“I seen a couple big turds and seen some sludge,” said Pomai Hoapili, who was surfing an area near Sunset known as Kammieland.
“It looked like a pretty big patch.” he added. “It was maybe like a hundred feet in diameter and it was pretty funky stuff; something you really wouldn’t see in the open ocean.”
Pete Hodgson, a longtime North Shore resident and surf photographer, also spotted the large area of effluent, what he said appeared to be raw sewage.
“It’s been a lot of stuff in the water – logs,” said Hodgson, “and I’m not talking nature.”
State Department of Health spokeswoman Janice Okubo told Khon2 there had been no reports of sewage in water near the Sunset Beach area in recent days.
Of the three small wastewater treatment plants in the immediate area, the Health Department’s Clean Water Branch had contacted one of them as of Friday afternoon. The operator of the unidentified plant reported no spills had occurred.
Robert Harris, director of Sierra Club Hawaii, said if the slick that was spotted by surfers was indeed sewage, there would be cause for alarm.
“It includes pathogens and viruses and even at very low levels that can be harmful,” he said. “Generally speaking if you see it you should get out of the water right away.”
With only two inspectors at the Clean Water Branch to cover the entire state, water quality testing doesn’t always occur right away after a reported sighting of sewage.
“It’s a challenge to get the testing done but more importantly to notify the public as early as possible,” said Harris. “We’ve had complaints before where hundreds of thousands of gallons have gone into the water and the Clean Water Branch essentially said we just don’t have the staff to go down and inspect it.”
The surfers who ran into the sludge off Sunset Beach are hoping the state will take action after Khon2 brought their concerns to light.
"At least find out where it’s coming from or where the problem lies,” said Hoapili.
Harris urged residents who come across suspected sewage spills to contact the Clean Water Branch or a local environmental group as soon as possible.
“The Sierra Club and Surfrider are happy to help take action,” he said. “If they don’t want to deal with the government they can call us.”
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See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
