Report on adopting the Robust Analytical Model (RAM) for establishing sustainable-yield values for the Iao Aquifer which lies on the northeastern flank of the West Maui Volcano on the Island of Maui. The report describes comparisons between model-calculated water levels from RAM and those from numerical ground-water flows models based on the case study of the Iao Aquifer.

Why is groundwater the predominant drinking water source in Hawaii? Why are groundwater sources susceptible to pesticide contamination? How long does it take for water in the mountains to journey by land and underground passages to reach the coast? Answers to questions such as these are essential to understanding the principles of hydrology—the science of the movement, distribution, and quality of water—in Hawaii. Due to the humid tropical climate, surrounding ocean, volcanic earth, and high mountains, many hydrologic processes in the Islands are profoundly different from those of large continents and other climatic zones. Management of water, land, and environment must be informed by appropriate analyses, or communities and ecosystems face great uncertainty and may be at risk. The protection of groundwater, coastal waters, and streams from pollution and the management of flood hazards are also significant. This volume presents applications of hydrology to these critical issues. The authors begin by outlining fundamental hydrologic theories and the current general knowledge then expand into a formal discussion specific to Hawaii and the distinctive elements and their interrelations under natural and human-influenced conditions. They include chapters on rainfall and climate, evaporation, groundwater, and surface runoff. Details on the quantification of hydrologic processes are available to those with more technical knowledge, but general readers with an interest in the topic—one of singular importance for the Hawaiian Islands—will find much in the volume that is timely and accessible.

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is a spatially pervasive phenomenon that adds freshwater, nutrients, dissolved metals, bacteria, and other constituents to the coastal ocean. This dissertation investigated SGD-related inputs of nutrients and fecal indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus sp.) to coastal waters in two Hawaiian locations, the north shore of Kaua'i and the Kona coast of Hawai'i. Concentrations of caffeine, which has been used previously as a wastewater tracer, were measured in groundwater and surface water on the north shore of Kaua'i. Both study areas have relatively light levels of urban and agricultural development, and maintaining good water quality is essential for their tourism-based economies, coral reefs, fisheries, and traditional way of life. Radium (Ra), an element with naturally elevated concentrations in coastal groundwater, was used as an SGD tracer and a mass-balance approach was used to quantify SGD. On the north shore of Kaua'i, agriculture was associated with higher nitrate + nitrite concentrations in the fresh SGD component, while phosphate and silica appeared to be controlled by geological differences in aquifer substrate. High ammonium concentrations in the fresh SGD component at one site may have been caused by a leaky cesspool. In Kona, no relation between urban development or agriculture and groundwater nutrient concentrations was observed, but bare lava rock was associated with higher nitrate + nitrite and silica concentrations in fresh SGD. Sites closer to golf courses also had higher nitrate + nitrite concentrations. Conservative estimates of total SGD on the north shore of Kaua'i ranged from 1.3 to 7.8 L per meter per minute, or up to 10% of Hanalei River discharge, and SGD contributed significant nitrate + nitrite inputs to Hanalei Bay. Estimates of SGD in Kona ranged from 5 to 1200 L per meter per minute, with between 10 and 100% of the brackish SGD comprised by the fresh SGD component. SGD-related water and nutrient fluxes on the Kona Coast -- where no rivers and streams are present -- were large compared to those reported for other sites worldwide. Caffeine concentrations in environmental waters on the north shore of Kaua'i ranged from 0-88 ng/L, on the low end of what has been reported for other locations. Metribuzin, an herbicide, was also detected at concentrations from 4-11 ng/L in five groundwater and surface water samples. A sensitivity analysis of Ra-based methods of estimating water ages and coastal mixing rates revealed that water ages shorter than 3 d cannot be estimated with confidence using Ra-based methods, even if the only uncertainty considered is analytical error. In conclusion, this dissertation provides new data about SGD and related inputs of nutrients and bacteria to Hawaiian coastal waters, suggests that even low levels of development may influence nutrient concentrations in coastal groundwater, presents the first caffeine concentrations measured in environmental water samples collected in a tropical setting, and explores the limits of applicability of Ra-based methods of estimating water ages and coastal mixing rates, providing guidance for researchers conducting Ra-based SGD studies in the future.