Welcome to WaterMark, your monthly briefing on water programs and policies in Louisiana brought to you by Propeller and Water Works. This summer’s flooding events have sparked renewed interest in our city and region’s water management policies, and we hope we can help you make sense of them through articles, events, and resources like this water fact sheet for the upcoming election.
Because preparedness and flooding are on everyone’s mind, we are offering a Business Continuity Workshop TOMORROW, August 24, 5:30–8:00PM at Propeller in partnership with Life City, Stay Local, and LCIA. This interactive workshop will help small businesses craft post-flood survival plans and learn from fellow business owners. RSVP here.
Raise the Roof!
This report by the Center for Planning Excellence “explores what local leaders can do to support the practice of elevating homes and businesses in a manner that benefits property owners and the community as a whole.” Full report here.
Environmental Impact Bonds
The Environmental Defense Fund on why Goldman Sachs and Calvert are using environmental impact bonds to support green investments like efforts to control stormwater runoff and improve water quality. Full article here.
When Rising Seas Hit Home
The Union of Concerned Scientists explores solutions US coastal communities can explore to protect themselves from increased flooding. Full report here.
Louisiana’s Land Loss Last Year
The Times-Picayune reports that according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey, land loss in Louisiana was slower between 2010 to 2016, but still eroding quickly enough to constitute a significant crisis. Full article here.
New Planning Tool Adapts to Climate Change
The Office of Resilience and Sustainability recently released a publicly accessible Climate-Smart Cities mapping portal developed in collaboration with the Trust for Public Land. The tool “will serve as an instrumental guide in addressing the city’s most pressing climate challenges while also achieving co-benefits, such as health and neighborhood improvement, with a focus on equity.”
Data includes like urban heat island effect, existing trails and bike lanes, flood risk, soil permeability, storm surge, and population density. See our city’s map here.
New Orleans Climate Action Plan
The City of New Orleans has released a Climate Action Plan with a focus on reducing greenhouse gas pollution by 50% by 2030 and commit to the principles and goals of the Paris Agreement. Full plan here.
Read Mayor Landrieu’s public commitment and what other cities are doing to independently pursue climate action in this article in The Guardian.
Swimming in Paris’s Canals
CityLab describes efforts by Paris to make canals clean enough for recreational swimming. The article describes the opening of three swimming areas along the Bassin de la Villette and how other cities can follow suit. Full article here.
LSU to Lead National Academies of Science Study of 2016 Flood
LSU, led by Jeff Carney, will lead a study of the 2016 flood, under a grant from the National Academies of Science. This study will make policy recommendations to reduce future impacts. More on the award here.
Louisiana, Dutch Water Institutes Team Up
The Water Institute of the Gulf (Louisiana) and Deltares (The Netherlands) have signed an agreement to work together across a set of focus areas:
- Water resources planning and research
- Coastal and deltaic dynamics and forecasting, with a focus on human effects
- Nature-based solutions
- Sediment strategies for coasts
- Operational watershed management
- Software for continuing education, workshops, and short courses for students and industry professionals
- Real-time monitoring of levees, with the goal of maintaining flood safety standards for complex levee systems
National Flood Insurance Reauthorization
As the National Flood Insurance Reauthorization gears up, leading up to the September deadline, several articles are exploring the challenges and possibilities for reforming the program. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Columbia Business School: National Flood Insurance Program in Deep Waters
- The Advocate: Private flood coverage could slash costs for many in Louisiana, but some would see prices double
- The Washington Post: The country’s flood insurance program is sinking. Rescuing it won’t be easy
Climate Change Could Create Up to 2 Million Refugees
The Huffington Post reports that by 2100, “rising sea levels could force up to 2 billion people inland, creating a refugee crisis among one-fifth of the world’s population. Millions of mainland Americans could be forced to flee inland, sending the populations of at least nine coastal states downward.” Full article here.
Reframing Resilience in New Orleans
IWES is working to reframe and reclaim resilience for communities as “the way that a community responds to adversity and adapts through the three processes of recovery, sustainability, and growth.” IWES maintains that “true resilience can only be claimed when all segments of a community benefits from the adaptations, adjustments, and transformations that the community undergoes in response to change.” Learn more here about how IWES is reframing resiliency.
WaterMark is a monthly briefing on water programs and policies in Louisiana, brought to you by Propeller and Water Works.
