At Kingdom Pathways, we honor the Hawaiian proverb "Pūʻali kalo i ka wai ʻole"—Taro, for lack of water, grows misshapen. This wisdom underscores the vital role of water in nurturing life and maintaining balance. Our Wai (Water Resources) mission is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the health of our water systems, from the upland forests to the ocean. By safeguarding our water resources, we ensure the vitality of our land and community for future generations.
Many experience earaches, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, stomach pain, or staph infections without realizing they may be linked to water quality. Our journey began when our keiki suffered repeated staph infections, and we saw firsthand how little was being done. We took action.
We began testing Pōka‘ī Bay after hearing multiple community reports of staph infections, asking ourselves how we could help solve this problem. By applying ‘Ike Kupuna—ancestral knowledge of tides, currents, and freshwater flow—we understand how these natural elements shape the kahakai (shoreline). When they are disrupted, the effects become visible and deeply felt in our health and environment.
Why test the ocean side of the Jetty Wall?
The jetty wall traps sediment and bacteria, preventing natural circulation and self-cleansing. This buildup increases health risks like staph infections. We worked with Senator Shimabukuro to secure capital improvement funds to repair the wall and create an opening, like a mākaha, to restore proper water flow.
We test the Kaupuni site (near taco bell) because bacteria must be coming from somewhere. Using ‘Ike Kupuna, we observed how currents sweep waves into the bay from the Pilila‘au Army Recreational (opening of the canal) area, pushing contaminants toward the jetty wall. To test this theory, we monitored both locations, and for the past two years, this site has remained one of seven that consistently exceed health standards.
We test the Pilila‘au area to compare upstream conditions with the opening, measuring how much bacteria is carried by currents into the bay and how effectively it is dispersed into the ocean.
If not now then when, if not us then who?
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Mahalo Nui in advance!