Oahu's largest sewage spill on record has impacted more than just environmental standards and tourism dollars—it's severely curtailing the surf culture of the island as well.

A 42-inch sewer main broke last Friday in Honolulu, dumping millions of gallons of bacteria-infected sewage into the Ala Wai Canal—which forms the inland border of the Waikiki hotel district—and out to sea. On Wednesday, city officials were able to repair the break and stop the flow of sewage, but only after an estimated 48 million gallons of raw wastewater had been released over the previous six days.

The cause of the break in the 42-year-old pipe is currently being investigated.

"It could have been from heavy rains, old piping, or road work that was underway nearby," Kurt Tsue, spokesman for the Hawaii State Department of Health, told Outside Online. "We are still trying to determine the cause. But for now, at least the sewage has stopped flowing."

Initially, the ocean currents took the wastewater straight out to sea, but as the winds and currents changed, the infected water started to spread east and west toward Waikiki and Kewalo Basin, a harbor frequented by surfers.

"There's no foot traffic on the beach, and nobody's surfing at Waikiki," James Donnelly, manager at the Hans Hedemann Surf School in Waikiki, told Outside Online. "We're having to take our surf students to a beach about 20 minutes away."

Although no beaches have been officially closed, warning signs were posted starting last Sunday, the first day bacterial test results were released. Every day more warning signs have been displayed on popular beaches, Tsue said. Surfers have been warned of increased bacterial levels in the water in front of the Sheraton Waikiki, Royal Hawaiian, and Moana Surfrider hotels.

City and state officials will continue conducting daily bacterial tests from Kewalo Basin, west of Waikiki, to Diamond Head, east of the tourist district, until the water becomes safe. Between the state and city's efforts, 18 beach locations and ten surf sites are being monitored for safety standards.

As of Wednesday's latest test results, the highest concentration of bacteria measured at the mouth of the canal was 13,000 bacterial colonies per 100 milliliters of water—normal rates are seven bacterial colonies per 100 milliliters. In locations farther from the source, the bacteria level has been diluted to between 70 and 400 bacterial colonies per 100 milliliters, according to Tsue.

"It is getting more diluted due to sun and tides," he said. "But it's still significantly higher than what's safe."

Local environmentalists are concerned about the damage to the coral reef and marine animals.

"This is absolutely disgusting that here at the doorstep of our economic engine we have untreated sewage on the beaches," Sierra Club director Jeff Mikulina told the Associated Press. "This should never have happened."

Although there has not been any recorded drop in visitor arrivals to Hawaii, Tsue said the tourists are frustrated with the situation.

"The tourists are disappointed they can't go into the water," he said. "But the hotel industry has been good about providing alternatives and suggesting things to do besides beach activities."

• • •

• • • • • • • • • •