Water quality is everyone’s kuleana
By Sharon Higa | Aug. 12, 2019
Ancestral Hawaiians stewarded the natural resources to ensure a sustainable lifestyle, and this concept is even more important today as we face a changing climate.
Throughout the year, our companies are committed to protecting our environment. With August designated water quality month across the nation, we’re sharing a few ways we’re supporting the effort and ways you can help, too.
On Hawaii Island, Lanai, Maui and Oahu, company employees volunteer several times a year to help clean up trash and debris from roadsides and streams as part of county Adopt-A-Highway and Adopt-A-Stream programs. These efforts beautify the community and help keep litter from entering storm drains, streams, and the ocean.
Maui Electric recently completed construction of an earthen berm near our Maalaea facility that helps prevent storm water runoff from entering the ocean and surrounding wetlands. The berm is made from soil, which acts like a filter, and serves as a functional and sustainable retention basin that also blends aesthetically with the area.
On Hawaii Island, employees also participated in a community service project to help pick up trash, cut vines around trees and pull weeds along scenic Banyan Drive in Hilo. The iconic area features a thick canopy of trees providing cool shade for walkers, joggers and bikers.
On Oahu, Hawaiian Electric employees have helped Hui o Koolaupoko, a watershed management nonprofit dedicated to protecting ocean health, with removal of invasive mangrove and plants along the Heeia Estuary streambed.
Most recently, employees, along with their families and friends, worked with the Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center to revitalize Kanewai Spring in East Oahu. The volunteers removed invasive tilapia from the spring so native fish can thrive, set rat traps to protect native water birds, and cut and dug out invasive vegetation to make way for native plants. These efforts ensure the health and vitality of one of the last remaining freshwater springs on the island.
To keep our waterways healthy, here’s some practical actions everyone can do:
- Use and properly dispose household hazardous materials such as motor oil, leftover paint and prescription medicines; don’t flush them down the drain. Visit the following sites for proper disposal guidelines:
- Oahu http://www.opala.org/solid_waste/Household_Hazardous_Waste.html
- Maui
www.mauicounty.gov/744/Residential-RecyclingGuidelines - Hawaii Island
www.hawaiizerowaste.org/recycle/household-hazardous-waste/
- Volunteer with a watershed protection or management organization. Participate in community workdays to remove invasive vegetation and replant native species, assist with landscaping and site aesthetics, or help propagate native seedlings, among other activities.
- Join a street, beach, stream or wetland cleanup. Help remove litter to improve the environment. Check local calendars for dates and times.
- Pick up your pet’s poop. Animal waste contains nutrients that promote algae growth if they enter streams and oceans. Properly dispose pet waste in a tied trash bag.
- Avoid the use of fertilizers and pesticides, which can run off the soil and contaminate waterways. Consider organic alternatives such as coffee grounds, eggshells or compost for fertilizer, and citrus oils to deter pests.
Sharon Higa is a senior communications consultant at Hawaiian Electric Company.
