Blue Water Task Force

The Blue Water Task Force is Surfrider’s volunteer water quality monitoring program that provides critical water quality information to protect public health at the beach. Surfrider chapters use this program to raise awareness of local pollution problems and to bring together communities to implement solutions.

Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) labs measure fecal indicator bacteria levels in recreational waters and compare them to water quality standards set to protect public health. Chapter-run BWTF programs fill in the gaps and extend the coverage of agency-run beach monitoring programs by sampling ocean and bay beaches, estuaries and potential freshwater sources of pollution such as stormwater outlets, rivers and creeks that discharge onto the beach.

Each year, we compile an annual report of our findings on local water quality from Kauaʻi, Maui, and Oʻahu. In it you can find detailed information about how we conduct water testing, where we conduct our testing and the data we've collected.

In 2023, trained BWTF volunteers sampled 65 sites across Kauaʻi, Maui, and Oʻahu. Overall, nearly 900 samples were collected, providing important insight into the water quality of our beaches across Hawaiʻi.

Our BWTF teams on each island maintain a regular interval between sampling
and will sample both after rain events and during Brown Water Advisories
(barring dangerous conditions). This ensures that the BWTF data set
captures water quality information during both wet and dry conditions. This
data allows us to gain a more comprehensive understanding of water quality conditions throughout Hawaiʻi.