DOH Issues Brown Water Advisory for Kohala Coast to Waimea Shorelines

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health issued a brown water advisory covering the stretch of Big Island shoreline from Pololū Valley on the Kohala Coast to Holoholokai Beach Park in Waimea, urging anyone planning to swim, fish, or wade along that corridor to stay out of the water until conditions clear.

Recent storms and heavy rain triggered the advisory, with runoff carrying elevated levels of bacteria, chemicals, and other pollutants into nearshore waters. DOH warned that water appearing brown or murky may be harmful if ingested or contacted, and advised against swimming, wading, fishing, or any shoreline activities along the affected stretch.

The department also flagged a specific risk tied to freshwater exposure: leptospirosis, a bacterial infection caused by Leptospira, which can be contracted through contact with or consumption of water from freshwater streams or ponds. Residents who venture near streams swollen by last weekend's rain should treat any freshwater source as potentially contaminated.

DOH guidance reported by multiple outlets calls for waiting 48 to 72 hours after rain stops and after the beach has received full sunshine before re-entering the water. An earlier advisory bulletin used the simpler standard of remaining out "until waters clear." The department has not yet confirmed publicly which language governs the official lifting criteria, so beachgoers along the Kohala Coast should check for posted signs at each beach before entering the water.

The Big Island advisory is part of a broader statewide response to last weekend's storms. On Oʻahu, DOH issued a brown water advisory from Haleʻiwa to Sunset Beach on the North Shore. Routine beach monitoring at Chun's Reef, located between Laniakea Beach and Waimea Bay, detected enterococcus levels of 1,445 per 100 milliliters. That bacterium, which originates from human and animal waste, poses risks not only to swimmers but also to coral reef ecosystems. On Maui, advisories covered Waiheʻe to Hoʻokipa and a separate Lahaina zone running from Baby Beach to Wahikuli. No equivalent numeric contamination readings for the Big Island's Pololū-to-Holoholokai shoreline were included in the department's available reporting.

No beach closures or enforcement actions were specified in the advisory. The stretch in question runs along some of the North Kohala coast's most remote and scenic shoreline, where warning signage can be sparse and cell service limited. Anyone planning to visit Pololū Valley lookout or Holoholokai Beach Park in the coming days should confirm conditions before descending to the water's edge.