Dr. Roger Fujioka of the Water Resources Research Center at the University of Hawaii convinced EPA to fund a workshop to convene experts to review the existing data and to reach a conclusion on whether or not the EPA water quality standards are applicable to tropical regions such as Hawaii or Guam. This workshop, comprised of 18 experts from throughout the world, was held on March 1-2, 2001, at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort Hotel. The experts reviewed and discussed the data for two days. They concluded that based on the findings of Fujioka and others, the EPA water quality standards are not reliable in Hawaii because the predominant source of the fecal indicator found in the streams of Oahu come from the soil and not from sewage. The results of this workshop were reported to EPA and should form the basis for establishing new water quality standards for Hawaii.
EPA Expert Workshop on Water Quality – UHM Water Resources Research Center
UHM Water Resources Research Center
University of Hawaii at Manoa