Clean water
Photo by Ryan Pernofski
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Breaking the Taboo Around Pee and Poo to Help Save Coral Reefs
Most of us are all too happy to flush the toilet and send our waste down the drain, where it flows far, far away and we never have to think about it again. But this wastewater actually deserves more of our attention. All around the world, sewage is polluting the oceans and causing harm to…
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Could Cleaner Water Mean Farewell for Coral Disease?
Lea esto en español When improperly treated sewage enters the marine environment, it can have devastating effects on a coral reef. Not only does it bring bacteria that can pose a threat to human health, but it also brings nutrients that fuel the growth of algae—a fierce competitor in the coral reef ecosystem. Algae compete…
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Hawai’i County Allocates $1.8 Million to Clean Water and Coral Reefs
The Hawai‘i County Council on March 3 voted to approve the allocation of $1.8 million to address ocean sewage pollution in Puakō, Hawai‘i. The Puakō coastline is one of 14 priority sites that have been identified in Hawai‘i as areas to be transitioned off of cesspools. Across the state, an estimated 88,000 cesspools release 53…
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There’s Nothing Romantic About Sewage
There’s a certain romanticized notion of what it must be like to be a coral reef scientist: living in a tropical environment with beautiful white sand beaches, snorkeling and diving every day, surrounded by colorful wildlife and pristine turquoise waters. Sounds dreamy, doesn’t it? And for Dr. Antonella Rivera, Principal Investigator for the Coral Reef…
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Coral Reefs in Roatán Thrive with Clean Water
The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), our partners in the Bay Islands of Honduras, and the people of Roatán celebrated a major win as a decade of work recently came to fruition when the island passed clean water standards for the first time since monitoring began in 2013. The island of Roatán, part of the Bay…
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Why Clean Water for Reefs Matters
Clean water is vital—for communities and coral reefs. Around the world water pollution from land-based sources is killing our reefs—from cesspools and sewage pollution to contaminated runoff and pollutants. Communities are taking action—on Hawai‘i Island, the small, but strong community in Puakō is setting out to change the trajectory for its coral reefs and, could…
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Major Milestone in Community Effort to Protect Hawaiʻi’s Puakō Reef from Further Pollution
For Immediate Release Tuesday, February 2, 2016 Coral Reef Alliance Releases Highly Anticipated Study Supporting Community-Wide Sewage Treatment Facility Puakō, Hawaiʻi — Today, the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) released a highly anticipated Preliminary Engineering Report that charts the path forward for protecting one of the most significant reefs in the main Hawaiian Islands. The report…