Hope for Hawai’ian Coral Reefs

Clean water is critical for the health of coral reefs.

Reefs require clean, clear water. High concentrations of nutrients in the water feed algae blooms that are dangerous to the reef and swimmers alike. Clean water quality controls the threat of algae blooms and helps coral reefs regrow, survive, and be more resilient to other pressures, such as increasing ocean temperatures.

Cesspools deposit untreated wastewater underground where it flows directly into groundwater and coastal waters. This is a huge threat to the health of human communities and coastal environments.

The coral pictured here is largely bleached. The water conditions here could not support the living coral polyps, leaving a skeleton behind. But there is hope! The presence of fish indicates the reef can still recover.

To help the reefs recover, we need to remediate land-based sources of pollution. In Hawai’i, failing cesspools input 53 million gallons of untreated sewage into coastal and groundwater every day. This threat must be addressed to give the reefs a chance to recover.

Bioreactor gardens are a highly effective alterative to cesspools. This green infrastructure practice leverage the power of natural processes to clean wastewater before it’s discharged. This means by the time the cleaned water reaches the groundwater or the coast, it is safe for humans and the environment, including the coral reef. The processes at work in the bioreactor garden are based on vegetation, natural properties of soil, and natural microbial processes concentrated at the outflow of the wastewater system.

Learn more about how we build bioreactor gardens to protect coral reefs.