Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan

Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan
Name	Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan
Location	Greater New Orleans metropolitan area, Louisiana
Initiated	2014
Partners	Regional Planning Commission, Dutch Dialogues, Water Institute of the Gulf
Area	Orleans Parish, Jefferson Parish, St. Bernard Parish, Plaquemines Parish
Status	Ongoing

Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan The Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan is a metropolitan-scale resilience and stormwater management initiative for the New Orleans metropolitan area, integrating flood risk reduction, landscape design, and urban redevelopment. Conceived after Hurricane Katrina and developed through international collaboration, the plan seeks to transform infrastructure in Orleans Parish, Jefferson Parish, St. Bernard Parish, and adjacent jurisdictions to address subsidence, sea level rise, and coastal land loss. The program links flood protection with economic development, public space, and ecosystem restoration across the Mississippi River Delta and the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s planning framework.

Background and Need

The plan responds to catastrophic flooding events such as Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Gustav, and Hurricane Isaac, and to chronic challenges including land loss in the Louisiana Coastal Area and wetland degradation in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain. Historical investments by the Army Corps of Engineers and regional levee districts shaped the built environment of New Orleans, while policy shifts under the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act and initiatives by the Federal Emergency Management Agency spurred integrated approaches. Demographic changes in the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner metropolitan statistical area and infrastructure aging in systems like the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans highlighted the need for combined stormwater and urban design strategies compatible with the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan.

Plan Development and Stakeholders

Development involved collaborations among the Regional Planning Commission (New Orleans), the Dutch Dialogues consortium, the Water Institute of the Gulf, and international partners from the Netherlands. Local governments including the City of New Orleans, Jefferson Parish Government, and St. Bernard Parish Government coordinated with federal agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Environmental Protection Agency. Academic institutions including Tulane University, Louisiana State University, and the University of New Orleans provided research support alongside NGOs like the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and funders including the Kresge Foundation and the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council.

Components and Strategies

The plan advances multi-layered measures: landscape-based retention modeled on Dutch Room for the River concepts, distributed green infrastructure inspired by Sponge City principles, and upgraded conveyance and pump capacities akin to improvements in Rotterdam. Proposals include large-scale retention basins in former industrial sites adjacent to the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (Industrial Canal), street-scale bioswales on corridors like Esplanade Avenue and Canal Street, and neighborhood-level projects in areas such as the Lower Ninth Ward and Mid-City. Integration with regional projects such as the Riverfront Master Plan (New Orleans), Lake Pontchartrain Basin Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, and Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) initiatives aligns urban water management with coastal restoration, marsh creation, and barrier island restoration programs.

Implementation and Phasing

Implementation was structured into neighborhood demonstration projects, corridor-scale retrofits, and regional hydraulic interventions phased over short-term (0–5 years), mid-term (5–15 years), and long-term (15+ years) horizons. Early demonstration sites included pilot work in Gentilly, Bywater, and Broadmoor, while corridor investments targeted arterial streets connecting to infrastructure such as the Claiborne Avenue corridor and pump stations managed by the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board. Phasing anticipated coordination with levee improvements promoted by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and federal funding cycles administered by entities like the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Federal Emergency Management Agency hazard mitigation programs.

Funding and Economic Impact

Funding strategies combined local capital, state allocations, federal grants from programs such as CDBG-DR and FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, philanthropic support from organizations like the Kresge Foundation and Surdna Foundation, and private investment leveraged through public–private partnerships similar to redevelopment projects in the French Quarter and Warehouse District. Economic modeling projected benefits to sectors represented by the Port of New Orleans, the tourism industry anchored in Jackson Square and Bourbon Street, and the regional energy corridor, with anticipated reductions in expected annualized flood damages and increased property values in retrofitted neighborhoods.

Outcomes, Monitoring, and Adaptation

Outcomes include completed demonstration projects that expanded green infrastructure, enhanced retention capacity, and informed policy revisions at municipal bodies including the City Planning Commission (New Orleans). Monitoring frameworks employed hydrologic modeling by the Water Institute of the Gulf, long-term data collection coordinated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and performance metrics aligned with the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan targets. Adaptive management protocols incorporated scenario planning used in Dutch Dialogues workshops, enabling iterative adjustments to address accelerating sea level rise and altered precipitation patterns.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics raised concerns about equity, maintenance burdens for neighborhood-level green infrastructure, and displacement risks similar to debates around redevelopment in Treme and New Orleans East. Environmental justice advocates compared fiscal priorities to earlier controversies over the Industrial Canal and contested outcomes of federal recovery spending under programs like CDBG-DR. Tensions emerged between proponents of large structural defenses supported by the Army Corps of Engineers and advocates for nature-based solutions promoted by groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund and Sierra Club.

Category:Infrastructure in New Orleans Category:Water management in the United States Category:Urban planning in Louisiana