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Barbers Point Sewage Outfall Fish Census from Annual Surveys 1991-2010 (NODC Accession 0073346)

Published by NOAA/NESDIS/NODC/NCDDC | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Metadata Last Checked: January 27, 2026 | Last Modified: 2021-01-06T00:00:00.000+00:00
The Honouliuli Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) located in Ewa, Oahu, Hawaii, near Barbers Point (Kalaeloa) has been in operation since 1982. It releases approximately 22 mgd (0.96 m3/s) of primary treated sewage through a 2,670-m pipe at a depth of 61 m offshore of Ewa Beach, Oahu. A controversy had arisen in the early 1990s regarding the impact that sewage effluent from the Honouliuli WWTP may have on inshore coral reef ecosystem. Accordingly, in 1991 this monitoring program commenced in an attempt to quantitatively ascertain the impacts that may be occurring, with annual surveys continuing to the present (2010). It is anticipated the program will continue for many years. The overall survey program includes in situ observations of fish and coral assemblages as well as benthic sampling of sediment chemistry and biota within the sediments. Select water column measurements have also been made such as temperature, salinity, and turbidity. This dataset provides only the fish census from annual quantitative monitoring of shallow marine communities inshore of the Barbers Point Ocean Outfall located in 61 m of water offshore of Ewa Beach, Oahu, Hawaii. NODC Accession 0000174 has the complete set of survey data (coral, fish, benthos, and water column) for annual surveys of 1991-1999. The fish data in 0000174 only provide counts and cumulative biomass. The set presented in the 2011 update (1991-2010) includes fish counts, lengths, and biomass of each species. The other parameters (corals, benthos) for 2000-2010 will be released by the Water Resources Research Center separately.

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