Brown Water at Kanaha
Brown Water at Kanaha
After heavy rains upcountry, the soil and sediment in the upcountry streams gets washed downstream and goes into the ocean. We call these events Brown Water. It can be sunny and dry at the beach, but if it rains heavily on the uphill slopes, then you can get A flash flood, and swift moving water suddenly swells the streams and culverts, and you will get a situation like in the photograph below. It is always possible that this can happen at anytime, so be careful if camping near a stream, or if kids are playing near a stream. Brown-water brings with it the soil, and pesticides, livestock feces and other contaminants. The bacteria in brown-water is potentially harmful to humans, so you should avoid contact with brown-water in streams, and in the ocean. Brown-water is also damaging to coral reefs and marine life too. The pesticides like roundup, used on ag crops and sugar cane fields goes into the streams and oceans and is toxic to plants, algae, and coral. Hopefully in the future better farming practices uphill, and less livestock churning the soil, will help to reduce the occurrence of Brown Water. meanwhile stay out of the ocean too, for at least three days or until the water is clear again. Especially if you have any cuts on you. an never get brown-water into your eyes or nose either.
