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.

The 2025 Hawaiʻi Water Quality Report provides a statewide snapshot of coastal water quality conditions across Kauaʻi, Maui, and Oʻahu through Surfrider Foundation’s Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) program — the nation’s largest volunteer-run beach water testing network. In 2025, trained volunteers collected 1,138 water samples at 90 sites statewide, helping fill critical gaps in Hawaiʻi Department of Health beach monitoring by testing local beaches, surf breaks, stream mouths, and recreational areas often left unmonitored.

The report highlights statewide water quality trends, Hawaiʻi beach bacteria hot spots, and ongoing clean water advocacy efforts addressing cesspool pollution, wastewater treatment plant discharges, and watershed health. It also features nature-based solutions and community stewardship projects working to improve water quality from mauka to makai, while providing public health guidance to help ocean users recreate more safely at the beach.

Surfrider Foundation Maui performs water quality testing on north end beaches from Maliko Bay to Waihe'e Beach Park, as well as a handful of sites in Hana on the east end. Samples are collected and processed by volunteers at our labs at the University of Hawaii Maui and Hana High High School once a month. 

 Our BWTF data augments the beach monitoring program conducted by the Hawaii Department of Health beach monitoring program, and provides information for the public about local water quality conditions.

If you are interested in becoming a BWTF volunteer, please contact bwtf@maui.surfrider.org

General Blue Water Task Force Information

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Planning a Water Testing Program

• One-Stop-Shop for Beach Water Quality Monitoring across the U.S.

Blue Water Task Force Publications:

• Surfrider's 2021 Clean Water Report

• On Surfrider's Coastal Blog: Clean Water & Blue Water Task Force Stories

Standard Operating Procedures: Sampling and Lab Instructions:

• Data Sheet

• Water Sampling Instructions & Written Lab Instructions 

• Participatory Waiver

Local Water Quality Resources:

• Maui County Water Quality Reporting
  
  

• HDOH Clean Water Branch Beach Water Quality Advisories

• Maui BWTF Annual Report 2020