Water Quality in Hilo Bay,Hawaii, USA, Under
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WATER QUALITY IN HILO BAY, HAWAII, U.S.A., UNDER BASEFLOW AND STORM CONDITIONS FINAL PROJECT REPORT APRIL 2009 Dr. Tracy Wiegner1 and Lucas Mead2 Marine Science Department1 Master’s Program in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science2 University of Hawaii at Hilo 200 W. Kawili Street, Hilo, HI 96720 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES Pg. 4 LIST OF FIGURES Pgs. 5-6 LIST OF APPENDICIES Pgs. 7-8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Pgs. 9-14 PROJECT OVERVIEW Pgs. 15-16 BACKGROUND Pgs. 16-21 METHODS Pgs. 21-26 Experimental design Pg. 21 Site description Pgs. 21-23 Sampling strategy Pgs. 23-24 Sample collection Pg. 24 Sample processing Pg. 25 Analytical methods Pgs. 25-26 River yield calculations Pg. 26 RESULTS Pgs. 26-46 Summary of river yields Pgs. 26-27 Summary of baseflow conditions Pgs. 28-32 Summary of Storm 1 Pgs. 32-36 Summary of Storm 2 Pgs. 36-40 Summary of Storm 3 Pgs. 40-42 Summary of Storm 4 Pgs. 43-46 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Pgs. 46-53 2 - - NO3 +NO2 in Hilo Bay…………………………………………….Pgs. 46-48 Turbidity in Hilo Bay……………………………………………….Pgs. 48-50 Chl a in Hilo Bay……………………………………………………Pgs. 50-53 RECOMMENDATIONS Pgs. 53-54 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Pg. 55 REFERENCES Pgs. 56-59 TABLES 1 – 10 Pgs. 60-70 FIGURES 4 – 26 Pgs. 71-93 APPENDICIES 1 – 6 Pgs. 94-135 3 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Characteristics of the Wailuku and Wailoa River watersheds Pg. 60 Table 2: Station codes and GPS coordinates Pg. 61 Table 3: Sampling event date, river discharge, and rainfall Pg. 62 Table 4: HDOH standards for water quality Pg. 63 Table 5: Daily yields of nutrients and TSS from rivers Pg. 64 Table 6: Baseflow chemical and biological measurements at all stations Pgs. 65-66 Table 7: Storm 1 chemical and biological measurements at all stations Pg. 67 Table 8: Storm 2 chemical and biological measurements at all stations Pg. 68 Table 9: Storm 3 chemical and biological measurements at all stations Pg. 69 Table 10: Storm 4 chemical and biological measurements at all stations Pg. 70 4 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Turbidity and rainfall in the Wailuku and Wailoa Rivers Pg. 18 - - Figure 2: NO3 + NO2 in the Wailuku and Wailoa Rivers Pg. 19 Figure 3: Map of sampling stations Pg. 23 Figure 4: Baseflow and storm TDN at stations S1 and S4 Pg. 71 - - Figure 5: Baseflow and storm NO3 + NO2 at stations S1 and S4 Pg. 72 Figure 6: Baseflow and storm turbidity at stations S1 and S4 Pg. 73 Figure 7: Baseflow TDN at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 74 - - Figure 8: Baseflow NO3 + NO2 at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 75 Figure 9: Baseflow turbidity at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 76 Figure 10: Baseflow Chl a at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 77 Figure 11: Storm 1 TDN at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 78 - - Figure 12: Storm 1 NO3 + NO2 at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 79 Figure 13: Storm 1 turbidity at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 80 Figure 14: Storm 1 Chl a at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 81 Figure 15: Storm 2 TDN at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 82 - - Figure 16: Storm 2 NO3 + NO2 at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 83 Figure 17: Storm 2 turbidity at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 84 Figure 18: Storm 2 Chl a at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 85 Figure 19: Storm 3 TDN at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 86 - - Figure 20: Storm 3 NO3 + NO2 at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 87 Figure 21: Storm 3 turbidity at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 88 Figure 22: Storm 3 Chl a at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 89 5 Figure 23: Storm 4 TDN at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 90 - - Figure 24: Storm 4 NO3 + NO2 at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 91 Figure 25: Storm 4 turbidity at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 92 Figure 26: Storm 4 Chl a at stations S2, S3, S5, S6, C1, and C2 Pg. 93 6 LIST OF APPENDICIES Appendix 1: Salinity depth profiles Pgs. 94-100 Table 11a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S2 Pg. 95 Table 12a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S3 Pg. 96 Table 13a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S5 Pg. 97 Table 14a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S6 Pg. 98 Table 15a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station C1 Pg. 99 Table 16a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station C2 Pg. 100 Appendix 2: Specific conductivity depth profiles Pgs. 101-107 Table 17a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S2 Pg. 102 Table 18a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S3 Pg. 103 Table 19a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S5 Pg. 104 Table 20a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S6 Pg. 105 Table 21a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station C1 Pg. 106 Table 22a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station C2 Pg. 107 Appendix 3: Temperature depth profiles Pgs. 108-114 Table 23a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S2 Pg. 109 Table 24a,c: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S3 Pg. 110 Table 25a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S5 Pg. 111 Table 26a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S6 Pg. 112 Table 27a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station C1 Pg. 113 Table 28a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station C2 Pg. 114 7 Appendix 4: Dissolved oxygen depth profiles Pgs. 115-121 Table 29a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S2 Pg. 116 Table 30a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S3 Pg. 117 Table 31a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S5 Pg. 118 Table 32a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S6 Pg. 119 Table 33a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station C1 Pg. 120 Table 34a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station C2 Pg. 121 Appendix 5: Percent oxygen saturation depth profiles Pgs. 122-128 Table 35a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S2 Pg. 123 Table 36a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S3 Pg. 124 Table 37a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S5 Pg. 125 Table 38a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S6 Pg. 126 Table 39a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station C1 Pg. 127 Table 40a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station C2 Pg. 128 Appendix 6: Light attenuation depth profiles Pgs. 129-135 Table 41a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S2 Pg. 130 Table 42a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S3 Pg. 131 Table 43a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S5 Pg. 132 Table 44a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station S6 Pg. 133 Table 45a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station C1 Pg. 134 Table 46a,b: Baseflow (a) and storm (b) profiles, station C2 Pg. 135 8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Hilo Bay waters have exceeded state water quality standards since the late 1970s for nutrients, turbidity, and fecal bacteria indicators and were formally included on the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) 303(d) list of impaired water bodies in 1998. It has long been suspected that Hilo Bay’s breakwater reduces water circulation and increases the residence time of pollutants inside the Bay. This public perception and the listing of Hilo Bay on the USEPA’s 303(d) list contribute to the fact that only 10% of the people who use Hilo Bay’s beach actually swim there. These conditions in Hilo Bay led former Mayor Harry Kim to contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in January, 2005, and request assistance to “improve the water quality and circulation of Hilo Bay.” USACE proposed and agreed to develop a computer circulation model to investigate whether modifications to the breakwater “or other alternatives will improve the water quality” of Hilo Bay. However, their original plans did not include measuring water quality parameters (nutrients, turbidity) within the Bay under different conditions [non-storm (baseflow) vs. storm]. University of Hawaii at Hilo (UHH) Marine Science Department agreed to collaborate with Hawaii County in conjunction with USACE to collect essential water quality data that would: 1) allow for a better understanding of the relationship between water quality and circulation within Hilo Bay, and 2) be used in the USACE computer model to accurately assess whether potential modifications to the breakwater would improve water quality. To accomplish these goals, UHH Marine Science Department collected water samples from the Wailuku and Wailoa Rivers, as well as from Hilo Bay (both inside and outside the breakwater) under baseflow and storm conditions from January 2007 through 9 February 2008. Water samples were analyzed for total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), + - - ammonium (NH4 ), nitrate plus nitrite (NO3 + NO2 ), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), 3- phosphate (PO4 ), silicic acid (H4SiO4), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total suspended solids (TSS), particulate carbon (PC), particulate nitrogen (PN), turbidity, pH, and chlorophyll a (Chl a).