Hui O Ka Wai Ola expands water quality monitoring to Molokaʻi’s south shore

Hui O Ka Wai Ola, a coastal water quality monitoring program, has expanded its testing efforts to five sites along Molokaʻi’s south shore, the group announced.

The expansion comes at the request of Maui County Council Member Keani Rawlins-Fernandez and marks the program’s first regular presence on Molokaʻi. The nonprofit has monitored coastal waters in leeward Maui since 2016 and added Lānaʻi to its monitoring area from 2023 to 2024 at the request of Council Member Gabe Johnson.

Land-based pollutants continue to affect Hawaiʻi’s coastal waters and coral reefs, and ongoing monitoring is intended to help identify problem areas and guide efforts to reduce sediment and nutrient runoff, according to the group.

Trained technicians will regularly test waters at five Molokaʻi sites stretching from Coconut Grove to Kakahaiʻa Park — Kalamaʻula, the Wharf Canoe Clubs, Kapaʻakea, Kamiloloa and Kakahaiʻa — for pollutants that can harm both coral reefs and human health. Hui O Ka Wai Ola said the data, gathered over time, will help track trends in turbidity, nutrients, bacteria and other water quality indicators.

“We are excited and humbled to support efforts that can help protect the health of Molokaʻi’s beloved reefs and the community that depends on them,” Hui O Ka Wai Ola Program Manager Liz Yannell said.

The monitoring effort connects directly to the community’s identity and traditions, said Rawlins-Fernandez, who holds the Council’s Molokaʻi residency seat.

“This monitoring effort is about caring for the places that feed our families, sustain our traditions, and connect us to Molokaʻi,” she said. “Having this data gives us the tools to protect these waters not only for our people but for our future generations.”

The expansion comes as Hui O Ka Wai Ola marks its 10th anniversary; the program collected its first water sample in West Maui on June 14, 2016.

Molokaʻi has lacked a sustained, long-term water quality tracking effort, said Kim Falinski, lead water scientist with The Nature Conservancy and lead scientist with Hui O Ka Wai Ola. The Maui program has demonstrated that quality-assured, long-term data aligned with state Department of Health standards can help document — and motivate — environmental improvements, she said.

The Molokaʻi expansion is funded through partnerships with the state Division of Aquatic Resources, the Maui County Environmental Protection and Sustainability Division and the Pili Nā Moku grant administered by University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant program. In the coming months, Hui O Ka Wai Ola plans to train new state aquatic resources staff on Molokaʻi in monitoring protocols as part of an effort to build local capacity.

Russell Sparks, the Division of Aquatic Resources’ Maui Nui district aquatic biologist, said the partnership will help close long-standing information gaps. Molokaʻi has historically been underrepresented in the state Department of Health’s Clean Water Branch Integrated Report, limiting visibility into nearshore water quality trends.

“We appreciate being able to be a part of an important initiative that is aimed at providing the Molokaʻi community with tools, support and data, which are important components needed for protecting our valuable, finite resources that sustain life,” said Patty Pali, Pili Nā Moku facilitator for Molokaʻi.

More information is available at huiokawaiola.com.