KAHUKU — After decades of flooding incidents and numerous attempts to address the issue, Kahuku High & Intermediate School could get some relief from the Army Corps of Engineers.

Congress has directed the Army Corps of Engineers to design a solution to flooding at the school, said Derek Chow, chief of the Army Corps' Civil & Public Works Branch in Hawai'i. U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye initiated the project, Chow said.

"This authority is not typical of what we usually do," said Chow, who said his agency usually deals with river flooding issues. "Sen. Inouye got this special authority directing the Corps of Engineers to study the problem."

It will host an informational meeting on campus at 6 tonight. Residents and community members will be able to provide information to Army engineers.

Kahuku High & Intermediate is in a low-lying area of Kahuku next to a city district park on Kamehameha Highway. Part of the school sits in a flood zone, leaving the gym, school office, athletic field and front parking lot vulnerable during heavy rains — and even when the rain isn't so heavy.

As much as 6 inches of rain has poured into the school's office, and the gym floor has warped and equipment was damaged several times.

This project is being done in partnership with the state Department of Education and a meeting tonight will give residents an opportunity to provide information to the Army Corps.

George Casen, a planner with the state Department of Education's Facilities Development Branch, said the DOE requested the project because of the recurring flooding.

Plans to move part of the school out of the flood zone ran into problems when it was discovered that the proposed land for the new campus also had flood issues, Casen said.

"They decided to stay where they are," he said.

The Army Corps received $256,000 this year to begin the preconstruction engineering and design phase. The total cost estimate for the first phase is $600,000, paid for by the federal government.

But the state will ultimately bear 35 percent of the cost — instead of the usual 25 percent — under terms specified by Congress, Chow said. The federal government will pay for the other 65 percent.

A previous flood study in Kahuku was terminated last year. Before its termination, the Kahuku Watershed Study identified flooding at the school as a source of concern, said Milton Yoshimoto, Army Corps project manager.

Inouye had visited the campus after the 2006 downpour that lasted 40 days and caused millions in damages, including the destruction of the Kaloko Dam on Kaua'i.