In Hawai'i, the number of warnings and advisories jumped from 158 days in 2004 to 246 days in 2005, then shot up to 694 days in 2006.

AGING SEWAGE SYSTEM

Hawai'i's March storms triggered 16 simultaneous sewage spills, according to the report, topped by the 48 million-gallon discharge of raw sewage into the Ala Wai Canal.

Among those affected was Lisa Kennedy, a 40-year-old Waikiki waitress and novice surfer, who contracted five different bacterial infections — four of which are associated with human feces — after surfing off Waikiki Beach following the start of the discharge into the Ala Wai Canal.

In April, Oliver Johnson died six days after he plunged into the waters of the nearby Ala Wai Boat Harbor. The cause of death for the 34-year-old mortgage broker was organ failure due to septic shock brought on by an infection of Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium in the same family that causes cholera.

Following the spill, the city and the federal EPA agreed that the city would inspect and replace its major sewer pipes at a cost of about $300 million.

Scott Werny, co-chairman of the Surfrider Foundation O'ahu chapter, believes that Hawaiian waters are "pretty darn good compared to almost anywhere on the Mainland."

"The problem comes when we have sewage spills," Werny said. "We've been having them a lot lately because our sewage infrastructure is aging and failing. As clean as the water is, we have a problem and it has to be addressed."

30% OF BEACHES TESTED

Another issue is monitoring.

Hawai'i's 428 public beaches stretch across nearly 300 miles of coastline. But the state Department of Health's Clean Water Branch tests water conditions at only 131 beaches — or 30 percent — representing 109 miles of coastline.

On O'ahu, Kualoa Beach Park and Waimea Bay on the North Shore and Kuhio Beach in Waikiki had the highest percentages for exceeding federal water standards. On the Neighbor Islands, the beaches with the highest percentages exceeding the standards were West of Lydgate Park Wading Pool on Kaua'i and Honoli'i Cove (Ocean) on the Big Island.

Fifty-six percent of all of the Hawai'i beaches tested did not exceed the federal standard.

Todd Camenson, a 57-year-old surfer, stood by the Kuhio Beach surf lockers yesterday and remembered the time around Christmas 2005 when he contracted an infection on his leg that doctors told him was caused by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus that Camenson picked up off Waikiki.

Camenson spent two weeks in the hospital, but that hasn't kept him away from Kuhio Beach.

He believes the worst sources of bacteria come from the nearby public bathrooms, showers and sand — not the ocean.

"There's nothing in the water," he said. "The ocean's good for you."

CLOSER MONITORING

The report points out that Hawai'i's testing rules exceed federal standards. But Hawai'i's standards did not play a role in the rise in warnings and advisories at Hawai'i's 47 most popular and threatened beaches.

State and local officials do not have the authority to close beaches.

The data isn't in yet, but so far 2007's year of drought seems to be producing fewer water warnings than last year, said Larry Lau, deputy director for environmental health, who oversees the state Health Department's Clean Water Branch.

The department now monitors the most popular beaches three times per week instead of two and just started testing the water in Waikiki surf zones. Health officials also recently added a hot line — 586-5826 — that gives daily recorded updates on beaches with potential problems.

An e-mail list of people getting advisories also has grown substantially since the Ala Wai sewage discharge, Lau said.

Health officials are also working with the EPA to develop a third test to pinpoint contaminated water.

But, Lau said, "If things are going to flow brown and affect the ocean, signs should go up, advisories should be issued. We don't necessarily have to wait for a test."

'EVERYBODY CAN HELP'

People in the community can also play a large part by not putting chemicals or other dangerous substances into storm drains or on driveways, gutters or streets, Lau said.

"It's important that everybody try to take care in what they let go on the land," Lau said. "What goes onto the land, goes into the ocean. So everybody can help avoid runoff pollution."

Dwight Kinoshita, a 41-year-old surf instructor with Aloha Beach Services, has to be in the ocean off Waikiki every day.

But during last year's major sewage discharge, Kinoshita stayed out of the water for two weeks.

"You gotta have common sense," Kinoshita said. "If the water's brown, don't go in."

Kinoshita and fellow surfing instructor Virgil Sisiam, 42, believe the water at Kuhio Beach has gotten dirtier in their time as Waikiki beach boys.

"In the early '80s, back then when you used to go in the water, it used to heal cuts," said Sisiam, an instructor at Hawaiian Oceans.

Even with everything from sunscreen to raw sewage ending up in the water, Sisiam said there's little chance of keeping tourists away from the ocean.

"People come to Hawai'i and spend thousands of dollars," Sisiam said. "They're gonna go in the water no matter what."

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.