The Louisiana Watershed Initiative - A Holistic Approach to Watershed Management Through Collaborative Governance
Danica Adams
Arcadis
New Orleans, LA
Authors: Danica Adams & Krista Jankowski
Over the past two decades, the state of Louisiana has experienced 28 declared flood- and hurricane-related disasters resulting in nearly $20 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds being spent. One of those disaster events – known locally as the Great Floods of 2016 – catalyzed state and local leaders to reevaluate their approach to statewide flood mitigation. As a result, the state launched the Louisiana Watershed Initiative (LWI) in 2018, introducing a new watershed-based approach to reducing flood risk in Louisiana that later garnered $1.2 billion in mitigation funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Through its holistic approach to watershed management and flood mitigation, LWI endeavors to better safeguard Louisiana communities and culture for generations to come, as well as to provide an example for other states facing similar flood risk challenges.
The LWI approach improves on conventional mitigation measures in several ways, including 1) establishing regional, watershed-based management of flood risk that informs statewide planning, 2) enabling transparent, objective decision-making, 3) developing watershed models to understand risk and select projects, and 4) seeking to maximize the natural functions of floodplains. Through strategic collaboration, state agencies*, local governments, regional watershed coordinators, and others partner to ensure each of the 9 watershed regions operate in a way that maximizes flood risk reduction efforts and makes effective use of project funds as they become available. LWI further works to build local and regional capacity to support strong and effective governance for each watershed region now and into the future.
This presentation will provide insight into the collaborative governance framework of LWI, highlighting challenges, opportunities, and achievements since its inception in 2018. It will provide local and regional governments, planners, and other flood mitigation practitioners with an understanding of the program and to share lessons learned.
*Louisiana Office of Community Development, Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
About Danica Adams
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