A number of beaches have been closed and a body boarding competition cancelled after a sewage spill entered the sea via a storm drain at Ala Wai Boat Harbor. The spill occurred after a blockage in the sewage system close to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, early in the morning of Friday 5 August 2016, which released about 50 000 litres of sewage, some of which then entered a storm drain (designed to carry rainwater) at the intersection of Metcalf and Hunnewell streets.
Warning sign on a beach in Honolulu. KITV.
As well as the obvious dangers to health presented by sewage, which is
likely to contain a variety of Bacteria and other micro-organisms
harmful to Human health, sewage provides a source of nutrients which can
lead to eutrophication and the
rapid growth of blooms of Algae, Bacteria or other micro-organisms,
which absorb oxygen from the water leading Fish and other aquatic
organisms to asphyxiate.
See also...
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