It was a bit wet here on Oahu yesterday. Actually, there was heavy rain over most of the island, even in our typically rather dry area.
Here at home, we had a small stream running along the side of the house, along the side of the garage, and on to the back yard. I went out to check after a couple of hours of pretty heavy rain, and this was what I found. Luckily, the main house is on posts, 24″ above the ground. So the house won’t be threatened until the “Big One” arrives. Yesterday, the rain continued for several more hours before finally things calmed down, but we escaped any damage, and I’m sure some of the plants enjoyed the soaking.
When we walked over to the Waialae Golf Course this morning, the home of the recent Sony Open in Hawaii, we found the storm had created several water features on this end of the course.
These first photos were taken on what is the 11th green during the Sony (normally it is played as #2). There was a good-size pond filling much of the fairway, and the bunker at the front of the green was part of another pond, with a pump attempting to draw down the water.
Next door, another large pond had formed in front of the tee of Waialae’s signature 17th hole along the ocean, played as #17 during the Sony. Ducks were enjoying themselves out there.
And across the stream at the green, sand traps surrounding the green were now filled with water. Lots of it.
Maintenance crews were out surveying the damage and starting the long clean-up process.
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Where was the water being pumped to from the golf course? I hope it was to water features on the course, from which the water could percolate into our aquifers.
This is one reason we need to preserve green space, which includes our yards and the little strips between curbs and sidewalks. All those little unpaved areas absorb some water and reduce the amount of runoff contributing to potential floods, and they also direct much of the water they absorb to our aquifers rather than the ocean, which has the addiitinal benefits of recharging our water supply and also reducing the desalinating of our near shore waters.