HONOLULU (Island News) — Heavy rain from the Kona storm has led to water advisories across Hawaii, therefore residents and visitors are advised to avoid any affected waters due to health hazards.
Since Wednesday, March 11, 2026, the Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) issued a brown water advisory for the following areas. A map highlighting the affected waters can be found in each link.Â
In effect Monday, March 16In effect Thursday, March 12In effect Wednesday, March 11
Since Thursday, March 12, DOH announced heavy rain has led to a high bacteria count at these beaches:
Since Friday, March 13, DOH announced a wastewater discharge caused by heavy rain for these areas:
A current list of waters across the state impacted by stormwater can be found on the DOH website.
Courtesy of Hawaii State Department of Health
Brown water advisories happen when water appears brown or murky from storms or heavy rain. In these conditions, the ocean may be more polluted than normal.
DOH said heavy rain caused stormwater runoff to enter coastal waters. The public is advised to stay out of flood waters and storm water runoff because of hazards that may include overflowing cesspools, sewer, manholes, pesticides, animal fecal matter, dead animals, pathogens, chemicals and associated flood debris.
Stormwater runoff may not affect all coastal areas, however, stay out if the water is brown.
Swimming, wading in or drinking water from any freshwater streams or ponds should be avoided to prevent leptospirosis, a bacterial infection caused by the Leptospira bacteria. More information on Leptospirosis can be found here.
