06-16-2009, 04:16 AM
Before this gets more heated:
From all of the research & EIS papers I have studied & watershed & water management meetings I have been to over the last 4 years:
NO-ONE knows for sure how water moves on this island OR what is carried in it or how it is carried. It seems very clear that normal models for water management, based on continental plate runoff are not applicable.
Both view points on pest management have valid points; obviously if every acre on this island used even just 2 oz of pesticide per month, and the rain washed it into the ocean when it still had potency (all pesticides have some amount of residual potency, or they would have no effect), then we would have a large load of pesticide in the ocean & soils. However, we also do know that Hilo Bay alone has one to two BILLION gallons of freshwater intrusion every day....and there MAY be incredible residence times and particle filtration on our island, but it still has not been modeled.... so there is a huge truth to the dilution equation here that does not exist in most places... along with lava tubes that can deliver runoff with little to no filtration....
I would say to use any chemical (be it pesticide, cleaner, medication or natural plant extract) with caution & full understanding that it does not go away, somewhere, somehow that chemical, or its' residuals, is somewhere & try to make as small a chemical imprint as you can, knowing that everyone on-line is using more resources than the vast majority of our human population ever has & is currently using....
From all of the research & EIS papers I have studied & watershed & water management meetings I have been to over the last 4 years:
NO-ONE knows for sure how water moves on this island OR what is carried in it or how it is carried. It seems very clear that normal models for water management, based on continental plate runoff are not applicable.
Both view points on pest management have valid points; obviously if every acre on this island used even just 2 oz of pesticide per month, and the rain washed it into the ocean when it still had potency (all pesticides have some amount of residual potency, or they would have no effect), then we would have a large load of pesticide in the ocean & soils. However, we also do know that Hilo Bay alone has one to two BILLION gallons of freshwater intrusion every day....and there MAY be incredible residence times and particle filtration on our island, but it still has not been modeled.... so there is a huge truth to the dilution equation here that does not exist in most places... along with lava tubes that can deliver runoff with little to no filtration....
I would say to use any chemical (be it pesticide, cleaner, medication or natural plant extract) with caution & full understanding that it does not go away, somewhere, somehow that chemical, or its' residuals, is somewhere & try to make as small a chemical imprint as you can, knowing that everyone on-line is using more resources than the vast majority of our human population ever has & is currently using....