Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology | Kailua Bay Advisory Council Contractor (KBAC)

The Hawai‘i Institute for Marine Biology (HIMB), using the assistance of college students from the University of Hawai‘i will be assessing the extent of chemicals in Enchanted Lake. The chemicals of interest belong to a group called organochlorines, which contain such compounds as PCBs, DDT, DDE, chlordane, heptachlor and many others.

The Entrance to Enchanted Lake

Questions that HIMB will attempt to answer are:

To what extent are these chemicals present in the lake sediment?
To what extent are these chemicals present in the fish in the lake? and
Is there a significant movement of chemicals into or out of the lake with water flow?

We are interested in these questions for several reasons. First, this information can be used to educate the residents of Enchanted Lake and Kailua at large about environmental contaminant issues. Second, it provides baseline information necessary to assess the impact of remediation efforts if these become necessary.

The study will be conducted in three phases:

Phase 1:	Determine the bathymetry (depth and contour) of the lake from either existing information or if necessary by direct measurement. These data will help to understand how water may circulate in the lake;
Phase 2:	Water flow meters will be used to measure water movement around and through the lake; and
Phase 3:	Sampling points will be selected through the length of the lake and in Ka‘elepulu Stream.

Basic water quality parameters, i.e., temperature, alkalinity (or acidity), total dissolved solids and organic matter, will be measured at each site throughout the year. Sediment, water and animal samples will be collected at these sites and will be analyzed for organochlorines compounds. Results and report will be available to the public. To view the final report click here.

Please contact Larry Riley at 236-7401 for more information about this project.