"WCC Sustainability Club gathering before construction of the new rain garden." - Courtesy of Hui Ko'olaupoko
"Volunteers plant 2,000 individual native plants." - Courtesy of Hui Ko'olaupoko
"HOK (Hui Ko'olaupoko) and Windward Community College (WCC) have partnered to install approximately 3,000 square feet of rain gardens and native vegetation in front of Hale 'Imiloa. This Low Impact Retrofit (LIR) is designed to capture storm water run-off from over 18,000 square feet of impervious surface from the roof, road and parking lots. The rain gardens trap and infiltrate the storm water run-off before it has a chance to carry pollutants into nearby Kea'ahala Stream and Kāne'ohe Bay.
Construction of the site began the week of March 10th, 2014 with excavation and formation of the rain garden basins and berms. Planting of native species took place during the first week of April. Students, Professors and community members helped install 2,000 native plants on the site.
Since 2014 volunteers have helped remove weeds and invasive species from the site as well as prune and propagate native vegetation. Volunteers have also maintained the structural integrity of the downspouts and the three water collection basins, all while learning about the importance of capturing and infiltrating storm water to prevent pollution. With the help of 902 volunteers and roughly 2,600 hours of community service, Hui o Ko`olaupoko is happy to announce that the maintenance of these beautiful rain gardens will be transferred to the caring hands of Windward Community College in December 2020." - From Hui Ko'olaupoko
Contact Jenny Webster at jennykw [at] hawaii.edu to schedule a private group workday or to join the next Rain Garden workday.
Windward Community College Library