[5] In the 1950s the area was owned by the Bishop Trust, which began developing much of the land in a joint venture with Joseph Pao.

[3] Beginning in 1959[6] and continuing through the mid-1960s,[1] soil from other nearby construction projects run by Pao was used to fill in parts of the pond[3] in order to create space for Enchanted Lake Estates, a housing subdivision.

[8] In 1990, a developer proposed adding 20,000 cubic yards (15,000 m3) of fill to an area of the pond in order to create stable land for more housing.

[10] In 2003, the manager of the bird habitat cleared it of overgrown vegetation as well as domestic geese and ducks after nearby residents complained about an unpleasant odor.

[10] The Hawaiian moʻolelo and epic Mākālei ka lāʻau piʻi ona a ka iʻa o Moaʻulanuiākea i Kaulana (literally "the famous fish-attracting branch of Moaʻulanuiākea", shortened as Mākālei) describes the use of both Kaʻelepulu and Kawainui Marsh as fish ponds.