KAILUA NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD NO. 31

KAILUA WATER QUALITY PSPHCD SUBCOMMITTEE
MEETING AGENDA
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
In-person at the Kailua District Park Arts & Crafts Room or District Meeting Room with ZOOM option:
ZOOM LINK:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86883850633?pwd=trcg8RKIPWV6DBycvs5BipPTNrPmLb.1
Meeting ID: 868 8385 0633
Passcode: 972815

Chair: Levani Lipton levani.knb@gmail.com Members: Kelli Ann Kobayashi, Kate Righter, Steve Trecker, and Gary Weller.

1. Call to Order

2. Approval of Minutes

3. Announcements/Stay Informed on Water Quality Impacts!
a. Windward O’ahu residents eligible for $150 Rain Barrel Reimbursement Program to improve water quality and conserve fresh water. Hui o Ko‘olaupoko (HOK), funded by the Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF), is launching a new Rain Barrel Reimbursement Program to help Windward O’ahu residents capture and reuse rainwater at home. Through this program, HOK will reimburse 100 eligible households up to $150 each toward the purchase of a qualifying rain barrel system. Additionally, the program offers free installation assistance. To secure your spot and receive a rain barrel purchasing guide, email Volunteer@huihawaii.org . HOK staff are also available to conduct a free rainwater assessment for Windward Oahu Properties. The assessment utilizes the locally developed “Follow The Drop” app to calculate a property’s potential runoff from impervious surfaces and make recommendations on ideal green stormwater solutions and appropriate sizes. Hui o Ko’olaupoko has developed a detailed slideshow of recommended barrel systems, step-by-step installation examples, and a local purchasing guide to simplify the process for participants.
b. Sign up for water quality and ocean condition alerts on the City & County of Honolulu’s HNL Alert App. https://www.honolulu.gov/dem/hnl-alert/
c. Kailua Shoreline Water Quality Data – Honolulu City and County Department of Environmental Services Wastewater Treatment Plant operates a water quality data dashboard. Visit: https://www8.honolulu.gov/env/kailua-water-quality-data/
d. Sign up for brown water advisories with Hawaii State Department of Health: https://eha-cloud.doh.hawaii.gov/cwb/#!/landing. Brown water frequently occurs after storm events. For your safety, it is recommended not to enter the waterways, ocean, or streams if they are brown or after a storm. If you have an open wound or cut, avoid the water until you are healed.
e. Monitor water quality results along Kailua Beach with Surfrider Foundation’s Blue Water Task Force. Visit: https://oahu.surfrider.org/bwtf. Look for trends. If a particular spot consistently tests high for bacteria or poor water quality – it is best to avoid it until the water has cleared.

4. Resident and Community Concerns

5. Old Business:
a. Storm drain maintenance
b. Culvert and channel cleaning maintenance schedule
c. Stormwater Utility (now SWOOSH)
d. BMP violations
e. Mangrove removal
f. Cesspool conversions in Kailua
g. Kapa’a Quarry impacts on water quality
h. Kaelepulu Pond TMDL status

6. New Business – Presentations:
a. Vibrio vulnificus dynamics in the Ka’elepulu watershed, by HPU student researcher Anuj Pawar
b. WaiHome – Affordable Cesspool Upgrades for Hawaii Homeowners, by Greg Wong and Dr. Natasha Keshishian

7. Ongoing Discussion:
a. Sustainability of our natural resources: What steps can we take now to keep Kailua Bay and waterways thriving in the future?
b. Who are our allies in this effort?
c. What community outreach and events are happening to promote awareness?
d. What steps can the public take to minimize pollution and maintain small footprints?

8. Adjournment

A mailing list is maintained for interested persons and agencies to receive this board’s agenda and minutes. Additions, corrections, and deletions to the mailing list may be directed to the Neighborhood Commission Office (NCO) at Kapālama Hale, 925 Dillingham Boulevard, Suite 160, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96817, by telephone on (808) 768-3710, fax (808) 768-3711, or e-mailing nco@honolulu.gov. Agenda documents and minutes are also available online at https://www.honolulu.gov/nco/boards.

All written testimony must be received in the Neighborhood Commission Office 48 hours prior to the meeting. If within 48 hours of the meeting, written and/or oral testimony may be submitted directly to the Board at the meeting. If submitting written testimony, please note the Board and agenda item(s) your testimony concerns. Send to: Neighborhood Commission Office, 925 Dillingham Boulevard, Suite 160, Honolulu, HI 96817, fax (808) 768-3711, or complete the form on https://www.honolulu.gov/nco/board-testimony.

If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability or an interpreter for a language other than English, please call the Neighborhood Commission Office at (808) 768-3710 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. or send an email to nco@honolulu.gov as soon as possible, preferably at least three (3) business days before the scheduled meeting. If a request is received with fewer than three (3) business days remaining before the meeting, we will try to obtain the auxiliary aid/service or accommodation, but it may not be possible to fulfill requests received after this date.

Kailua Water Quality PHPSCD Subcommittee
May 2026 Meeting Report
Chair, Levani Lipton

1. A subcommittee meeting was held in-person and online on May 14, 2026, chaired by Kate Righter and attended by Levani Lipton, KNB member Bill Hicks, Councilmember Esther Kia’aina, Randall Wakumoto Storm Water Quality Division Program Administrator with the Department of Facility Maintenance, and residents Bob Bourke, Hugo DeVries, Linda Jenks, Gloria Leilani Palma, and Alendra D. Hui O Ko’olaupoko.

2. The technical report on Kaelepulu Stormwater Alternatives prepared by DFM and Brown and Caldwell was discussed. Clarifications around two of the proposed solutions – dredging of Kaelepulu Pond and Hele Channel were discussed as well as reconstructing the Kaopa Silt Basin berm.
a. Randall Wakumoto suggested that the community town hall presenting the alternatives to the public be moved from June 2026 to August 2026.
b. Councilmember Kia’aina shared that she will reach out to the private landowner of a portion of the Kaopa Silt Basin.
c. Representatives from ELRA shared that they will share their proposed details on the site they have selected as a dredging project for Kaelepulu Pond.
d. Chair Lipton will gather additional feedback on the technical report and share it with the team at DFM.

To view agenda and minutes, visit our board website.

Event shows physical location; however, other options of participation may also include WebEx and phone.  If available, instructions for WebEx and phone can be found at the top of the agenda.