I recently visited a neighborhood hardware store to buy some home improvement stuff and when I got home, I found some pretty cool informational cards that the cashier had thrown in the bag with my purchases.  “Protect Our Water – Malama I Ka Wai”, the headings all said, so I was immediately interested in reading them.  They were created by the Hawaii State Department of Transportation (DOT) and included tips on how commercial businesses and homeowners can kokua to minimize hazardous waste going down into the storm drain systems and straight out into our ocean.  Since they were most applicable to me, I read the “Resident’s Guide to Understanding Storm Water” and “Guide to Household Hazardous Waste” cards first.

First, the distinction between storm drains and sewer systems is made clear.  Each is a way for unwanted wastewater to be diverted, with one clear difference; water from sinks, toilets, and tubs that are sent into the sewer system is routed to a sewage treatment plant and treated before being released into the ocean.  Heavy rains, runoff, and seepage that enter storm drains on the street, drainage ditches, and culverts are not.  It’s obviously better that wastewater is treated, at least minimally, before it enters the ocean.  But we live in an imperfect world.  So, in an effort to improve public and commercial awareness and abate carelessness in Hawaii, the DOT created the Storm Water Management Program to help educate the public and to provide a number where violations can be reported.

Millions of toxic cigarette butts and are washed into storm drains.  Why do smokers think that public roadways and sidewalks are their personal ashtrays?  The cellulose filter material in them can take up to 12 years to fully degrade, and that process should never take place in the ocean!  (Photo: D. Luke)

Millions of gallons of our untreated crap gains direct access to the ocean through thousands of street drainage openings like this one.  (Photo: Courtesy of DOT)

Listed below is just a small sampling of the pollutants that these cards (and additional online research) say will typically go down storm drains and out to sea on a daily basis;

• Motor oil and fuel
• Lubricants
• Natural sediments and erosion caused compounds
• Phosphorous 
• Cigarette filters
• Fire suppression agents
• Nitrogen
• Non-degradable plastics
• Ammonia
• Chlorine
• Decaying food matter
• Automobile and machinery fluids
• Synthetic waxes and polishes
• Aerosol residue
• Detergents
• Heavy and trace metals
• Battery fluids
• Paints, thinners, and solvents
• Construction site debris
• Fertilizers and fungicides
• Solid and residual human and animal urine, feces, and vomit.
• Animal carcasses 
• Pesticides and herbicides

Yeah, I know, I was pretty gob smacked too.  I contacted the DOT to see if I could get more information on how the program would help, and a project manager answered some general questions for me;

DL:  Because storm drain born pollution is an environmental issue, why is the DOT spearheading this program and not the DLNR or other government environmental department or agency?
DOT: Under EPA regulations, the DOT Highways Division is required to take numerous actions to make sure that the storm water leaving the highway system is not contaminated with pollutants, such as sediment, trash, and oil / grease.  We are taking steps to make sure all storm drains are cleaned frequently and that all State highways are swept on a regular basis.

DL: Why is storm drain effluent not required by the EPA to run to and through a waste treatment facility before it’s allowed to enter the ocean?
DOT: Storm water is not treated in a wastewater facility and is not required by the EPA to be treated.  Only sewage from the wastewater system goes to the City's wastewater treatment facilities.  These facilities are extremely costly to build and maintain and you can imagine how many would be required to handle the large amount of storm water that comes from both State and City roads.

DL: In what kind of measurement unit is the run-off scaled?
DOT: Gallons

DL: How many gallons does the DOT estimate is entering the ocean per day/month/year?
DOT: This is difficult to quantify because of the nearly infinite amount by rainfall and storm events.

DL: Are local industrial companies monitored by a State agency for violations, or are they allowed to go on operating unchecked?
DOT: Both the State and the City monitor industrial and commercial areas for storm water run-off and/or connections with their storm drain systems.  Violators can be fined significant amounts of money for illegal discharges.

Floating debris like motor oil containers, paint cans, plastics, and other junk represent only what can be seen on the surface.  There’s a toxic soup of chemicals beneath them that wreak the most havoc on our rivers, reefs, and wildlife.  (Photo: Courtesy of DOT)

DL: Where can the public report violations?
DOT: Violations on State highways can be reported to our Complaint Line @ 831-6714 or on our web site www.stormwaterhawaii.com.  Violations on City streets or roads can be reported to their Environmental Concern Line @ 768-3300 or on their web site www.cleanwaterhonolulu.com.

DL: Does the DOT operate any volunteer or public education programs?
DOT: Our Adopt a Highway Program has almost 100 volunteer groups that pick up trash from various highway sections.  The Public Education and Outreach Program attempts to educate the general public and school children how important it is to keep pollutants from being deposited on the highways and going into storm drains.

Storm water flow empties into a river, which eventually empties into the ocean.  (Photo: Courtesy of DOT)

A few years back I was able to surf a few beaches in California; Mission Beach in San Diego and also at Zuma in LA County.  At least on the days I was there, the water had a faint but detectible fuel-like odor and I got terribly sick after two consecutives days of having water forced up my sinuses at Zuma.  Yeah the waves were really good, but the smell, weird kelp fragments, attacking Pelicans (those things are huge man!), and numbing 51 degree water didn’t make for a completely pleasant surfing experience.  A Californian friend told me that both places have drainage outfalls near them and they were the likely culprits.  Hawaii’s not completely innocent either.  I surf Flies on Oahu’s south shore occasionally in the summer and remember one hot afternoon when the water’s surface was covered in an oily sheen, and after getting out, my skin was coated with a light film on it that wouldn’t completely rinse off … yechhh!  There are outfalls coming out of the breakwater along its entire length and the busy Honolulu Harbor entrance is adjacent.  Throw in a few spooky shark stories, and it’s a spot I won’t surf as often as I’d like.  On Maui, I was coming in from a rainy but fun session at S-Turns to see an 6’ wide trail of concrete colored water coming from a drainage outfall above the sand.  I had to paddle through it (and clumps of itchy, smelly limu) to get to the beach …yechhh!  Imagine what that stuff is doing to the reef and marine life out there.

A pristine reef and its inhabitants stand little chance of survival against the onslaught of trash and chemicals that pour into the water everyday.  Hopefully, the internet won’t wind up being the only place people can see an image like this in the future.  (Photo: Courtesy of DOT)

I commend the DOT for creating and energetically promoting this public initiative. I learned a few things about my own habits and now know where to go to report violations.  The DOT provides oodles of information about this subject, so I thought the best thing would be to simply point you guys to their website, so you (and the kids) can click around and learn more about this essential issue. Remember that EVERYDAY, tons of the swill featured on our disgusting list of pollutants will enter our ocean by happenstance or neglect. We surf, paddle, and swim in it, and catch and eat fish, crab, limu, and tako that may be contaminated with heavy metals and chemicals.  Check yourself, watch others, and oh …be very thankful we don’t have freezing water and Kamikaze Pelicans in Hawaii.

Thanks to the State Department of Transportation for the assist with this article.

• DOT Stormwater Hawaii link: stormwaterhawaii.com
• DOT Complaint Line: call 831-6714 
• DOT Environmental Concern Line: call 768-3300