Kailua pond pollution targeted
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
KAILUA — The Kailua Bay Advisory Council wants to improve the water quality of Ka'elepulu Pond through a demonstration project that would use plants to curb sediment and runoff that has been filling the pond for decades.
But pondside residents say more is needed to improve the body of water in Enchanted Lake.
The council is seeking Department of Health money for a three-year project that calls for creating a landscaped park and using other means to contain runoff along the shoreline of Ka'elepulu Pond, which was once a Hawaiian fishpond, said Maile Bay, executive director for the council.
The area also would be an outdoor classroom for the six elementary schools nearby, Bay said.
Ka'elepulu Pond, with its foul odor caused by water reduction during dry periods, is considered one of the town's more important environmental issues.
The siltation problem throughout the stream system appears to be worsening because of small organism sediments that contribute to odors, poor water quality and poor circulation, a recent study said.
For decades Enchanted Lake residents have called for dredging the 79-acre pond that was 18 feet to 20 feet deep when it was developed 40 years ago but is now about 9 feet at its deepest.
Bay said on top of any dredging something has to be done to control pollution entering the water.
"Unless you reduce the amount of sediment it's going to be a problem that will occur every 20 years," she said. "What you need to do is teach people how to retain their water on site."
KBAC is seeking letters of support and partnerships with Kailua organizations and schools as part of the grant application.
The Kailua Neighborhood Board voted to support the project 13-1-2 last week. Bay is also seeking the approval of Enchanted Lake residents.
The group will need approval from any landowner where the project is implemented.
Kathy Kelly, president of the Enchanted Lake Residents Association, said the association has not met about the proposal, but questioned the practicality of the project when so many other issues plague the pond.
"A few plants aren't going to improve the pollution problem we have," Kelly said. "We've got 40 years of storm drain sediment dumped in the lake and we need to do something about that."
The park idea is good, she said, but the residents want the pond dredged and the association is studying the possibility of using a filtration system to stop sediment from the city's storm drains from entering the pond, flowing out the stream and into the ocean.
Kelly said she is concerned that the KBAC project could create problems for residents living near the water.
In the past, trespassers were able to access the privately owned pond at night, poach fish and steal from people's back yards, she said. The project, which calls for an education kiosk, could open a public access to the pond and renew past problems.
Kathy Bryant-Hunter, Kailua Neighborhood Board chairwoman, said the project would bring public awareness to all of the issues surrounding the pond.
If the project is successful it would demonstrate two things: community working together and pollution control, Bryant-Hunter said.
"I think that was the strength that everyone saw in the project," Bryant-Hunter said about the board's positive vote.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com. or 234-5266.
