Fund Kaelepulu Stream plug removal dredging project

Request from the Enchanted Lake Residents Association (ELRA), a non-profit 501.C.7 organization working on behalf of 247 eligible member households abutting Kaelepulu Pond, also known as Enchanted Lake, for support of a project to dredge a 500 ft shoal in Kaelepulu stream that blocks the effective flow and exchange of water between the Pond and the remainder of Kaelepulu stream that connects to the ocean. The shoal creates a shallow area of the stream forming a plug that prevents storm waters from fully exiting the Pond, creating a flood hazard for homes along the pond perimeter as well as numerous other houses in the Kailua waterway areas. During the earlier Kona Lows of 2026, water in the Pond rose above the level of many home seawalls, and if the rain in the area had matched the rain in Wailua or possibly Manoa, the flooding could have been catastrophic.

A 1994 hydrology study of the windward water shed by Park Engineering noted that the stream could be an effective flood control channel if the depth of the stream is 8 ft throughout its length. The shoal build-up has effectively reduced the depth of the stream to about 1 ft in the area of this 500 ft plug. The removal of the plug is presented as being in line with the objectives of the Green Fee Advisory Council given expectations of more severe rainstorms as part of a changing climate future.

The ELRA has been in the planning phase of this plug removal project for several years and has obtained the necessary Federal and State dredge permits (permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and concurring approval by the State of Hawaii Department of Health), making the project shovel ready pending additional funding. Despite fundraising and allocation of existing funds, the association is short of the funds necessary to execute the project effectively. The requested allocation is $700K of State funds via the Green Fee initiative. As a measure of commitment, the ELRA will commit to more than match all state funding with community funds.

Additional context provided: the ELRA is not a home-owner association with the obligations and legal requirements associated with those kinds of organizations; it is a social organization with the objective of protecting and improving the quality of Kaelepulu Pond and associated water ways in Kailua, dependent on fundraising efforts that include seeking government grants and assistance. The segment of the stream that contains the plug is not owned by the City and County although debris from City and County drainage has formed much of the plug. As the landowners, the ELRA takes its role seriously to do as much as it can as a non-profit to help implement the needed flood control mitigation. The association believes it should be very high on any list that rates projects by their ability to execute and use funds effectively during the funding period, and offers the project as a model representing joint community and government partnership in seeking solutions to avoid impacts of climate change.

Embedded picture of an example lakeside residential seawall that was breached by the recent Kona Lows: