Dr. Rick Bennett has been in heated conversations with heads of the Hawaii County Department of Environmental Management for years, concerned about the wastewater treatment plants around the island.  For years he--and others-- have been urging the County to upgrade the plants.   Kona side, the partially treated sewage is discharged into a hole in the ground by the Kona Police station.  He says it's 1 to 2 million gallons per day, and because water flows downhill, it flows the mile or less towards the coast.  Hilo side, the wastewater goes a few miles out into Hilo Bay, and that Bay has been affected.   In addition, the County is under EPA mandates to provide wastewater treatment plants in some island areas because of pollution issues.

Dr. Bennett had the chance to work with two other water experts (Rick Gaffney, Steve Holmes) and help Mayor Mitch Roth find candidates for the all-important post of Director of the Department of Environmental Management.

In a conversation with Island Conversations host Sherry Bracken, in her final podcast for New West Broadcasting, Dr. Bennett talks about watersheds, wastewater plants, the newly-appointed head of the County Department of Environmental Management (Ramzi Monsour) and why he is the "right guy," and more.

Photo of Dr. Rick Bennett courtesy Dr. Bennett.

Dr. Rick Bennett, PhD, is a Kona Coast Waterkeeper, a title bestowed on him by The Water Keeper Alliance, International, which has been in operation since the 1970s.   He and Island Conversations host Sherry Bracken talk about bacteria in the Big Island's ocean water, how it's monitored, and the impact of sun.  And the need for people who live along Ali'i Drive, especially, consider allowing having a weather monitoring station on their property to monitor the amount of ultraviolet light, which helps keep tabs on the ocean.

Air date:  Dec. 30, 2020

Photo of Dr. Bennett courtesy Dave Corrigan, Big Island Video News.

Dental care is an integral part of overall medical care.  But there's much less discussion about dental care than general health care.  Questions like, what kind of toothbrush is best,  when should you start cleaning your keiki's teeth and when should they first see a dentist, why flouridated water or toothpaste, are electric or manual brushes better, what kinds of health conditions affect the mouth and vice versa, can a dentist see medical problems before we're aware of them?  Can a dentist tell if a woman is hapai (pregnant) because of her teeth?  Can you still see the dentist in the time of COVID?  Dr. Steven Pine, DDS, and Dr. John Gawlick, a pediatric dentist, both with West Hawaii Community Health Center, address that and more in a discussion with Island Conversations host Sherry Bracken.

Air date:  Dec. 20, 2020

Attached photo courtesy American Dental Association, photos below of Dr. Steven Pine (l) and Dr. John Gawlick (r) provided by West Hawaii Community Health Center