Channelized Streams
Channelized Streams and Storm Drains
Perhaps the greatest threat facing Maunalua Bay is the combination of land-based pollutants devastating our nearshore marine ecosystems. Sediments, nutrients, and toxins from commercial and residential origin enter the bay from channelized streams and overwhelmed storm drains. These influences degrade marine habitats through a variety of ways. Land based pollutants on our reefs deprive corals the light and nourishment they need to survive.
In addition, excess nutrients within these land-based effluents help to fertilize the growing beds of alien algae in our nearshore areas. Consequently, the fish and other marine life that depend on a healthy reef move off to find better habitat elsewhere.
These pollutants can also limit the ability of corals and fish to reproduce by killing their eggs, preventing the reef from replenishing itself. Sediment also attracts harmful bacteria that may live in the water which risks human health as well. If the current cannot take away the amount of sediment entering our reefs fast enough then the same sediment and pollutants will keep killing with every swell.
What can we do about such a big and complex problem? Mālama Maunalua recognizes that complex problems necessitate comprehensive solutions. As residents and stewards of this bay, it will take a lot of us doing the little things: refraining from dumping waste and chemicals down drains, capturing rainwater, reusing gray water, opting for porous alternatives to concrete to encourage drainage, reducing our dependency on fertilizers for our gardens and lawns, and choosing to use environmentally friendly cleaners and solvents. For all of us that take pleasure in the bay, these are just a few of the simple ways we can give back.
On a bigger scale, our ability to help the bay will in large part be a reflection of how well we can help each other. As a community we can partner with the dozens of federal, state, and local agencies who all play a part in managing land based pollution. From the Army Corps of Engineers to the Department of Transportation, all of us need to join our resources and work together to address issues such as channelized streams, freshwater capture and reuse, and stormwater drainage systems.
Mālama Maunalua is currently working with scientists and resource managers to identify the causes and sources of these pollutants in order to best understand how we can address them. Researchers from the University of Hawai`i Kewalo Marine Lab have launched a Watershed Study that will measure the impacts of run-off and sedimentation from upper watersheds to the reefs of Maunalua Bay.
