Ka'elepulu Pond to be cleaned
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
KAILUA — The state and Enchanted Lake residents will clean and clear Ka'elepulu Pond in hopes of ridding the waters of pesky mangrove trees and accumulated trash.
Estimates to remove the mangrove are being sought. Anyone wishing to bid on the project should call Bob Bourke at 256-2057.
An educational component is also part of the project, in which experts will give lessons in water pollution to fifth-graders in five area schools, said Bob Bourke, board member for the Enchanted Lake Residents Association.
Tree removal contract
Mangrove is an alien species that has contributed to a foul smell in the pond for decades, Bourke said. In its native environment, mangrove is a benefit, trapping silt and providing a diverse ecosystem for plants and animals, he said. But in Hawai'i, the mangrove hurts more than it helps.
"That whole ecosystem that comes with the mangrove in Florida doesn't exist here," Bourke said. "All you end up with is a very dense anaerobic mud patch full of bird feces."
Clearing the mangrove could lead to other projects, including the dredging of the 79-acre pond that has been filling with sediment from storm drains for decades, leading to odor problems, poor water quality and poor circulation, he said.
"Twenty years ago people thought nothing about swimming, water skiing and boating in the lake," Bourke said. No one does that now, he said.
Mangrove removal will take place on the shore of a vacant lot opposite Ka'elepulu Elementary School and in a few other locations near that site, he said.
The $35,000 project is financed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency through the state Department of Health Polluted Runoff Control Program.
The program requires a matching fund, and in this project residents' labor and the education component will count for the match, said Lawana Collier, the program's public participation coordinator.
Polluted Runoff Control oversees about 30 projects a year ranging in cost from $4,000 to $200,000 and lasting two to three years, Collier said, adding the the program wants to refocus its efforts on whole watersheds.
"We're trying to really target our funding in that area so we can see results," she said.
Small projects in a huge watershed could take a while to benefit the area, so the DOH will ask for proposals for whole watersheds soon, Collier said.
But this project alone will notably improve water quality in the pond, said David Smith, the Department of Land and Natural Resources' wildlife manager for O'ahu.
Smith conducted a similar project in nearby Hamakua Marsh. The mangrove trapped garbage and silt that created a filthy mess in the wetland, Smith said.
Removing the alien trees improved the banks, benefited the wildlife and opened the view plane, he said.
"The water quality is nicer, relatively speaking, considering Hamakua water is stagnated," Smith said. "I'd like to see it cleared out of the entire waterway system."
Once the trees are removed, residents along the shorelines should keep the areas cleared, he said. As young sprouts, mangrove are easy to pull.
The best way to get rid of the big trees is to spray them with the herbicide Garlon because it's non-toxic to people and animals, Smith said. Garlon disrupts the plant's ability to produce carbohydrates and it starves to death, Smith said.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
