Rising Seas Compromise Coastal Cesspools, Deliver Sewage to Nearshore Ecosystems
Contamination of coastal waters caused by sewage from cesspools and other onsite sewage disposal systems (OSDS) as well as sewage infrastructure will only increase with the rise in sea level over the next few decades. In fact, it is already … Continued
Thousands of Cesspools Harm Reefs, But Fixing Them Will Cost Billions
Sewage is killing the reefs of Hawaiʻi. Sure, other factors are at play. There’s overfishing, especially of herbivores. Physical damage from hurricanes. Chemicals in runoff from former plantation fields and lawns, oils from highways and leaking underground tanks and pipes. … Continued
Planning Commission Confronts Challenges of Cesspool Conversion
(This article has been changed to correct the spelling of John Pipan’s name.) Which has the greater value? Keeping a private swimming pool, to be used by a handful of guests at an exclusive Kona bed-and-breakfast that sits practically on … Continued
Are Pacific Marine Monuments Safe Now? Maybe Not, Chief Justice Roberts Suggests
For more than a decade, the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council (Wespac) has fruitlessly decried the proliferation and expansion of marine national monuments throughout the Pacific, beginning with President Bush’s establishment of Hawaiʻi’s Papahanaumokuakea monument in 2006. But when Donald … Continued
Feds Seek Input From Fishery Councils On Climate Crisis, Conservation Goals
“We know in many places of the country, our fisheries are being affected by climate change,” Sam Rauch, NOAA’s deputy assistant administrator for regulatory programs told the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Wespac) last month. Fish stocks are moving from … Continued
Board Talk: Fate of Endangered Forest Birds Hinges On Landscape-Scale Mosquito Control
“It is a very dire situation. We have some strategies, and we’re pursuing them as fast as possible on parallel tracks, but it’s a lot of fingers crossed right now,” Department of Land and Natural Resources director Suzanne Case told … Continued
New & Noteworthy: Recycling Bill, American Samoa Appeal
Recycling in Good Conscience: In 2019, Hawaiʻi exported more than 10 million pounds of plastics for recycling to destinations selected almost always based on cost. But, as Senate Resolution 12 notes, “end-of-life processing for recyclable plastics and waste in many … Continued