Kaelepulu Wetland

  • Kaelepulu Wetland
  • Home
  • Native Birds
    • ‘Ae’o ~ Hawaiian Stilt
    • ‘Alae Ke’oke’o ~ Hawaiian Coot
    • ‘Alae ‘Ula ~ Hawaiian Gallinule (Moorhen)
    • ‘Auku’u ~ Black-Crowned Night-Heron
    • Koloa ~ Hawaiian Duck
  • Migratory Birds
    • Pacific Golden-Plover
    • Northern Pintail Ducks
    • Tufted Ducks
    • Northern Shoveler
    • Brant
    • Wandering Tattler
    • Cattle Egret
  • Fish
  • About
    • About the wetland
    • Visit the wetland
    • Wetland Ecosystem
    • History of the wetland
    • Threats to the habitat
  • Blog
  • Weather
    • Current Weather
    • Historical Data
    • March 2021 Flood
    • December 2021 Flood
  • Contact Us
History of the wetland

History of the Kaelepulu Wetland

A changing ecosystem

20081105-Trapping Pintails
20090918-BandingPintails


Ka‘elepulu Pond once covered nearly 190 acres with an additional marsh area of 90 acres.

Records from 1846 list 31 parcels of land in cultivation. Taro, and later rice, was grown in the marsh lands around the pond. By the 1920s, the entire area had become part of a dairy farm.

The 1960s brought major man-made changes to the lake’s natural ecosystem. 700 acres in and around the lake were leased to a developer and decades of virtually non-stop building of housing began. The lake was both dredged and filled, reducing its size to 90 acres and eliminating almost all the marsh areas.

In 1966, a flood control project permanently diverted the thousands of gallons of fresh water that once flowed daily into Ka‘elepulu Pond from Kawainui Marsh. A demonstration project to pump some of the Kawainui Marsh water into the Ka‘elepulu waterways was conducted in 2015. The additional water flowing into the lake appeared to make a big difference to the health of the lake and wetland, and we are hoping that this restoration of some of the natural waterflow will become permanent.

Pollution from storm drains that flows into the lake from exposed dirt at construction sites and dirty streets continues to take its toll on the health of the lake and wetland.

This 1943 map shows the natural extent of the pond and wetlands. The overlay in darker blue shows current pond size, and the bright green shows current wetlands.
This 1943 map shows the natural extent of the pond and wetlands. The overlay in darker blue shows current pond size, and the bright green shows current wetlands.

Copyright © 2025 Kaelepulu Wetland · Photos Copyright © 2025 Hugo de Vries and Cindy Turner