Water quality monitoring during COVID-19

As of Monday, May 4, a small group of Hui O Ka Wai Ola staff members are monitoring coastal water quality at all 41 of our leeward Maui sample sites every three weeks. Sampling has been on hold since March 16 due to safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, permission was recently granted from Maui County officials for our group to continue this essential work.
 
Working in teams of two, the Hui’s Project Manager and Team Leaders are following strict guidelines to maintain a six-foot distance from each other, wearing face masks and sanitizing while collecting and processing samples.
 
We are grateful to be monitoring at this unprecedented time when island activity is at an all-time low. We hope to learn if the decrease in visitors and changes in behavior may impact coastal water quality.
 
We plan to maintain this monitoring protocol for the next two months and hope to get our amazing volunteers back in the field as soon as it is safe to do so.

Project Manager, James Strickland III, and Team Leader, Tiara Stark, collect coastal water quality samples in Kīhei while following strict COVID-19 protocols. Photos: Tiara Stark