CP-1978-01
Urban storm water runoff in Hawaii
Young, Reginald H.F.
Urban storm water pollution in Hawaii has been the subject of serious study for only a very few years. The major impetus for such study has been the need to determine the impact of stormwater or streamflows on coastal water quality. Early studies conducted by the Water Resources Research Center in Hawaii are of limited utility, in large part because of the sparseness of accompanying flow data. These attempts include stream surveys and collection and analysis of street sweepings. More recently published studies include stream surveys where pollutant loading rates have been determined, street sweepings where contaminant loads per length of curbing have been calculated, and direct monitoring in storm sewers. Data to date indicate contaminant hazards exist for receiving waters due to suspended solids, heavy metals, and possibly bacterial pathogens. Further work is necessary to refine loading rates and contaminant levels, especially as related to land-use pathogens.