“Sewage Impacts on Hawaiʻi’s Coastlines: Past, Present and Future” a “Know Your Ocean” Webinar

Part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Councilʻs Online “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series”

Watch the presentation on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/80r7tzV3RiU

What will determine the future impacts of sewage on Hawai’i’s nearshore ecosystems and public health? Daniel Amato, Ph.D., presented “Sewage Impacts on Hawaiʻi’s Coastlines: Past, Present and Future” which included recent research and the latest information on Hawaiʻi’s wastewater saga. The webinar took place on Wednesday, October 7 and was presented by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council as part of their monthly “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series.” Advance reservations are recommended as the Zoom webinar is limited to 100 attendees.

“My talk will share reports on how injection wells and cesspools continue to pollute Hawaiʻi’s waters, with an emphasis on recent Maui studies,” says Dr. Amato. ”I will also present recent decisions from the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and the current status of their effort to phase out cesspools.”

Dr. Amato will also discuss the current situation with sewage pollution in Hawai’i, and will present community efforts and new technological developments in sewage detection that show promise for the future.

A water quality specialist, Dr. Amato’s professional work focuses on the detection and impacts of land-based pollution in the Pacific Ocean and the development of new technology to assist in detecting the DNA of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in the water. Dr. Amato is a Marine Research Specialist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, an Environmental Scientist at Element Environmental LLC, and serves as the coordinator for Surfrider-Oahu’s Blue Water Task Force.

“We are offering this webinar by Dr. Amato to share important information about sewage and its impact on Maui’s coastlines, including ocean water quality and our nearshore coral reefs,” says Amy Hodges, Programs and Operations Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “It’s a critically important topic, at a time when our coral reefs need the benefit of clean ocean water, to survive the impacts of climate change and warming water.”

“We thank the County of Maui Mayorʻs Office of Economic Development for supporting our Know Your Ocean Speaker Series,” says Hodges.

Want to learn more? Watch the presentation on YouTube – click below. You can also read about some ways to help in this article in Maui Times about wastewater in Maui County: https://mauitimes.news/flushing-money-down-the-drain/.

About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council:
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a community-based nonprofit organization celebrating 12 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water, and abundant native fish throughout Maui County. Our work includes co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program in South and West Maui, efforts to reduce pollution in Mā‘alaea Bay (through erosion-control efforts in the Pohakea watershed and using oysters to filter sediment and pollutants from ocean water), coral reef research, visitor education programs and more.