Protect public health in Nāwiliwili Stream

Campaign Victory!! The Kaua‘i Chapter received permission from the State Department of Health and DLNR to post a sign warning people of chronic high bacteria levels and safety concerns at the mouth of Nāwiliwili Stream at Kalapakī Bay. The sign is prominently hung on a tree in between the parking lot and the water at the beach, and it contains a QR code directing people to available water quality information on the chapter’s website.

On the island of Kaua‘i in Hawai‘i, the Nāwiliwili Stream flows across the beach and discharges into Kalapakī Bay. Families with small children often play in the shallow, calm waters of the stream unaware of the pollution risks. The stream is not posted by the state health department as they only monitor water quality in front of the Marriott resort further down the beach.

The Surfrider Kaua‘i BWTF frequently measures high bacteria levels 4-8 times higher than the state health standard. In fact, every single sample the chapter has collected in Nāwiliwili Stream since 2016 has failed to meet safe water quality guidelines! Surfrider Kaua‘i shares their test results widely to build awareness of this pollution problem and is advocating for a sign to be placed at the beach to warn families with children that regularly swim and play in the mouth of this stream. The chapter even tested Nāwiliwili Stream and 23 other streams across the island for the presence of sucralose – an artificial sweetener used to indicate the presence of human sewage in waterways. Their findings point to cesspools and other potential sources of human sewage that need to be addressed to protect safe recreation downstream.

People should be informed of the chronic water quality issues at this beach so they can make good choices on where it is safe to get into the water and avoid getting sick.