Hui O Ka Wai Ola’s Coastal Water Quality Report to be presented by the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council

Hui O Ka Wai Ola (HOKWO), a community-based coastal water quality monitoring organization, will share highlights from its biannual report as a part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Center’s (MNMRC) Know Your Ocean Speaker Series, on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom.

HOKWO tests nearshore water conditions at 39 locations in West and South Maui every three weeks throughout the year. Teams of trained volunteers collect samples and test them for temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and organic and inorganic nutrients – parameters that reveal long-term trends at monitored sites.

Findings from the data collected are released in a report every two years along with management recommendations and other insights for each area. In 2023, HOKWO was one of the first groups to test water conditions in the burn zone following the Lahaina wildfire and is the only group in Maui following a Quality Assurance Project Plan approved by the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health Clean Water Branch. 

“We want our community to have access to reliable data when it comes to understanding the quality of coastal waters around Maui,” said Program Manager, Liz Yannell. “Sharing our data is an important way we serve and support our community, especially now, as our Lahaina friends and family continue to heal and make plans for their future.”

Yannell will share findings from the report that outline ocean water quality conditions along a 40-mile stretch of Maui’s leeward coast. She will also share notable trends and patterns indicated by monitoring coastal water quality in key areas around the island, giving focus to new data from the areas of Lahaina, North Kīhei and Lāna’i.

Registration for the talk is free and can be completed at bit.ly/KYOHOKWO24.