Hawaii's state health department announced yesterday it will increase water quality monitoring near the state’s most popular beaches. Officials said more than 100 ocean sites statewide will be affected.
The efforts will be funded with a $324,000 grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
State records show none of the more than 100 beaches tested in 2004 by the state exceeded federal safety limits on more than one occasion.
Environmental groups say the state has been doing a good job of testing water quality given the resources it has.
Carey Morishige, head of the Sierra Club's Blue Water Campaign, says the state's partnership with the local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is a good example for other state agencies.
Source: The Associated Press