High Bacteria Count Advisory at Hanaka‘ō‘ō, Maui

Hanakaʻōʻō Beach Park. Photo by Wendy Osher.

The public is advised of a water quality exceedance of enterococci at Hanakaʻōʻō, Maui. Levels of 137 per 100 mL have been detected during routine beach monitoring, slightly exceeding the threshold level of 130 enterococci per 100 mL.

The Department of Health Clean Water Branch issued the advisory noting that testing indicates that “potentially harmful microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa, or parasites may be present in the water.”

Department officials advise that children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely populations to develop illnesses or infections after coming into contact with polluted water, usually while swimming.

The most common illness associated with swimming in water polluted by fecal pathogens is gastroenteritis.

Not all illnesses from a day at the beach are from swimming. The department notes that at any given time and place, we are constantly exposed to a variety of microorganisms that have the potential of making us ill.