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Stormwater Repaving Project by Hui O Ko'olaupoko


Completed Popoi'a paving project

Kamanu Bicoy, Haunani Kauka, and Waimea Williams

Kamanu Bicoy and Haunani Kauka blessing the site

In our September issue, we let you know that Hui o Ko’olaupoko, a local environmental non-profit, was repaving near Buzz’s Steakhouse to reduce the amount of storm water runoff polluting Ka’elepulu Stream.

On October 17th, this new paving on Popoi’a Street was signed, blessed, and delivered to the Kailua public!

This type of storm water treatment system is common in public areas on the mainland, but HOK’s parking lot project is the first of its kind in Hawaii.

The dirt and gravel that used to be there (and often washed into the stream as sediment) is now securely paved ten inches down with three layers of rock, two layers of special fabric, and the paving stones up top locked in with a concrete frame. Large stones divide the paving from the rain garden of entirely native plants, where shallow depressions dug at intervals and filled with porous stones provide more filtration for storm water sediment. Paths of smaller stones lead through the garden to the stream, providing a stable launching place for canoes.

It has become a lovely place to be.

Storm water rushing to this area will sink through the cracks between the paving stones, overflow into the native landscaping, and flow into the canal through notches in the rock wall. Bacteria harbored in one of the fabric layers and the plants in the rain garden will naturally utilize much of the oil and grease that the water brings with it--before it hits the canal! That means cleaner, healthier water for us to swim in.

Because storm water will be treated onsite, the City “does not to have to dig for pipes and infrastructure to carry storm water off,” says says Todd Cullison, HOK’s Executive Director.. “We want to improve water quality, but [this is] also a demonstration for new developers, architects, and engineers to come down here and say, ‘Look at this, this is how it functions, and this is how it looks . . .’”

Cullison noticed that after three hours of sun following a sixty-second rain, water was still in puddles on the opposite side of the lot, while no water remained on his new paving. One unexpected benefit, he mentioned, may be a duck decrease in the parking lot. Fewer puddles may mean less duck excitement and excrement, which would also lead to cleaner water.

The paving stones are three times denser than concrete, can withstand up to ten thousand pounds (fire trucks are okay), are expected to last fifty years compared to asphalt’s thirty, and may need to be vacuumed by the City twice a year to remove the sand that will collect in the cracks. The stones are about brick-sized and pounded in with hand vibrators, so they are easy to replace if damaged.

The rain garden contains tufts of grasslike mau’u aki aki, bushy pohinahina, shrubs of maiapilo and hinahina ewa, and milo trees, all of which will be maintained by volunteers. At this time, caring neighbors Bob and Laura Kanetake are donating water to the newborn garden, as is Buzz’s, because no onsite irrigation exists.

Three informational signs posted in the rain garden have been in the works since 2009, when HOK first procured their grant. First grade students from nearby Lanikai Elementary were tasked with painting local wildlife to decorate the signs. Their teacher “Miss Kristi” authored the text that explains the project and arranged her student’s artwork to frame it. Now those students are in 3rd grade, they have kindergarten buddies, and all of them attended Wednesday’s Open House to see their handiwork.

Waimea Williams, Haunani Kauka, and Kamanu Bicoy blessed the transformation with their powerful presence, chanting, and ceremony. The Lanikai students contributed to the blessing with enthusiastic chanting of their own!

Hawaii Tourism Authority financed the paving stones, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Hawaii State Department of Health backed the landscaping, and Buzz’s Original Steakhouse donated $5000.00 to the project. The City and County owns the site, which is part of the Kailua Beach Park complex.

Cullison currently has grant funding to partner with fifty homeowners to transform their yards into rain gardens. If you want to be one of those lucky people, or you have other questions, you can contact Cullison at www.huihawaii.org.

The above article was originally posted in Npvember of 2012, in the online newsletter kailua411.com. It was reprinted here with permission from the publisher. The newsletter is no longer online.

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