Hanalei Bay, Hawaii and San Luis Bay, California are popular tourist destinations thousands of miles apart across the Pacific Ocean from each other. Boasting legendary beauty with natural habitats, the communities bordering these bays could become "sister communities" working together to improve and preserve their bays and watersheds.
The health of the marine ecosystems in Hanalei Bay and San Luis Bay are seriously threatened by decades of pollution that continue from many sources, including compounded years of pesticides from agricultural runoff, wastewater outfall, toxic sediment, mud, and other pollution flowing through the watersheds to the bays.
The health of these bays is necessary for tourism (the most important business to the economy in each of these bay's communities) and for the ecosystems dependent on viable habitats. Concerned attention to healing these bays and sustainable watershed management is essential. The bays' communities could request national marine sanctuary designation to help this effort.
This article is part three of our series of articles on these two bays.
Part 1 - May 2013 describes Hanalei Bay, the watershed, and the coral disease crisis in Hanalei Bay. Research teams from the University of Hawaii (UH), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and others are studying the coral to find the cause or causes of the rapidly spreading White Coral Disease that is killing the coral reefs. Part 2 – June 2013 gives an update on the research of the White Coral Disease in Hanalei Bay and describes San Luis Bay, CA and the environmental threats, especially from pesticides.
Part 3 - July 2013 describes the water cycle and a watershed. Updates are given for both San Luis Bay and Hanalei Bay.
The Water Cycle and a Watershed
The USGS defines water cycle (or Hydrolic cycle) as "the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth." Water is a renewable but finite resource that continuously recycles.
Water Cycle Summary by the USGS
A watershed is an area of land where precipitation (rain, snow) falls and where water flows on land and underground. As water moves through a watershed, many pollutants may be added making the water unhealthy for ecosystem vitality.
An aquifer is an underground area that fills with water. Drilled wells can pump water from an aquifer. However, if the aquifer becomes drastically low and is not replenished by rainfall, then the wells can become dry. For example, San Luis Obispo (SLO) County is experiencing low levels of water in the north county aquifers.
This video, "The Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water" produced by the Surfrider Foundation, shows the water cycle and the watershed.
As the video shows, the water cycle has been dramatically altered by development over time, resulting in a broken system that wastes water and energy, pollutes our natural waterways, harms critical marine life, and poorly deals with flooding and other water management problems.
A new problem is that wastewater (sewage effluent) flowing into streams and bays are carrying pharmaceuticals, especially antidepressants that are driving fish crazy. "When fish swim in waters tainted with antidepressant drugs, they become anxious, anti-social and sometimes even homicidal," as reported in "Environmental Health News" 6-12-13 in the article, "Fish on Prozac: Anxious, anti-social, aggressive." The article states that in the United States about 250 million prescriptions are filled every year for antidepressants.
Therefore, of particular importance is wastewater that flows into streams and bays. For example, the two large prison facilities of SLO County, The Men's Colony and Atascadero State Hospital, are probably points of drug discharge into streams from the drugs administered to inmates. The Men's Colony discharges wastewater into Chorro Creek that flows into the Morro Bay National Estuary. Discharges from Atascadero State Hospital flow into the Salinas River.
Update on San Luis Bay – Watershed and San Luis Creek
San Luis Bay receives waters flowing through the San Luis Creek Watershed. As the water moves through the watershed, is becomes contaminated with pollutants.
SLO Creek Watershed Map by SLO County FCWCD
Matt Fountain describes his SLO creek walk through much of the watershed in his "New Times" article, "Creek Life."
San Luis Obispo Creek Walk by New Times SLO-NTMG video
Five areas of San Luis Creek are shown in the video.
1-Upper watershed off of Old Stage Coach Road
2-Reservoir Canyon
3-Cuesta Park Tunnel
4-The Deep Dark (Under SLO)
5-Lower San Luis Creek (Under Hwy 101)
As population, development, and agriculture have grown in San Luis Obispo County, so has the need for water. Several reporters have written an investigative five-part report published in the SLO Tribune Newspaper (links below) concerning the current average depletion of 15 feet per year in the major north county aquifer.
The five reports show the lack of sustainable management of water resources has resulted in shockingly low levels of water in the aquifer in northern San Luis Obispo County. Yet, even though the community leaders are aware of the water limits, more development is planned. The city of Paso Robles is planning for more development and 46 % population growth by 2025.
Vineyards (use about 67% of the water) are planning for 8,000 additional acres of grapes to be planted. This additional planting is equal to the total grape acreage in production in 1993. The new total of over 44,000 acres in production means between 1993 and 2014 grape production acres increased 550 %. Much of this increase took place when water as a resource was problematic. Given the irrationality of this process, it seems there is little hope that the added increase in pesticide use that we described in our June article will be addressed.
Also irrational, golf courses are considered an agriculture use and thus their water draw is not monitored. We may assume that because golf courses grow a variety of grasses and are dependent upon chemical fertilizers and pesticides makes them an agricultural business. There are 19 golf courses in the county, many of which drain into the local ocean. Water from those in north county drainage eventually finds its way into Monterey Bay.
Links to the "Wine and Water" A Tribune Investigative five-part Report are listed below.
These five articles could be followed with articles sharing the history of environmentalists opposing the urban and vineyard expansions in north SLO County in general because of the foreseeable water problems. Currently, development plans without adequate water resources continue not only in north SLO County, but also in south SLO County. Sustainable water management is needed.
Update on Hanalei Bay
Hanalei Bay is experiencing an environmental crisis that may become ecocide of the coral reef. The community needs to work together to heal the bay and the Hanalei River, as well as to apply sustainable watershed management to prevent more destruction.
Coral reefs are important to Hanalei Bay. First, they provide a rich marine ecosystem that tourists love to see when diving and snorkeling. Coral reefs also protect lives and property. NOAA states,
"The coral reef structure buffers shorelines against waves, storms and floods, helping to prevent loss of life, property damage and erosion. When reefs are damaged or destroyed, the absence of this natural barrier can increase the damage to coastal communities from normal wave action and violent storms." NOAA warns. "the impacts of coastal development…and polluted runoff from coastal areas can damage coral reefs over the long-term." (See: NOAA)
NOAA emphasizes, "the health of coral reefs depends on sustainable coastal development practices that protect sensitive coral ecosystems and the creatures that reside there."
Terry Lilley's Underwater2web video, "Hanalei Wetlands---Nature on the Run" shows impacts to the coral from poorly planned and managed development in the wetlands.
Hanalei Wetlands---Nature on the Run video by Underwater2web
Chris D'Angelo, reporter, describes Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard's boat tour of Hanalei River in his article, "Beneath the Surface, The Garden News," 6/02/13.
D'Angelo reports several significant comments by Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.
"It was troubling to see what once was beautiful, vibrant coral reef decaying and withering away."
"I'm going to do whatever I can to help."
"To go below the surface to see this destruction happening before our very eyes is very, very troubling and concerns me deeply."
D'Angelo stated, "Gabbard said it is time to start looking at the bigger picture and the affect people are having on the ocean ecosystem in Hawaii."
Three of Terry Lilley's emails show the rapidly occurring changes to the coral in Hanalei Bay since the June 2013 article. We thank Terry Lilley, marine biologist, for permission to edit and use his emails.
First Email from Terry Lilley, 6/01/13
Dear Ocean Lovers,
Yesterday was a great day and step forward for the care and study of Kauai reefs! Thank you, Chris D'Angelo (reporter for The Garden News), for coming along with us on our boat with Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and staff, Dr. Greta Aeby from UH, Dr. Thierry Work from the USGS, Chris Runyon from UH, Jeff Davis from KGU Radio, John Deneen, Scott Bacon from the Eyes on the Reef program, myself and our movie editor Raj (Neal) Mathur.
Special thanks to Mike Sheehan for letting us use his boat and sharing his history and deep love for the Hanalei River with us all! We all went up the river on Mike's boat and viewed first hand the digging going on in the Hanalei River wetland and we talked about how this digging is putting toxic mud into the river which then flows out onto the reef killing the corals.
We then took the boat out into the bay at Waipa and the Congresswoman got to snorkel with us all and see first hand the coral disease and muddy dying corals. Tulsi got an underwater tour with Dr. Aeby who has spent thousands of hours in the sea and lab at UH, studying this deadly cyanobactera that is killing corals all up and down the north shore of Kauai with alarming speed.
I personally want to thank "Surfer" Tulsi Gabbard for jumping in the dirty water with us all, as she grew up in Hawaii surfing and understanding the relationship between the surf, reefs and land. We all need to jump on board with this important research project while we have time to save our reefs in Hawaii.
Aloha, Terry
Here is a short video about this exciting river and bay trip with Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard visits Hanalei Bay video by Underwater2web
Second Email from Terry Lilley, 6/07/2013
Dear Ocean Lovers,
Corals are live animals. They are creatures that build massive condominiums out of calcium much like our concrete houses. Each coral has hundreds of individual coral polyps which are live animals living together in an apartment complex. It takes many years for them to build these wonderful structures below the waves but only a few weeks to kill them.
Each coral has a vegetable garden which it grows algae, much like we grow chard and spinach in our garden. This gives the coral food and also gives it its different colors.
The hawkfish lives on top of the coral and hides in its protective branches when threatened. The hawkfish name is piliko'a which means to stick to coral. The Hawaiian name for coral is koa.
Certain butterfly fish feed on the coral polyps but they only eat a few small coral animals on each coral so the coral will live. Just like you may pick a few leafs off your lettuce plant in your garden.
In the Hawaiian Kumulipu (chants of creation) each coral and fish has its counterpart on land! The butterfly fish in these pictures is named "hauhau" which means looks like the flower of the hau bush".
Hawaiian Butterfly Fish with Coral photo by Terry Lilley
Aloha, Terry
Third Email from Terry Lilley, 6/12/2013
Dear Ocean Lovers,
I am sending this email to pass along to Congresswoman Gabbard as an update since she came to Hanalei recently, and viewed the reef and wetland destruction in person.
The picture of the wetland digging is the site she viewed from our boat on the river, and as you can see the digging is much more massive now. We have had rain every night in Hanalei for the past two weeks and the toxic mud this land owner is digging up out of the wetland is running off daily into the canal and river, further polluting Hanalei Bay!
More digging in Hanalei wetlands photo by Terry Lilley
I saw one of the red rice corals that Dr. Aeby and her students put a marine epoxy on to help measure the growth of the black and white disease. The infection started on this coral only one month ago and today the coral is dead! There are hundreds of coral with this infection within site of this coral.
I also saw a blue rice coral with the disease, and it has spread over this beautiful coral 4 inches since Dr. Aeby put on the markers. That was only one week ago! The blue rice coral is rare and NOAA has proposed to put it on the Endangered Species List.
Aloha, Terry
Conclusion
How water is managed in a watershed is a vital issue to the health of both Hanalei Bay and San Luis Bay. Development changes the course and quality of water as it flows through a watershed. Becoming national marine sanctuaries is a strategy that would help both communities with the health of the watersheds and bays.
Diminishing aquifers are of great concern. Two satellites are sending valuable information of the changes in aquifer levels. David Perlman reports in the San Francisco Chronicle, "Satellites reveal depth of water depletion," that the satellites show evidence that the nation's prime food source, California's great Central Valley, is losing reserves of water in the valley's underground aquifers. Similar to Paso Robles, people need to drill deeper into the aquifers to obtain water. Perlman points out that groundwater pumping is causing the land surface in many areas in the Central Valley to sink about 4-5 feet.
Perlman reports, "We're losing those groundwater reserves every month, and with climate change affecting snowmelt, the risks and uncertainties are changing faster than ever," Famiglietti (hydrologist) said. "We don't see that there'll be any replenishment in the future, so there's a critical need to improve the way we monitor and regulate groundwater systems now."
Perlman states, "Jay Famiglietti, (an hydrologist) who directs UC Irvine's Center for Hydrologic Monitoring, and Matthew Rodell, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, reported on the spacecraft's underground water findings in this week's issue of the journal Science." (See: Underground Water)
