professor Ali Boehm of Stanford University.
a. Lowry thanked the research team including Dr. Orin Shanks (EPA Office of Research and Development), Ella Lum (student at Punahou school), and Adam Diedrich (EPA Office of Research and Development).
b. Lowry provided an overview of the study. The research question of the study asked: What is the source (human, bird, dog, or other) of the fecal indicator bacteria in the Castles area? The study was conducted in two parts. The first part was to collect water samples and test for indicators of fecal matter through measurements of enterococci. The second part of the study comprised of analyzing samples in a lab and performing microbial tracking which identified the source of the enterococci bacteria.
c. Key takeaways from the study findings include:
(1) The study tested 78 water samples over two weeks in the Kawainui/Castles area for three human fecal markers, a bird fecal marker, and a dog fecal marker.
(2) The bird marker, dog marker, and one human marker were found in samples in the study.
(3) The bird marker was found the most often (around 75% of samples), followed by the human marker (around 40% of samples), followed by the dog marker (around 10% of samples).
(4) Of the three human markers tested, only one was detected. More research is needed to figure out why this might be happening.
d. Water samples were collected from multiple sites. Of the three locations tested (Kaha Park, the canal (Kawainui Stream/Oneawa Canal) and Castles):
(1) The bird marker was found in all locations and in every sample from Kaha Park and the canal.
(2) The human marker was found in all locations and was highest in the canal.
(3) The dog marker was found at Kaha Park and Castles and was highest in Kaha Park.
e. The research team noted several opportunities for further study and also shared that they would let us know when the study findings would be published and would share the scientific peer reviewed article.
f. A recording of the presentation was made on Zoom. Please email levani.knb@gmail.com for a link.

To view agenda and minutes, visit our board website.

Event shows physical location; however, other options of participation may also include WebEx and phone.  If available, instructions for WebEx and phone can be found at the top of the agenda.