Mahalo nui to everyone who joined us for our Community Science and Clean Coastal Water event—an impactful testament to the power of collective action and the collaboration needed to turn data into action.
Over fifty community members, scientists, advocates, and partners gathered for an evening grounded in a shared commitment to protecting clean coastal water on Kauaʻi. The event highlighted how community science, partnership, and advocacy intersect to protect public health, nearshore ecosystems, and our ability to safely enjoy the ocean.
Water pollution is complex. Addressing it requires bottom-up community science, top-down policy and enforcement, and powerful coalitions that bring people together across sectors.
We talked about Surfrider Foundation’s Clean Water Initiative and how volunteer-led water quality monitoring through our Blue Water Task Force helps turn data into action. At Surfrider, we believe everyone deserves the right to safely recreate in the ocean—but Hawaiʻi’s waters, while often assumed to be pristine, are not always safe.
Community-generated data has revealed chronic pollution and recurring bacteria hot spots across Kauaʻi. That information fills critical gaps in state monitoring and supports advocacy at the county, state, and federal levels, including policy change and Clean Water Act enforcement.
The takeaway was simple: protecting clean water isn’t about one program or one organization. It’s about connecting science, community, and advocacy—and moving together toward solutions that protect public health and our coastal ecosystems.
We also discussed where pollution comes from and why it remains such a persistent challenge on Kauaʻi. Wastewater is a major driver, with roughly 11,000 cesspools still in use on the island and aging infrastructure contributing to spills, leaks, and partially treated discharges. Stormwater runoff, agriculture, livestock, aquaculture, pets, wildlife, and feral animals further add bacteria, nutrients, and sediment to streams and nearshore waters.
Climate change compounds all of this by raising groundwater levels and reducing the land’s natural ability to filter pollutants. Many of these pollution sources are also rich in nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which fuel algal blooms and degrade reef ecosystems.
We discussed how Surfrider’s clean water programs are designed to drive action, not just collect data. On Kauaʻi, our work is supported by advocacy at the county and state level, as well as litigation when necessary. Each year, we support legislation to reduce pollution from cesspools and wastewater systems, and we have also advanced county-level efforts to address other land-based pollution sources.
Many of our clean water campaigns intersect with the Clean Water Act, a federal law which prohibits the discharge of pollutants into surface waters without a permit. Community science helps identify pollution and informs public comments and advocacy around these permits. When pollution is unregulated or out of compliance, we push for accountability —and, when needed, through the courts.
This is how programs and campaigns work together: data identifies the problem and advocacy drives solutions.
Link to Kauaʻi Chapter Campaigns and Victories
Christina Comfort, Water Quality Scientist with Wastewater Alternatives and Innovation (WAI), highlighted a critical gap in clean water work: the lack of public health data directly linking wastewater pollution to illness.
While water quality monitoring shows where pollution exists, we often don’t know where or how people are getting sick from wastewater-associated exposure. Many waterborne illnesses go unreported, making it difficult to fully capture public health impacts or advocate for targeted wastewater funding.
Christina introduced SeaSick, a new waterborne illness reporting tool designed to help fill that gap. Community members can report infections or illnesses after swimming, creating data that supports advocacy for wastewater improvements. The SeaSick map, updated monthly, helps visualize illness trends and potential exposure risks.
We also heard from Reef Guardians Hawaiʻi | Nā Kiaʻi Āpapa, who shared how citizen-science-driven, site-specific stewardship efforts at ʻAnini Lagoon translate data into reef protection and community care. ʻAnini is Hawaiʻi’s largest lagoon and a critical nursery for reef fish, but algae blooms, coral disease, and reduced coral cover point to land-based pollution that threatens reef health. Reef Guardians is using water quality indicators to understand where and when pollution enters the lagoon and hopes to expand this work to other Kauaʻi watersheds in the future.
Joel Guy from the Hanalei Initiative spoke about community-level efforts to advance town-wide wastewater solutions, emphasizing the importance of coordination, long-term planning, and collaboration across agencies and communities. He shared highlights from the Hanalei Initiative’s USDA-funded wastewater planning work, including groundwater monitoring and evaluations of cost, environmental benefits, and cultural impacts. Based on this analysis and community input, the study recommends a liquid-only sewer system as a balanced and effective approach. Building on this work, the Hanalei Initiative is now collaborating with the EPA on an engineering study for a potential sewer system.
We were honored to have Councilmember Fern Holland join the conversation, answering questions, elevating community concerns, and sharing how the Kauaʻi County Council is working to address water pollution issues on the island.
The evening underscored a central truth: this work only happens because people show up.
Every clean water program and campaign on Kauaʻi is powered by community members, volunteers, scientists, partners, agencies, elected officials, and advocates working together toward a shared goal. Grateful for the shared knowledge, collaboration, and commitment to protecting our waters—because when we move together, data becomes solutions, and community care becomes lasting change
Surfrider Kauaʻi BWTF needs more volunteers! If you are interested in volunteering with our BWTF and collecting water samples once a month please email hlilley@surfrider.org
Support Solutions that address wastewater related pollution this Legislative session. Track and support our priority clean water bills this session:
Link to Hawaiʻi Legislative Priority Page