The Water Quality Management Program is responsible for setting the State's water
quality goals (Water Quality Standards), monitoring and assessing our achievement
of these goals (Assessment and Listing of Impaired Water Bodies), and long-range
planning for surface water quality improvement and protection (TMDL Process and
Continuing Planning Process). Most of this work is federally-funded, must meet
federal Clean Water Act requirements and obtain U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) approval, and employs a watershed-based approach to water quality management.
Our challenges include strengthening the connection between these efforts and linking
them with other government functions and private actions.
Water Quality Standards
Water Quality Standards Brochure
Current Administrative Rules
Stream Bioassessments
Hawaii Stream Bioassessment Reports may be downloaded here in pdf
format.
Stream
Condition Along a Disturbance Gradient on Kauai - January 2004 Report
(64 pages)
Waikele Stream (26
pages)
Kaneohe Stream (21 pages)
Kawa Stream (18 pages)
Waimanalo Stream (33 pages)
Bioassessment Protocols
Hawaii Stream Bioassessment Protocols may be downloaded here in pdf
format.
Hawaii Stream Bioassessment Protocol - January
2002 (ver. 3.01, 48 pages)
NRCS Hawaii Stream Visual Assessment Protocol - January 2001
(ver. 1.0, 12 pages)
Clean Water Act 303(d) List
WATER QUALITY PRESENTATION
On May 7, 2008 the Department of Health held a meeting on Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment
efforts in the State of Hawaii. Download a Powerpoint copy of the meeting presentation and supporting documents below:
Meeting Announcement (1 page)
Powerpoint Presentation (2.8 MB)
Supporting Documents (2 pages)
If you don't have Microsoft Powerpoint, download a free viewer here
EPA APPROVES 2006 WATER QUALITY MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT REPORT
NOTE: On February 7, 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) approved the 2006 State of Hawaii Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report. The
approval letter and summary can be found below.
This report provides a single, integrated submittal for fulfilling federal requirements under
Sections 303(d) and 305(b) of the Clean Water Act.
With this approval, the 2006 303(d) List of Impaired Waters (represented by those waterbodies assigned to
Categories 4 and 5 in Chapter IV, 2006 Water Body Assessment Decisions), is now in effect.
Download the entire 2006 STATE OF HAWAII WATER QUALITY MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT REPORT
here
(279 pages, Use Adobe Acrobat Reader 7 or greater to view)
* WARNING: Very large file (8.29 MB)
Or, download the following individual sections of the report:
Introduction (Executive Summary and Table of Contents)
Chapter I - Marine Waters
Chapter II - Inland Freshwaters
Chapter III - Groundwater
Chapter IV – Assessment of Waters(2006 Waterbody Assessment
Decisions, includes Section 303(d) List of Impaired Waters)
Appendices (303(d) Listing and Delisting Criteria,
Contact Log, Data Intake Log)
Public Comments
Response to Comments
Approval Letter
The 2004 Final List of Impaired Waters in Hawaii Prepared under the
Clean Water Act Section 303(d) and related documents are available here
for download in pdf format:
Criteria for 2004 CWA 303(d)
List (4 pages)
2004 Final
Clean Water Act 303(d) List of Impaired Waters (67 pages)
2004
Response to Public Comment (26 pages)
6 Written
Comments submitted to the EPO on the 2004 Public Comment Draft (19
pages)
2004 EPA 303(d)
List Approval Letter (11 pages)
The 2002 Final 303(d) Report and the Response to Public Comment is
also available for download here in pdf format:
2002 Final Clean Water Act 303(d)
List of Impaired Waters (61 pages)
2002 Public Comment Responsiveness
Summary (21 pages)
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Process
After identifying places where water quality is limited or impaired
(Clean Water Act 303(d) List), the Total
Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) process
identifies activities that may help reduce pollutant loads, improve water
quality, and increase a waterbody's ability to support its legally-protected
uses (such as public recreation and protecting the breeding stock of native
animals). These activities may be prioritized to receive funding from the
Department of Health (Clean Water Act Section 319(h) grants – click here for
more information about these grants) and may also qualify for funding from
other sources.
For a link to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Introduction
to TMDLs, click here.
TMDLs in Progress:
TMDL Technical Reports and Implementaion Plans for approved TMDLs are available
here for download in pdf format:
Total Maximum Daily Loads
(TMDLs) for Total Suspended Solids, Nitrogen, and Phosphorous in Kapa’a Stream, Kailua
Hawaii (approved July 27, 2007)
* WARNING: Very large file (9.43 MB) Requires use of Adobe Acrobat
Reader 7 or higher to view
EPA approval letter
EPA approval checklist
DOH letter submitting Kapaa Stream TMDL
to EPA
Revised Allocations of Total Maximum
Daily Loads of Total Suspended Solids, Nitrogen and Phosphorus for Kawa Stream
Kaneohe, Hawaii - Approved September 2005. (23 pages)
Revised Allocations of Total Maximum
Daily Loads of Total Suspended Solids, Nitrogen and Phosphorus for Kawa Stream
Kaneohe, Hawaii - Technical Appendix - Final. (8 pages)
Kawa Stream TMDL Report ( 119 pages)
Kawa Stream TMDL Implementation Plan( 48 pages)
Waimanalo Stream TMDL Report (36
pages)
Waimanalo Stream TMDL Implementation Plan (18 pages)
Ala Wai Canal TMDL Report (38
pages)
Ala Wai Canal Watershed Water Quality Improvement Project
Management and Implementation Plan Volume I (91 pages)
The following report is quite large and has been divided into two parts. Adobe Acrobat Reader version 5.0 or higher is required to view them.
Please contact the Environmentl Planning Office if you experience any difficulty downloading these reports
Ala Wai Canal Watershed Water Quality Improvement Project
Management and Implementation Plan Volume II (Technical Appendices)- Part 1 (179 pages)
Ala Wai Canal Watershed Water Quality Improvement Project
Management and Implementation Plan Volume II (Technical Appendices)- Part 1 (214 pages)
If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer,
you need to install it before you can view and print the downloadable
pdf files. The Acrobat Reader is free and can be downloaded to your
computer by clicking here:
