Stormwater.
Filtered at the street.
Kai Pono is a shallow, modular stormwater treatment system that captures trash and sediment, accepts configurable filtration media, and fits where larger systems often cannot.
Small footprint. Serious treatment.
Stormwater treatment should not force a project into deep excavation, utility conflicts, oversized structures, or maintenance programs that require specialized equipment.
Kai Pono is designed to work closer to the source. Installed at the curb and gutter line, the system provides accessible pretreatment, trash capture, and site-specific filtration before runoff reaches downstream infrastructure or receiving waters.
Catch the load before it becomes somebody else’s problem.
Streets and paved surfaces collect sediment, debris, petroleum residues, nutrients, and trash. Once runoff enters the drainage network, every downstream treatment device inherits that load.
Intercept
Capture gross pollutants and sediment where runoff enters the stormwater system.
Filter
Configure filtration media around the pollutants and performance needs of the site.
Protect
Reduce the pollutant burden reaching downstream BMPs, conveyance systems, and receiving waters.
Maintain
Keep routine service accessible from the curb instead of burying maintenance deep underground.
Think modular treatment, not buried infrastructure.
Kai Pono works more like a building block than a monolithic vault. Individual basins can be configured to the site, repeated along a corridor, and paired with the filtration media that fits the treatment objective.
Shallow by design
Helps reduce excavation depth and the likelihood of conflicts with existing utilities.
Modular and scalable
Repeatable basin geometry allows the treatment train to grow with project needs instead of forcing the site around one oversized unit.
Configurable filtration
The system is designed to accept different filtration media based on site-specific pollutants and performance objectives.
Service-friendly
Routine maintenance can be performed from the surface with simple equipment instead of large vacuum trucks and specialized crews.
Less project disruption. More design flexibility.
| Project Consideration | Traditional Large Device | Kai Pono Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Excavation | Large footprint and deep structure | Representative installations around 1.1 yd³ |
| Depth | Can create utility conflicts | Approximately 18" deep |
| Filtration media | Often tied to a fixed treatment configuration | Media can be selected for site conditions |
| Maintenance | May require vacuum trucks or specialty crews | Designed for quick, surface-accessible service |
| Deployment | One large structure | Modular units can be distributed along a corridor |
Representative values are based on current Kai Pono product information. Final excavation, cost, installation time, filtration media, and maintenance requirements vary by project and site conditions.
Certified for trash full capture.
Kai Pono Solutions’ Standard Basic System is listed by the California State Water Resources Control Board as a certified Trash Full Capture System.
That gives municipalities, engineers, and project teams a practical shallow-device option for projects where trash capture is part of the stormwater strategy.
Discuss a California ProjectFrom plan set to maintenance schedule.
Cities & Municipalities
A serviceable, distributed stormwater tool for trash capture, pretreatment, and pollutant reduction.
Municipal applications →Civil & Environmental Engineers
A shallow, modular device that can be designed around constrained sites, existing utilities, and treatment goals.
Engineering applications →Contractors & Developers
Less excavation, straightforward installation, and a system intended to work with real-world sequencing and access constraints.
Construction applications →Kai Pono can be the first step in a larger treatment train.
Some sites need more than one treatment mechanism. Kai Pono can serve as upstream pretreatment, protecting and feeding downstream systems designed for additional water quality, infiltration, or volume-control objectives.
Kai Pono + FocalPoint®
Pair street-level pretreatment with high-performance biofiltration. Kai Pono captures trash, sediment, and selected pollutants upstream. Runoff can then discharge to a FocalPoint® High Performance Modular Biofiltration System from Convergent Water Technologies for additional treatment in a compact, engineered biofiltration footprint.
Final treatment-train configuration should be established by the project engineer based on hydraulic, regulatory, and site-specific requirements.
Learn More About the Kai Pono + FocalPoint Treatment TrainLet’s see what happens when the pieces connect.
If your product, media, monitoring platform, biofiltration system, infiltration technology, or other stormwater solution can work alongside Kai Pono, we want to hear about it.
Wailea-Makena, Maui
A private land development site positioned below an active construction and rock-crushing operation provided a demanding environment for active testing and pilot deployment.
- Private land development application
- Active testing and pilot site
- Installed below heavy construction and rock-crushing activity
- One-day installation with one person reported by Kai Pono
- Testing focused on TSS, phosphorus, and petroleum-related pollutants
Get what you need to evaluate the system.
Put the technical package, project constraints, and treatment goals in one place so your team can determine whether Kai Pono belongs in the design.
Tell us where the water is coming from and what you need it to do.
New development, retrofit, municipal corridor, trash capture, pretreatment, or a larger treatment train. Bring us the project constraints and we’ll help you determine where Kai Pono fits.