Watershed Studies
Mālama Maunalua in partnership with the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program has undertaken an effort to better understand the Maunalua region's watersheds and sources of sediment and pollution through a volunteer monitoring effort called Mauka Watch. This effort has involved volunteers in three related efforts:
1) Watershed Reconnaissance surveys which documented potential sources of non-point sorce pollution (NPS) in stream channels and neighborhoods following a modified version of the Center for Watershed Protection's Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual.
1) Watershed Reconnaissance surveys which documented potential sources of non-point sorce pollution (NPS) in stream channels and neighborhoods following a modified version of the Center for Watershed Protection's Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual.
2) Water Quality Monitoring at select stream mouths (ongoing)
3) Rainfall monitoring. Volunteers are currently installing rain gauges across the region to gather information about rainfall to assist managers with watershed planning efforts.
2009 MAUNALUA BAY REGIONAL WATERSHED STRATEGY--A COMMUNITY APPROACH, click link to download pdf.
A new study has been launched to measure the impacts of runoff and sedimentation from the upper watersheds to the reefs of the bay and begin to develop a model for appropriate management activities to improve water quality and the health of the coral communities.
A new study has been launched to measure the impacts of runoff and sedimentation from the upper watersheds to the reefs of the bay and begin to develop a model for appropriate management activities to improve water quality and the health of the coral communities.
Current and water quality meters have been deployed into the bay to support the modeling portion of the study and determine the primary sources of freshwater discharges, sediment and pollutants. They will identify the areas affected and establish a baseline to judge which measures are having the most positive impact in improving the bay’s water quality.
Mālama Maunalua is coordinating this effort to engage researchers, resource managers and the community to address the decline of the health of Maunalua Bay in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i, Mālama Hawai‘i, the National Marine Fisheries Service Pacific Islands Regional Office, the Hawai‘i Coral Reef Initiative, the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Hawaii’s Kewalo Marine Laboratory.
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Below in 3 parts are videos of visiting national U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) experts discussing local Maunalua Bay watersheds.
Dave Derrick, Research Hydraulic Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, USACE
Rich Fischer PhD, Research Wildlife Biologist at the Environmental Lab, USACE
