On March 1, 2023, Goodfellow Bros. Oahu Region’s Punalu’u Flood Mitigation and Stream Restoration project was awarded a City & County of Honolulu’s Good Neighbor & Environmental Hero Award, in the Construction Site Runoff Control Program category. The award recognizes contractors who demonstrate exceptional attention to environmental controls to mitigate construction debris runoff into nearby streams and the ocean, in an effort to implement sustainable practices as part of the greater Hawaii Green Business Program.
More about the project:
The project scope included mass grading of nearly 200,000 cubic yards of materials to create a new flood plain and estuary for client, Kamehameha Schools. Material excavated during the mass grading was placed out of the flood zone to create new elevated farmlands to avoid seasonal flooding and lower flood plain elevations for more capacity. To help with the flooding and to channelize the mountain runoff, Goodfellow Bros. installed nearly 800 linear feet of new 48” culverts and numerous diversion ditches. Nearly 80 plus acres of land was cleared of all invasive plants and trees and replanted with over 30,000 native Hawaiian plants and trees.
To help mitigate exposure and protect the wetlands, stream, and ocean waters from runoff, the project was finish-graded in small parcels and hydroseed was placed immediately. Coconut fiber matting (Coir) was installed 50’ from stream banks and slopes to stabilize soils in areas of concern. Nearly 6 miles of double silt fence was also installed along with vegetative berms as well. This project had many excavations near and in the streambeds, which required the placement of almost 2500 linear feet of turbidity curtain that had to be adjusted throughout the adjacent stream work. The project is nestled in the middle of the Punalu’u Valley where rains are a daily occurrence, so best management practice (BMP) maintenance and monitoring were critical for minimizing silt discharge.
The project was visited by a third-party inspector numerous times to verify compliance of GBI’s environmental due diligence throughout the project. The compliance officer that was performing the inspections was so impressed with our project team and craft’s attention to the environment protection, they nominated Goodfellow Bros. for the award.
Congratulations to the entire project team and region on this excellent award!
More about Hawaii’s Green Business Program and the Awards program can be found here: https://greenbusiness.hawaii.gov/
