Mysterious discharge clouds waters at Hawaii harbor

reply to post by Isolation


Yeah no prob. I will check back at the harbor in a couple days to see if it's still flowing.

Originally posted by Human_Alien

Originally posted by VariableConstant
reply to post by Skywatcher2011

 

I think Skywatcher is probably on the right track. There are an awful lot of people on Oahu, lots of large buildings, plenty of underground water pipes.

More than likely a waste water pipe broke and is discharging through the drain in to the harbor. I can't imagine any volcanic activity on the Big Island would be the cause, probably just an overloaded sewer system.

But I thought they brought in experts who ruled that out?

Waste water would not be that hard to identify unless not-a-one is competent among that investigatory crew!
I can't see that.

Have you ever heard of politics? And possibly a "cover up" to keep people from the truth?

Bet you a buffalo nickel that that is what they are doing? Don't want to deter any vacationers from going to Hawaii.

Originally posted by VariableConstant
reply to post by Isolation

 

This may not be entirely correct, as I've never really looked in to it, but I was living on Oahu for a bit several years ago, and I recall hearing that a lot of land was actually artificially built up on coral that was dredged from offshore.

So here's a scary thought: what if a large section of underground pipe has broken, and the water is eroding the substrate, washing out the silt and creating a hollow space that would eventually open up a sinkhole?

Hopefully the cause is something more benign, but I'd say it is a possibility.

Intense heat applied to the calcium coral deposites would give the water a cloudy appearance with little to no smell. With that amount of particulates being dumped into the harbor, the water temperature there should be rising if that's the case. The fish in the immediate area would be dying of extreme changes to the alkalinity.

It could be tiny bubbles of a gassius substance like oxygen or other..

As you say the harbor around it is very clear the gas is dissolved or evaporated after a while.

Just a suggestion.

That's....disturbing.....

Any idea if there have been minor tremors on that island? I would say this could be some sort of silt, but you would not think that would kill fish. Sulfur would, though. Can't help but wonder if this is some sort of volcanic thing.

Is this the only drain pipe its coming from?

Intense amount of liquid for sure.

All we can safely say is that something gave way, and there is some pressure behind the break.

Ironically, the best case scenario for the environment is the worst case scenario for human development.

Being that the island is an active volcanic zone, it is no where near being done forming. During all that moving, melting, and slumping, underground aquifiers are breached, and the expulsion of contents inevitable.

Unfortunately, nothing stays the same, especially volcanic islands.

Originally posted by lordpiney
what i find most puzzling is where is the dirty water is coming from? is it normal for volcanic activity to push water up out of the ground?

That is a very good thought Lord...It definitely looks like some type of silt

reply to post by ZeroReady


What a fabulous job. Thank you so very much. We all appreciate your efforts.

I'm a little confused. What's been running for 2 days? The water itself (should that be dry) or the cloudy part?

Did you get the impression that any governmental heads were there?
Why wouldn't anyone want you to take a photo? That sounds scandalous in itself.

Also, I know it's hard to tell, probably impossible but, did you get the sense that this cloudy part was hot or warmer than the rest of the flow in any way?

I would think if they're detecting coral then they could analyze it to be coral right away. I am getting the feeling this is something new and uncharted. So let's prepare for a cover story soon!

Sludge, sewer and discharge of any kind has been ruled out, correct?

Thank you again. You did a GREAT job

Originally posted by LadyGreenEyes
That's....disturbing.....

Any idea if there have been minor tremors on that island? I would say this could be some sort of silt, but you would not think that would kill fish. Sulfur would, though. Can't help but wonder if this is some sort of volcanic thing.

I believe it was the 25th they had an entire day of swarming earthquakes. And mysterious booms which for me, just adds to the entire mystery right now.


Here's my thread:
Big Island Mystery Booms Amid Earthquake Swarm
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Here's a news:

reply to post by Human_Alien

Wrong island.

reply to post by Human_Alien

Originally posted by Human_Alien
reply to post by ZeroReady

 

What a fabulous job. Thank you so very much. We all appreciate your efforts.

I'm a little confused. What's been running for 2 days? The water itself (should that be dry) or the cloudy part?

Did you get the impression that any governmental heads were there?
Why wouldn't anyone want you to take a photo? That sounds scandalous in itself.

Also, I know it's hard to tell, probably impossible but, did you get the sense that this cloudy part was hot or warmer than the rest of the flow in any way?

I would think if they're detecting coral then they could analyze it to be coral right away. I am getting the feeling this is something new and uncharted. So let's prepare for a cover story soon!

Sludge, sewer and discharge of any kind has been ruled out, correct?

Thank you again. You did a GREAT job

The milky substance has been coming out of the storm drain for two days. Normally it's just fresh water running into the ocean. I think the harbormaster said that even just the rate the water is flowing out of the drain is unusual, strange milky substances aside.

Couldn't tell if there was any temperature variation or not. Didn't think it would be very wise to stick my hand in there.

The harbormaster specifically told me it was not sewage (black water) or gray water.

Yeah I think if it was crushed coral that would be a pretty simple lab test and that would be that. But dude told me "our best guess is crushed coral."

Personally I think it's all a little weird too.

reply to post by jimnuggits

Being that the island is an active volcanic zone

Not exactly. The last eruption on Oahu occurred about 10,000 years ago (on the opposite side of the island). There is not much reason to expect further activity. The island has drifted more than 200 miles from the hot spot which spawned it.
www.soest.hawaii.edu...

reply to post by Phage


10,000 years of geological time is equivalent to ten minutes to us in my opinion, give or take a nanosecond.

Isn't the volcanic nature of the island enough to indicate that some movement has occurred when you add the recent, relatively close earthquakes?

If all other manmade sources have been ruled out, which others have indicated is the case, some type of artesian well, or aquifier breach seems logical.

reply to post by jimnuggits

That 10,000 years is an inside shot. Most estimates are quite a bit older. And don't forget we have the history of the other islands in the chain to use as a reference.

Isn't the volcanic nature of the island enough to indicate that some movement has occurred when you add the recent, relatively close earthquakes?

The recent earthquake swarm occurred at shallow depths beneath Kilauea, a very active volcano. Unrelated to Oahu, more than 200 miles away.
neic.usgs.gov...

This was not a volcanic or seismic event.

reply to post by Phage


Still, pressure plus liquid plus Hawaii. I don't presume to know all the intricacies of the local geology, however.

I'm still open to other explanations, so fire away.

Freshwater indicates either a man made source, or a pocket of trapped or filtered rainwater, aquifier, or artesian well.

The pressure and duration indicates a large amount of material under a new set of circumstances.

A mystery, to be sure!

reply to post by jimnuggits

Freshwater indicates either a man made source, or a pocket of trapped or filtered rainwater, aquifier, or artesian well.

I'm still going with this one since the water is fresh with silt in it.

But the harbormaster told me there was only one well that feeds into that storm drain and they shut off that flow first thing to see if that's where it was coming from. Funky water is still pouring out of the drain. So it's not coming from an established underground source, maybe there was a collapse somewhere underground and new channels have been opened?

Originally posted by ZeroReady
I just got back from the harbor. Took some pics and video of the storm drain in question. *snip*

Wow, very nice, thanks! Interesting that the harbormaster didn't seem to want you down there. I would expect there to be more news on this. Maybe they are keeping the media way as well? Is that something you can check, maybe by contacting a local station?

Few other questions. Did you notice any smells not usual for the harbor? Do they have warnings against fishing? Is there a way a person could take a sample, maybe get that tested themselves? Seems strange that they can't even pinpoint the source. Well shut off, not from hotels, etc, no rainwater it could be. Has to be coming from someplace! Oh, and could the freshwater quantities be making the fish steer clear of the drain?

Originally posted by Human_Alien
I believe it was the 25th they had an entire day of swarming earthquakes. And mysterious booms which for me, just adds to the entire mystery right now.


Here's my thread:
Big Island Mystery Booms Amid Earthquake Swarm
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Here's a news:

Yeah, saw that. This being Hawaii, volcanic activity would seem to be the first thing to look into! But, i would think one could smell sulfur or something, if that was the case. Or that there would be heat. Anyone drop in a thermometer on a string, maybe?

Originally posted by ZeroReady
*snip*
I would think if they're detecting coral then they could analyze it to be coral right away. I am getting the feeling this is something new and uncharted. So let's prepare for a cover story soon!

Sludge, sewer and discharge of any kind has been ruled out, correct?

Thank you again. You did a GREAT job

Agreed; they state probably coral and silt, but they can't say days later for sure??? Would think that would be simple!

reply to post by LadyGreenEyes


I guess I'll try and shoot an email to the local news and see what they have to say.

There were no unusual smells. The only warning posted was the one I took a picture of. While it doesn't warn against fishing specifically, it does say contaminated water so to me that would suggest not to fish in the area.

I could definitely get a sample, just by dipping a container down there. But I'll bet a buffalo nickel that someone would pop out from a corner and tell me I couldn't do that, judging by the way the harbormaster was acting towards me.

I suspect the fish would naturally steer clear of fresh water, however the harbormaster said they spotted dead fish in the area already, so fresh or salty it seems to be bad for the wildlife.

Also he mentioned that the two stingrays which are normally hanging around the harbor have not been seen since the water turned funky.

As Phage pointed out earlier, Oahu is not really volcanically active. Remember Hawaii is a big place, lots of islands, and they are all unique. So I think we can rule out vulcanism.

I will remember to bring a thermometer on a string with me next time I go check it out, and I will report the temp here. I think that's about as scientific as I can get without a chemistry set, unless someone wants to walk me through water testing. Maybe I could do a simple pH test, assuming I can covertly obtain a sample of the stuff.

This doesn't surprise me one bit. As populated as this island is with water pipes and such underground and the fact that all this 'plumbing' is super old and literally falling apart faster than can be repaired/upgraded. We have water main breaks all over, constantly. Lord only knows what may have broken this time or where in the heck it is under there. It's scary that its been going on for 3 days now. I pray there are no sinkholes to come. Or worse...