A Community Dedicated to Saving Puakō Reef
Stay tuned for upcoming speaking events from scientists, wastewater experts, and more.
The Problem
Scientific data by universities, NOAA, and non-profit organizations document that the coastal community of Puakō, the Puakō Bay and Puakō Reef Fisheries Management Area, and the Waialea Bay Marine Life Conservation District face four threats to resilience in the face of climate change:
- Wastewater from the local community that flows directly into the ocean from community cesspools and inadequate septic systems
- Runoff from further up the mountain due to flooding and agricultural runoff from gulches that flow down the ahupua’a onto the floodplain
- Overfishing and insufficient fisheries management
- Wildfires that sweep down with the “apa’apa’a”, a strong wind in Kohala
The coral coverage on Puakō reef has diminished from 75% to 7% in the last 50 years.
NOAA and Hawaii have listed Puakō reef as one of the most important reefs to restore for the past 13 years. Yet the decline continues due to a lack of progress on these threats.
The Solution
Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in conjunction with DAR and The Nature Conservancy, came to one conclusion — the management scenario now employed in Hawaii’s nearshore waters is not only insufficient to replenish the state’s marine ecosystems already in peril, but also insufficient to curb current declines
Another study found coral reef ecosystems are more likely to survive, even with ocean warming, when local human impacts originating from land and sea are reduced simultaneously.
The Solution is a fully sewered system along the length of Puako reef.
The local community is determined to do what it can to save the reef. After spending millions of community donated dollars over the past 10 years studying potential solutions, the community and experts agree that the best way to sufficiently remove the harmful nutrients that come from the community’s and state parks’ wastewater is a fully sewered system. While this is a viable path forward, it will require extensive cooperation and support from the community, county government and state agencies.
Become Informed and Involved
Engineering, science, policy, and systems experts speak about the compelling reasons behind the need for a sewer system in Puakō and the challenges involved in installing one. See how the dedicated efforts of Puakō volunteers drive this essential project forward. Stay informed about the progress and ongoing work to improve the community’s infrastructure.
The First Step in Protecting Puakō Reef
Experts agree that the best way to sufficiently remove the harmful nutrients coming from the community’s and state parks’ wastewater is to move the community to a full sewer system.
The Puakō For Reefs volunteers have been diligently researching the feasibility of installing a reef-friendly sewer system in Puakō since late 2022. The only solution to sufficiently remove the wastewater from the reef is a sewer system in Puakō.