WRRC Technical Memorandum Reports

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WRRCTM No. 39 Water Quality Information Storage and Retrieval System for Hawaii
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1974-05) Miller, Jacquelin N.
A computerized information storage and retrieval system has been developed for water quality data collected and maintained by the Department of Health, State of Hawaii, from 1955 through 1971. The system provides for safe, permanent, storage and rapid retrieval of water quality data. In addition to the ability to retrieve a systematically organized total data list, the capability also is present to compute, list and plot certain statistics basic to data reduction and analysis techniques. A catalogue of the major water quality stations in Hawaii with their respective agencies is included. Recommendations are presented for the continued maintenance, development, and expansion of the WQISAR system.
WRRCTM No. 38 Some Evidence of Economics of Scale in Hawaiian Sugar Plantations
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1974-01) Moncur, James E.T.
Of the major sectors in Oahu's economy, sugar growing and milling together use by far the largest quantities of water. The three plantations still operating on Oahu in 1971 accounted for 57 percent of total withdrawals, even though this percentage has steadily declined over the past decade or longer. A persistent trend among plantations, moreover, is for mergers to occur, presumably to take advantage of economies of scale. This study was undertaken to inquire into the effect of scale on sugar production. Data for plantations on four of the Hawaiian Islands is applied to several procedures for estimating scale economics and economic efficiency. First, a "survivorship" test is used. Then the efficiency measures developed by M. J. Farrell are calculated. Finally, some regression estimates are determined.
WRRCTMR No.10 Electric Well Logging on Oahu
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1967-02) Lao, Chester
The Water Resources Research Center has begun an investigation of the uses of electric well-logging in Hawaiian hydrogeologic conditions. Since the arrival of the electric well logger in April, 1966, 32 producing wells and test wells plus 2 small diameter test holes have been surveyed on Oahu. The correlation between the interpretation of electric logs made on sediments and actual drilling cores is excellent. Electric logs obtained on wells in basalt generally display good electric contrasts but their interpretation is more difficult than is the case with the logs in sediments.
WRRCTMR No.12 Preliminary Survey of a Portion of Parker Ranch
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1968-03) Adams, W.M.; Peterson, F.; Lao, C.
The work reported here was performed on 2 and 3 March 1968. Hapuna Beach Park was the startingpoint for the reconnaissance which proceeded along-Lalamilo Coast towards Pauoa Bay. As a result of this field effort, and extensive discussions with Mr. Jim McIntyre, no evidence was encountered in the area of interest to indicate any discharge of water on the order of 1,000,000 gallons/day. There is no reason to believe that any obvious flow at the shoreline visited was completely missed.
WRRCTMR No.21 Water Pollution in Hawaii -- 1969
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1969-11) Cox, Doak C.
An address at the Conference for Clean Air and Water held on 7 November 1969.
WRRCTMR No.13 Geophysical Evidences for Ground Water Conditions in the Vicinity of Anaehoomalu and Lalamilo
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1968-05) Adams, W.M.; Peterson, F.; Lao, C.; Campbell, J.F.
WRRCTMR No.20 Water Quality and its Relation to Useage
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1969-11) Burbank, N.C. Jr.
The relationship between water quality and its ultimate use has been established over the years. Often the quality of raw water available has governed the site selection for an industrial establishment and, equally important, has determined whether a community grew and prospered or failed to develop. Molokai has an abundance of water on its eastern coastal mountains and a lack of water on its southern and central plain. The surface water is generally of good quality while the ground water may be of extremely variable quality.
WRRCTMR No.8 Infrared Exploration for Hawaiian Ground Water Coastal Springs: A Status Report, 10 December 1966
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1967-02) Palmer, Leonard A.
Ground water springs near the shoreline discharge a large portion of the Ghyben-Herzberg fresh water lens in the Hawaiian Islands. Conventional methods are applicable to measurement of rainfall, evaporation and runoff, but the irregular distribution and size of holes in the volcanic rock through which most Hawaiian water flows make accurate ground water flow measurements difficult. More precise information on the rates of ground water losses through coastal spring discharge are important to the understanding and planning for future Hawaiian water supply. A variety of reliable and economical methods of utilizing infrared radiation and reflection are being successfully applied to the study of rocks, plants, sea water and other material. Specifically, infrared radiation has been shown to be an effective indicator of fresh and sea water temperatures. A joint federal and state project funded for the year 1966-67 through the Water Resources Research Center at the University of Hawaii in part will investigate the applicability of various sensors to the measurement of thermal contrast in and around coastal ground water springs wasting into the sea. Studies will include the examination of infrared radiation spectra at various wave lenghts by films and thermistor instrumentation. Surface and underwater temperatures will be compared with radiometer measurements to determine the accuracy and water penetration of radiation sensors.
WRRCTMR No.50 Optimal Use of Water and Related Resources for Diversified Agriculture on Oahu, Hawaii: A Hypothetical Study
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1975-06) Fok, Yu-Si
The study problem of diversified farming presented in this report represents one of the many hypothetical alternatives in anticipation of the possible future changes in agriculture patterns and land use on Oahu. Urbanization problems involved in the land use changes from agriculture into urban were not a part of the scope of this study. The two major objectives of this study were: (1) to formulate an objective function and its constraints for the variables involved in diversified farming in the southwest region of Oahu, and (2) to show that the objective function and its constraints can be solved by the technique of linear programming. Using the population projection for Oahu, 197O-2020, made by the Board of Water Supply, City and County of Honolulu, projections on available farm land, water, labor, and crops were made and benefit-cost analyses for diversified crops were performed for the study area. Once the coefficients and the limitations of the objective and the constraint functions were determined, the study problem was solved by the linear programming method. The computer program for the linear programming solutions was written in detail in Fortran IV language. Results of this study indicated that (1) diversified farming in the study area should generate profits from selected vegetable crops for which local demand exists, and (2) the linear programming technique can be applied to obtain optimal solutions for problems involved in diversified farming.
WRRCTMR No.52 Algal Growth Potential of Waste Water Effluents in Hawaiian Receiving Waters
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1976-11) Nakatsuka, Ivan K.; Miller, Eassie M.; Young, Reginald H.F.
A laboratory study was conducted to determine the algal growth potential (AGP) of secondary domestic effluents on stream and marine waters in Hawaii. AGP methods developed by the Environmental Protection Agency were used with effluent-receiving water mixtures representative of nutrient levels found in existing effluent disposal situations. Results of this study are indicative that growth response follows similar patterns for conventional biologically-treated effluents in the four fresh receiving waters tested, with peak growth occurring at a 20% dilution of the effluent. Peak growth conditions occur at a lesser dilution, 40%, in sea water, but this would be an uncommon existing environmental situation in light of outfall design objectives and current practice. Field conditions exist in fresh receiving streams in Hawaii where the effluent dilution is 20% or less, so in situations of excessive stimulation or at lesser dilutions, some inhibition of planktonic growth occurs. The growth potential response of "standard" test alga with Hawaiian waste waters and receiving waters has been demonstrated.
WRRCTMR No.53 An Investigation into Environmental Effects of Reuse of Sewage Effluent at the Kane'ohe Marine Corps Air Station Klipper Golf Course
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1977-01) Chang, Steven Y.K.; Young, Reginald H.F.
An investigation of waste water reuse by spray irrigation was conducted at the Kane'ohe Marine Corps Air Station (KMCAS) Klipper Golf Course on Oahu. The study was conducted in three phases: (l) waste water characterization of the KMCAS Sewage Treatment Plant, (2) groundwater quality analysis, and (3) air quality analysis of indicator bacterial levels during spray irrigation with waste water. Waste water analyses showed that the KMCAS Sewage Treatment Plant, employing the trickling filter process with a final polishing pond, is capable of removing a high percentage of biodegradable substances and suspended solids. The effluent appears to be of good quality for agricultural irrigation use. High concentrations of sodium and chloride, due to brackish groundwater infiltration into the sewage system, were not considered to be a hazard to the salt-tolerant bermudagrass. The two predominant soils on the KMCAS Klipper Golf Course, the Ewa silty clay loam (Low Humic Latosols) and the Jaucas (Regosols), appeared to be very effective in removing nitrogen, phosphorus, and fecal coliforms from the applied effluent. The quality of the percolate does not present a hazard to the groundwater quality. Runoff from the golf course does not present a hazard to the adjacent surface waters. Analyses of spray irrigation fallout samples at the KMCAS Klipper Golf Course resulted in the isolation of coliform bacteria up to 91 m (300 ft) downwind of the sprinkler sources. Coliform bacteria recovery rates depended upon the initial coliform bacterial concentrations in the effluent and upon wind velocities. The presence and concentration of aerosolized coliform bacteria were not considered a public health hazard to golf course users, workers, or nearby residents.
WRRCTMR No.84 The Cell-Analytical-Numerical Technique for Solving Unsaturated-Flow and Solute-Transport Problems
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1992-03) El-Kadi, Aly I.; Elnawawy, Osman A.
The cell analytical-numerical (CAN) method was developed and applied for the solution of one dimensional water flow and solute transport problems in the unsaturated zone. The flow equation is characterized by a nonlinear governing equation. The CAN method is similar to other numerical techniques in that it divides the domain into a number of computational elements, each homogeneous in nature. It differs, however, by implementing a local analytical solution within the element. The soil moisture flux (for the flow equation) or solute mass flux (for the transport equation) is applied at the interface between two adjacent elements to define an algebraic relationship between the values of pressure head or concentration, respectively, at three neighboring points. Assembling these three-point equations provides a tridiagonal system of equations that can be solved by the Thomas algorithm. The system describing the flow problem is nonlinear in nature, and is solved iteratively within an implicit linearization scheme. For water flow, the method is applied to a number of soil types and the results are compared to Philip's semi-analytical solution and a numerical solution that is based on the finite-element technique. The results indicate the method's high accuracy over a wide range of soil types. However, an upstream weighting approach is needed for coarser soils, a process that may lead to relatively large mass-balance errors. The high accuracy of the solute transport solutions is demonstrated through comparison against available analytical solutions.
WRRCTMR No.54 Bromine Chloride: An Alternative Disinfectant to Chlorine
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1977-05) Keswick, Bruce H.; Fujioka, Roger S.; Burbank, Nathan C Jr.; Loh, Philip C.
Bromine chloride (BrCl) was evaluated as an alternative to chlorine as a disinfectant of water and waste water by comparing the efficiency of these two chemicals to inactivate type 1 poliovirus seeded in various aqueous solutions. In a nitrogen-free buffer at pH 6.0, the minimum concentration of BrCl required to effectively inactivate poliovirus (4-log reduction after 15 min at 25°C) was 0.15 mg/l, whereas 0.3 mg/l of chlorine was required to accomplish the same effect. The virus inactivating efficiency of BrCl was not interfered within the range of pH 6 to 1O. Furthermore, the addition of various concentrations of glycine and NH4Cl to the nitrogen-free buffer solutions more effectively interfered with the virus inactivating properties of chlorine than BrCl. To simulate waste water disinfection, 1 to 5 mg/l of BrCl and chlorine were added to activated sludge treated sewage effluent seeded with poliovirus, mixed well, and titered after 15 min at 25°C. The results show that the inactivating effects of 1, 2, and 3 mg/l dose of both chlorine and BrCl were equivalent and inefficient. However, at a dose of 5 mg/l, BrCl inactivated 5 logs of virus, whereas chlorine inactivated only 2 logs of virus. These results indicate that BrCl should be seriously considered as a potential alternative to chlorine as a disinfectant.
WRRCTMR No.49 Outdoor Recreation in Watershed Reserves
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1976-02) Moncur, James E.T.
Oahu's closed watershed reserves include over 6,880 ha (17,000 acres), almost 4.5% of the island's surface area, from which public access is virtually forbidden. This access restriction grows from concern with protecting the quality of groundwater recharged into Honolulu's water supply system. Several recent studies, however, suggest that some human incursion in wilderness areas, such as hunting, fishing and other light recreational activities, will not substantially harm water quality, and may even improve it. Concentrating on a portion of the Honolulu watershed including a large reservoir, Nuuanu Reservoir No.4, this report examines the background of the current access policies and investigates available information concerning potential economic and physical consequences of opening the area to limited recreational activity.
WRRCTMR No.48 Development of the University of Hawaii-Manoa Stream Gaging Station
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1976-05) Fok, Yu-Si; Young, Reginald H.F.
Manoa Stream drains the Manoa Valley watershed located near the central part of the Honolulu metropolitan area. Past studies have characterized the streamflow, sediment, and water quality of Manoa Stream. However, the two existing streamflow gaging stations on the stream are located near the head of the valley and none in the downstream section. Hence., there is no good way to correlate the discharge at these gages with the discharge in the downstream sections of the stream. In this study, a permanent stream gaging station was established at a downstream location on the University of Hawaii campus. The development, instrumentation, method of operation, and maintenance of this gaging station are reported herein. Data obtained from this new University of Hawaii-Manoa Stream Gaging Station will allow meaningful measurements of streamflow and water quality characteristics of Manoa Stream.
WRRCTMR No.46 Compilation and Analysis of Water Quality Rights and Responsibilities in Hawaii
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1976-02) Yamauchi, Hiroshi; Hudes, George M.
The original grant proposal was for a comprehensive compilation and analysis of water quality rights and responsibilities in Hawaii today. This was subsequently modified by two factors: (1) availability of funds under the Center's allotment program and a subsequent understanding that an expanded grant proposal for a Title II grant pursuant to the Water Resources Research Act of 1964 would be preferable at the present time, and (2) the continued ambiguous status of water property rights in Hawaii with a strong finger pointed by the Supreme Court of Hawaii in the direction of retrospective legal and social research regarding ancient Hawaiian water management concepts and practices. The accompanying Title II proposal, submitted to the Office of Water Research and Technology, Department of Interior, constitutes the formal bulk of this report.
WRRCTMR No.31 A Preliminary Study of Some Ecological Effects of Sugar Mill Waste Discharge on Water Quality and Marine Life, Kilauea, Kauai
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1971-09) Russo, Anthony R.
Mill discharge from Kilauea Sugar Company discolors the receiving waters off the north coast of Kauai and increases the turbidity thirtyfold over that for normal waters. Coral growth is abundant in this area except near the mill discharge outfall. The epibenthic community is dominated by a single genus of coral, Montipora, and shows very little diversity. Bagasse and other cane debris were observed and photographed on intertidal reefs and in the subtidal zone as far as three miles from the outfall.
WRRCTMR No.30 Use of Agricultural Chemicals and Factors Contributing to Their Transport to Estuaries in Hawaii
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1970-11) Hall, Donald H.
The purpose of this study is to determine for watersheds contributing to specified important estuaries in the State of Hawaii, the types and quantities of "agricultural chemicals” (pesticides and fertilizers) applied, the timing of such applications, and the acreages involved. These cultural practices, are then to be related to terrain features and rainfall characteristics with the objective of assessing the likelihood of chemical contaminants being transported from the site of application to estuarian waters by surface runoff and/or erosion.
WRRCTMR No.45 Estimation of Urban Stormwater Quality in Kalihi Stream Drainage Basin, Oahu, Hawaii
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1974-12) Nakamura, Myles N.; Young, Reginald H.F.
Urban runoff pollution potential can be linked to the constituents of street wastes as these wastes constitute the principal portion of runoff contaminants. This study was an attempt to correlate pollution associated with street litter with baseline quality data acquired in a previous study of Kalihi Stream. Correlations were made between street sweepings quality, length of street, land use, street surface characteristics, and rainfall intensity in order to estimate the concentration of pollutants in urban stormwater. The overall comparability of obtained estimates with existent stormwater quality data suggests the possibility of obtaining fairly acceptable quantification of pollution potential attributable to urban runoff by utilizing procedures described. However, the number of assumptions required leads to some inadequacies as reflected in inconsistencies in predicted BOD5 and COD levels with actual field data. The good correlation of population density-based formulae for street length with actual street lengths indicates a simple method for approximating street refuse pollution based on loadings per length of curb.
WRRCTMR No.44 Nitrogen Removal in the Operation of the Mililani Sewage Treatment Plant
(Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1974-09) Dugan, Gordon L.; Young, Reginald H.F.; Tsutsui, Roy T.
It had been observed over a one-year period, January 1972 to January 1973, that the Mililani Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), located in central Oahu, Hawaii, discharged in its effluent only approximately 30% of the total nitrogen it received in its predominantly domestic raw sewage influent. During the period that high nitrogen removal rates were observed, the STP was operated as a secondary plant with raw sewage, after comminution and aerated grit removal, going directly to the "Rapid Bloc" activated sludge unit. Sludge stabilization was by aerobic digestion. During the fall of 1973, a primary sedimentation tank and an anaerobic digester, which was to replace the aerobic digester, were added to the components of the STP. The plant was designed for an average waste water flow of 0.93 mgd capacity before modification and 1.81 mgd after modification. Inasmuch as the relatively high removal rate (about 70% in 1972) rivals present expensive advanced waste water operations that were designed specifically for nitrogen removal, and considering the difficulty and expense of removing significant quantities of nitrogen in waste water, a study was initiated for a one-year period, 1 July 1973 to 30 June 1974, in an attempt to determine the cause for such a high nitrogen removal rate both before (Phase I) and after (Phase II) modifications to the STP occurred in the faU of 1973. The waste water flow during Phase I, 9 July to 6 August 1973, averaged 0.665 mgd with an overall total nitrogen removal of about 54%. The major nitrogen loss, speculated to be by means of gaseous ammonia to the atmosphere, apparently occurred in the aeration unit, settling tank, and aerobic digester. During Phase II studies, January through June 1974, the mean monthly flow increased to a range of 0.838 mgd to 0.904 mgd; however, the mean total nitrogen loss decreased to 29%, a range that is typical for conventional secondary activated sludge operations. In both Phases I and II, ammonia nitrogen was the predominant form showing major losses.

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