Approximately 20 years ago, Dr. Roger Fujioka of Water Resources Research Center at the University of Hawaii first determined that all streams on Oahu contain very high concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria (fecal coliform, E. coli, enterococci), far in excess of the water quality standards established by USEPA. Thus, under EPA guidelines, all streams on Oahu must be highly contaminated with sewage. This conclusion did not match with sanitary surveys which could not account for sewage contaminating the streams every day. Fujioka and his students determined that the source of the fecal indicator bacteria is the soil environment and that these fecal indicator bacteria are capable of multiplying in the soil.
This same phenomenon was determined to occur in Guam, Puerto Rico and south Florida. This observation is contrary to what has previously been published by other scientists and EPA. As a result the reported findings in Hawaii and other tropical locations have been ignored. The significance of Fujioka's findings is that if fecal indicator bacteria are multiplying in the soil and are washed into streams by rain, the number of fecal indicator in streams no longer represents the degree of sewage contamination, and the numbers cannot be related to risk to human infections as previously reported by EPA. Despite these reports, EPA continues to insist that Hawaii apply their standards. Every year water
quality monitoring data indicate that streams on Oahu exceed the water quality standards. Fujioka finally convinced EPA to fund a workshop to convene experts to review the existing data and to reach a conclusion on whether or not the EPA water quality standards are applicable to tropical regions such as Hawaii or Guam.
This workshop, comprised of 18 experts from throughout the world, was held on March 1-2, 2001 at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort Hotel. The experts reviewed and discussed the data for two days. They concluded that based on the findings of Fujioka and others, the EPA water quality standards are not reliable in Hawaii because the predominant source of the fecal indicator found in the streams of Oahu come from the soil and not from sewage. The results of this workshop will be reported to EPA and should form the basis for establishing new water quality standards for Hawaii.
Tina Kohara has recently left us after spending three years as WRRC's secretary. A going-away party was held for Tina on March 30, 2001, at which plenty of good food was served. We will miss Tina, and wish her all the best in her new job with the Law School.
Geeta Rijal has accepted a job as a microbiologist at the Research and Development Laboratory of the Greater Chicago Water Reclamation District. This agency was created in 1889 to protect the water quality of Lake Michigan, the major drinking water supply for the Chicago, Illinois area. Epidemics of typhoid, cholera, and other waterborne diseases killed about 12% of area residents earlier in the decade. The District treats an average of 1.4 billion gallons of wastewater each day (compared to the City and County
Murulee and Geeta have done much important research at WRRC over the years, and become good friends as well as respected colleagues. Their departure will leave a considerable void in the department. Nevertheless we wish them the very best of luck in their future endeavors. A going-away party was held on April 19 to give our friends a proper send off.
WRRC invited Rebecca Calderon, Ph.D., ASM (American Society of Microbiology) Foundation Speaker for 2001, and Chief of the Epidemiology & Biomarkers Branch at the EPA's National Health & Environmental Effects Research Laboratory in Research Triangle Park, NC to be the key speaker at a workshop on Drinking Water and Recreational Water Epidemiology that was held here in Honolulu on April 16, 2001. Co-sponsors of this important event included: the American Society for Microbiology, Hawaii State Department of Health, the Hawaii Branch of the American Water Works Association, and the Hawaii Water Environment Association. The topic of the workshop was "An Overview of Drinking Water Epidemiology Research Programs, and Evaluation of Potential Health Effects Associated with Non Point Sources of Enteric Microbial Organisms."
This year, as usual, WRRC graduate students displayed posters illustrating their research projects at the annual HWEA (Hawaii Water Environment Association) meeting. The meeting was held at the Blaisdell Center on March 20 & 21.
Of the seven student posters. the top three awards (cash prize plus certificate) were won by WRRC sponsored students. First prize was awarded to Molly Carozza for Microbial Populations of Monk Seal Feces and Their Impact on the Waikiki Aquarium Effluent , second prize to T.P. Wong for Effect of Polymer on Bacteria Transport in Subsurface, and third prize to Dean Shirota. Other displays by WRRC students included Effect of Medium Pressure and Low Pressure Ultraviolet Systems on the Inactivation of Selected Bacteriophages by Audrey Asahina, The Presence of Fecal Indicator Bacteria in Bromeliads and Bird Feces by Gayatri Vithanage, and Pilot Scale Assessment of Reclaimed Water Use in Central Oahu by Zhjun (Maggie) Zhou.
A coffee hour was held at WRRC to give those faculty members who were unable to attend the HWEA conference an opportunity to see the students' work. The posters will remain on display in the WRRC hallway if you would like to come and see them.
Jared received first place in this nationwide competition. He was flown to NIH headquarters in Maryland where he was presented with a plaque and given a tour of NIH facilities. Later he flew to Washington, D.C. for a tour of the nation's capital.
Geeta Rijal helped Jared with laboratory instruction in the detection of a variety of microorganisms in water. The study compared the currently used water quality indicator organisms; fecal coliforms, e. coli, and enterococci; with Clostridium perfringens, and somatic and FRNA bacteriophages. Jared's hard work has paid off, as he accepted a scholarship last fall to attend Chaminade University where he is studying biology.
This project gained Arielle a position at the Hawaii State Science & Engineering Fair held on April 2-5, 2001, at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. The top two senior research projects at this Fair are chosen to represent Hawaii at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair to be held this year in San Jose, California.
WRRC Says Farewell to Some Friends
of Honolulu, which treats about 113 million gallons/day). Geeta started work at her new job on May 1.
Muruleedhara Byappanahalli has accepted the position of Resource Associate/Microbiologist at the Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station in Porter, Indiana. This station is is one of several research centers operated by the Biological Resources Division (BRD) of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in the great lakes region. The BRD was formerly part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service but in 1996 it was integrated into the U.S. Geological Survey. Quoting from the BRD website; "This move added an important living resources dimension to the USGS earth sciences orientation, thus making it possible for the bureau to bring physical plus biological science to natural resource management problems." Murulee also started work on May 1.
Drinking Water Epidemiology Workshop
Watershed Assessment Project on Kauai
A team of researchers from WRRC including Roger Babcock, Aly El-Kadi, Roger Fujioka, Clark Liu, Jackie Miller, and Philip Moravcik will begin work soon on an EPA/DOH sponsored project to assess the Nawiliwili Bay watershed on Kauai for pollution sources. The project is funded under EPA's section 319 Nonpoint Source Management Program. The Nawiliwili watershed is the most urbanized on the island, draining a large part of Lihue. The several streams that empty into Nawiliwili Bay (a popular recreational area) also wind through large areas of agricultural land (both animal pasture and sugarcane). The bay itself is fairly enclosed, owing, in part, to a long breakwater. This limits the amount of flushing with open ocean water that can occur in the bay. In preparation for this work, which is scheduled to begin in September, the research group visited Kauai on February 23 for a day of reconnaisance and meeting with local stakeholders.WRRC Poster Presentations at HWEA Conference
Local High School Students Achieve Recognition With Help of WRRC Faculty
Last year WRRC Researchers Geeta Rijal and Roger Fujioka acted as mentors to Ewa
Beach High School senior Jared Cadiz in his project on the use of alternate indicator microorganisms in the testing of Oahu's freshwater streams. Jared received a grant to perform this study under an NIH (National Institutes of Health) sponsored program that provides minority high school students with an opportunity to obtain a meaningful experience in various aspects of health-related research to stimulate their interest in careers in biomedical or behavioral science. (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-99-104.html).
Geeta Rijal and Roger Fujioka helped Arielle Moire-Selvage, a freshman attending St.Joseph Jr. / Sr. High School in Hilo, undertake a project to test rainwater catchments for bacteria using a simple H2S presence/absence method perfected by Fujioka. Arielle's project won several awards at the Hawaii District Science & Engineering Fair including a Certificate of Merit, the Mauna Loa Observatory Award of $60 for the Outstanding Senior Research Project in Earth/Space or Environmental Science, the Earl E. Bakken Award of $10 for the Senior Division Best in Category, and a Certificate of Merit from the Hawaii Institute of Food Technologists - Excellence in Research on Foods and Food-Related Topics: a one year free subscription to the Journal of Food Technology.