Most folks in Hawai'i are quite satisfied with the safety of their drinking water but disagree with experts about threats to other water quality, according to a survey completed this year by the University of Hawai'i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

"The things that concern us were not areas of concern for the public," said Luisa Castro, an educational specialist with the college's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management.

For example, respondents to the study, "Water Issues in Hawai'i: A Survey of Public Attitudes," considered pesticides to be a serious threat, while many experts feel agricultural and animal wastes are bigger problems, said Castro's boss, department chairman Carl Evensen.

"There is a fairly high concern about pesticides here in Hawai'i — a higher concern than in other Pacific islands that we also surveyed. It is probably a result of the impact of major agriculture and the potential of groundwater contamination," he said.

When respondents were asked whether they know or suspect their water quality is affected by things like pesticides and fertilizers, roughly half said they did. Only about a third said high bacteria counts — often associated with animal waste — were a problem. In fact, most of the public-health-related closings of public beaches in Hawai'i are associated with high bacteria counts, not spills of chemicals.

Most folks said they considered themselves in favor of protecting the environment. Only 7 percent leaned toward total use of resources, while 51 percent leaned toward total environmental protection. Thirty-three percent said they see themselves as favoring an even balance between them.

When respondents were asked where they get their water-quality information, newspapers topped the list, followed closely by television, each with responses of more than 70 percent. Government environmental agencies got 58 percent; environmental citizens groups, 44 percent; and other sources, 30 percent or less.

Evensen said 163 people, representing all the major islands, filled out the 37-question survey. Except for being skewed with 65 percent male respondents, the demographics closely followed the 2000 U.S. Census for Hawai'i.

You can download a copy of the report at www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/ctahr2001/PIO/FreePubs.asp. Look under Water Issues.

If you have a question or concern about the Hawaiian environment, drop a note to Jan TenBruggencate at P.O. Box 524, Lihu'e, HI 96766 or jant@honoluluadvertiser.com. Or call him at (808) 245-3074.