KAILUA — A federal environmental grant has led to tons of mangrove removal from Ka'elepulu Pond thanks to the Enchanted Lake Residents Association, Kamehameha Schools and the state Department of Health, which partnered to clear the invasive shrub from the waterway's bank.

The projects are wrapping up with the removal more than 60 tons of mangrove on an acre of land owned by Kamehameha Schools next to Kukilakila subdivision on Keolu Drive.

The mangroves on Ka'elepulu Pond have had neighboring residents complaining about foul odor and feathers that coat window screens because of the hundreds of egrets that live there. Left unchecked, mangroves will take over the pond, trapping sediment and stagnating water, said Bob Bourke, with the community association.

Although the pond is connected to the ocean at Kailua Beach Park, fresh water enters it only during rains and often the mouth of the stream leading to the ocean is blocked by sand.

"The short of it is it's stink and it's ugly," Bourke said of the mangroves.

He said the projects would not have been possible without the help of the Health Department, which endorsed the $37,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Kamehameha Schools added $45,000 and the community association donated $37,000 worth of money and labor.

Earlier this year mangroves were cleared from another location and patches were taken out along the perimeter of the pond, Bourke said.

The mangrove is not native to Hawai'i, and the environment here doesn't have the web of organisms needed to keep growth in check, Bourke said. Here it grows wild, collects mud and provides a home to birds that prey on endangered species, he said, adding that bird droppings accumulate and cause health hazards.

"More importantly it overgrows habitat that should be used by native plant species and endangered waterfowl," Bourke said.

The Kamehameha Schools project is about three-quarters completed and calls for clearing a path to the mangroves, cutting and chipping them and leaving the material on the property, said Sydney Keli'ipuleole, Kamehameha Schools director for residential assets division.

The mangroves haven't been cleared from the site for eight to 10 years, Keli'ipuleole said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.