gno urban water plan_implementation_03oct2013

8/11/2019 GNO Urban Water Plan_Implementation_03Oct2013

1/223

September 2013

Waggonner & Ball Architects

Implementation

Greater New OrleansUrban Water Plan


2/223


3/223

September 2013


Implementation

Greater New OrleansUrban Water Plan


4/223

4


5/223


6/223

6

AUTHOR

Maria Papacharalambous Waggonner & Ball Architects

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

Mark S. Davis Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy

William MarshallWaggonner & Ball Architects

Prisca Weems FutureProofRebecca Rothenberg GCR Inc.

CONTRIBUTING TEAM

Jenna Anger FutureProofHarry Vorhoff Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and PolicyFrederic Augonnet Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and PolicyRafael Rabalais (formerly GCR)Tyler Antrup GCR Inc.Aron Chang Waggonner & Ball ArchitectsRamiro Diaz Waggonner & Ball Architects



7/223


8/223

8


9/223

Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan

Louisiana Office of Community DevelopmentDisaster Recovery Unit (OCD-DRU)

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike, theOCD-DRU commissioned the Louisiana Resiliency Assistance

Program (LRAP) to establish a comprehensive collection ofresiliency resources. The LRAP program is mandated to develop,house and disseminate planning efforts, resources and local bestpractices to promote, assist and build networks around resilienceplanning in Louisiana. As the states central point for hurricanerecovery, OCD-DRU manages the most extensive rebuilding effortin American history, working closely with local, state and federalpartners to ensure that Louisiana recovers safer, stronger, andsmarter than before.

U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development(HUD)

HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolsterthe economy and protect consumers; meet the need forquality affordable rental homes; utilize housing as a platformfor improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainablecommunities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUDdoes business. HUDs CDBG-Disaster Recovery grants are intendedto confront housing, business and infrastructure needs beyondthose addressed by other forms of public and private assistance.

GNO, Inc. and Waggonner & Ball Architects also wish toacknowledge the regional Water Management Strategy AdvisoryCouncil, made up of industry, government, economic development,and nonproit leaders that guided the two-year process. A full listof the individuals and organizations involved is included in theReferences & Project Team section.

Finally, we would like to thank the Royal Netherlands Embassy,theAmerican Planning Association, and Senator MaryLandrieufor their tireless dedication to seeing this effort throughfrom its genesis to its completion.

Acknowledgments


10/223

10

Orleans Avenue is one of New Orleans three outfallcanals that presents a missed opportunity. Currentlywalled off by remnant floodwalls, properties adjacentto canals can transform into waterfront properties withspectacular views and access to water.


11/223


Report OrganizationThe Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan is a set of reports with cross-referencedinformation as outlined below. All project information and links to related projects are alsoavailable online at www.livingwithwater.com .

Visionpresents an overview of the Urban Water Plan.

Urban Design is geared towards planning and design professionals. This report tests waterplanning principles through design drawings at the system, basin, district, and demonstrationproject scales.

Implementation is geared towards policy-makers, water system managers, and otherstakeholders interested in effecting change. The report presents the value and economicimpact of the Water Plan and outlines an action plan for implementation that includesprioritization and phasing of proposed strategies, inancing tools, policy and community actionrecommendations, existing jurisdictions and potential partners.

System Design & Analysis is a set of individual reports geared towards engineers andscientists that describes and analyzes the existing water system, and presents the envisionedframework of the integrated water system. The set includes the following reports:

Water System Design H+N+S Landscape Architects; Waggonner & Ball Water System Analysis Royal Haskoning Ecological Services Metrics Dana Brown & Associates; FutureProof Groundwater Monitoring Network Deltares Atlas of Greater New Orleans Deltares; H+N+S Landscape Architects

Demonstration Projectsis a set of individual reports geared towards potentialimplementers that includes schematic designs and cost estimates.

Mirabeau Water Garden Waggonner & Ball Architects; FutureProof Lakeview Floating Streets Bosch Slabbers Landscape + Urban Design Laitte Blueway Bosch Slabbers; Waggonner & Ball Elmwood Fields and Water Lanes Robbert de Koning; Dana Brown & Associates

Canal Street Canal Dana Brown & Associates

Eastern Water Walk Dana Brown & Associates Forty Arpent Canal Zone Dana Brown & Associates

Design Districts & Urban Opportunities is a set of individual reports geared towardsplanners and designers that elaborates further the urban design opportunities and districtscale designs discussed in the Urban Design report.

Metropolitan Park Zone Palmbout Urban Landscapes Palmetto Canal Palmbout Urban Landscapes Monticello Canal Bosch Slabbers Landscape + Urban Design London Ave. Canal Wetland Park FutureProof Hollygrove District Bosch Slabbers Landscape + Urban Design Lakeview District Bosch Slabbers Landscape + Urban Design Elmwood District Robbert de Koning Landscape Architect

Veterans District Robbert de Koning Landscape Architect Jefferson Basin Robbert de Koning Landscape Architect Michoud District Dana Brown & Associates

Resources & Urban Analysisis a set of individual reports geared towards planners anddesigners that describes and analyzes the existing urban fabric and provides prototypicalsolutions replicable under similar topographic, geologic and hydrologic conditions.

Urban Analysis Palmbout Urban Landscapes Roadway Retroits Dana Brown & Associates Parking Retroits Dana Brown & Associates Canal Vocabulary Dana Brown & Associates


12/223

New Orleanians engaging and enjoying bayou St. John, theprimary example of attractive and accessible waterwayin the area - Bayou Boogaloo festival, May 2013[photo credit: Lucy Colville]


13/223

Contents

1

2

3

4

5

6

Executive Summary 14

Preface 19

Why Invest 25CREATING SHARED VALUESeeing the Opportunity

Cost of Inaction

Towards a New Era

Building Value 47THE ECONOMICS OF INTEGRATEDWATER MANAGEMENT

Economic Value

Beneits

The Water Plan 73STRATEGIES, PHASING, AND COSTIntegrated Water Management

Phasing

Costs

Financing Tools 97SOURCES AND MECHANISMS

Towards High Value

Funding Sources

Funding Mechanisms

Policy and Action 127NEXT STEPS

Guiding Policies and Principles

Public Policy

Community Action

Collaboration 145JURISDICTIONS AND POTENTIAL PARTNERS

The Need for Collaboration

Current Water Managers

Potential Partners

Appendices 163Appendix A: Economic Beneit Methodology

Appendix B: Financing Tables

Appendix C: Policy and Action Tables

Appendix D: Case Studies

Glossary 209

References & Project Team 217


14/223

14 Executive Summary

The current approach of pumping everydrop contributes to substantial landsettlement and requires signiicant subsidyfrom governments and taxpayers. TheGreater New Orleans Urban Water Planpresents an opportunity to the region toseize upon new economic opportunitiesand become a living showcase forinnovative water management.

Problems

The Greater New Orleans Urban Water Planaddresses three critically important issuesin St. Bernard parish and the east banks ofOrleans and Jefferson parishes in SoutheastLouisiana:

Floodingcaused by heavy rainfallcommon to this region. This occursfrequently when the catch basins,pipes, and pumps of our current

drainage systems are overwhelmed.Flooding causes not only property andeconomic damage but is potentiallyharmful to residents.

Subsidence is the sinking of theground that damages our buildings,our streets, and other infrastructure,and makes the challenge of pumpingstormwater out of the region moredificult. Subsidence is a result ofdry soils, largely caused by currentdrainage practices that pump out everydrop of water that falls, as quickly as

possible. Wasted Water Assetsare a missed

economic opportunity. Water can bemade accessible and beautiful, ratherthan walled away.

Recommended Solutions

The Urban Water Plan proposes a set ofcost-effective water management strategiesfor the region that include:

Slowingstormwater by using bio-retention and iniltration strategies,including rain gardens and bio-swales

Storingstormwater in the landscapelonger by retroitting canals and indingspace for new canals and ponds

Usingthe water to enhance andconnect neighborhoods, and draining itonly when necessary

Implementation of these strategies will not

ExecutiveSummaryAttracting investment and people

to the Greater New Orleansregion requires the reductionof long-term risk. This is aprimary proposition: we mustcreate a water environment thatinspires market confidence andinnovation. While levees anddrainage are necessary for our

safety, a new and innovativeapproach to risk reduction iswarranted, one that introduceswater into the landscape makingit key to economic vitality and abetter quality of life.

Water can be made accessible and beautiful, rather than walled away


15/223


only lead to improved safetybut also toeconomic vitality and enhanced qualityof lifein one of the most economicallyproductive, culturally vibrant, and denselypopulated areas in Louisiana.

Report Summary

Why Invest: Creating Shared Value,

the reports irst chapter, presents thechallenges and opportunities that arisein implementing an integrated watermanagement system, and the costs of notdoing so.

The region is rife with opportunities forinfrastructure renovation and landscaperepair: from legacy infrastructure likehidden unattractive canals that can betransformed into attractive and accessiblewaterways, to thousands of vacant lots andpublic rights-of-way that can provide space

for water storage and create amenities andeconomic opportunities along the way.Over the next 50 years, inaction willcost our community nearly $8 billion instormwater lood damage, a conservative$2.2 billion in subsidence damage,and another $600 million in avoidableinsurance costs.

Stormwater best management practicescan reduce load demands on our aginginfrastructure, clean the water, coolthe air, create recreational amenities,

contribute to raising the standard of livingfor all residents in an equitable way, andprovide valuable real estate developmentopportunities. Good stormwatermanagement practices can reduce thehealth risks to residents from excessiveheat, and to our waterways and to habitatsfrom pollutants washed by large quantitiesof urban runoff. The Urban Water Planprovides the evidence that integrated watermanagement - as deined by the strategy ofslowing, storing and using water - is not anicety but a necessity.Chapter 2, Building Value: TheEconomics of Integrated WaterManagement,assesses the economicbeneit of implementing the Urban WaterPlans long-term vision by analyzing ivequantitative factors and listing multiplequalitative beneits.

Quantiiable beneits include economic

WATER OVERWHELMS SYSTEMS

GROUNDWATER IMBALANCECAUSES SUBSIDENCE

WATER IS EXCLUDED FROMPUBLIC SPACES


16/223


accepted practices like rain gardensand permeable pavement, and moreambitious interventions like improvedcanals, large-scale storage basins, internalwetlands, and redirected drainage. Theseven demonstration projects selectedby this plan for schematic design andcost estimation are briely described andillustrated here and further detailed in the

sets second report, Urban Design.

Chapter 4, Financing Tools: Sources andMechanisms,emphasizes the importanceof creative inancing that blends commoninvestment tools with policy change anddiverse funding sources, and focuseson social and environmental beneits toexpand funding options. The chapter thenoutlines a menu of possibilities, fromfunding sources like grants and awardsfrom various government entities, toinnovative funding mechanisms like public-

private partnerships; regulatory structures;fees, credits, and incentives; and othermeans to stimulate private investment andpay for public projects.

Policy and Action: Next Steps,thereports ifth chapter, introduces an existingframework of policies and principlesthat share and support the Urban Water

impact and job creation, reduced loodingand subsidence damage, reduced insurancepremiums, and increased property valuesfor a total economic beneit of $22.3billion. As large as this number is, it is notcomprehensive, as there are aspects oflooding and subsidence that are dificult toquantify.

Qualitative beneits improve safety,economic vitality, and quality of lifein profound ways that stretch beyonddollar values, from increased potentialfor business attraction and retention toenhanced water and air quality, from betteruses of blighted properties to reducedenergy consumption region-wide.

The Water Plan: Strategies, Phasing,and Cost,the reports third chapter,deines integrated water management,details the incremental and cost-

effective process of smart retroits, andbreaks down the costs associated withimplementing the proposed strategies.

Integrated water managements majortenets - slow, store, and use water, drainonly when necessary - are illustratedin the Urban Water Plans toolbox ofstrategies, which includes both locally-

Existing

Floodwalls, no longer necessary for lood protection, hide valuable water assets


17/223


Plans objectives: FEMAs National FloodInsurance Program, the State of LouisianasCoastal Master Plan, and the New OrleansMaster Plan.

The Urban Water Plan details ninekey policy recommendations for localgovernments to mitigate lood risk andmaximize investment in integrated water

management: Adopt a more comprehensive and

dynamic approach to lood riskassessment and management

Adopt a minimum 500-year loodprotection level per the New OrleansMaster Plan

Adopt with the force of law a long-termintegrated water management plan

Create a stormwater and groundwatermanagement unit within each parishsdrainage entity

Develop and enforce a strong retentionstandard for stormwater in urbandevelopment and redevelopment

Require the use of green infrastructurepractices to reduce runoff from existingimpervious surfaces

Provide incentives for private use ofgreen infrastructure

Provide guidance or other afirmativeaction to accomplish stormwater

management goals Ensure dedicated funding sources for

integrated water management

Additionally, the following policyrecommendations are made at the regionaland state levels:

Establish a Regional WaterManagement Authority to facilitate

inter-parish collaboration Implement a policy that requires

stormwater management in alltransportation projects that involvefederal or state funding or approval

Expand the Emerging Environmentalindustry sector to implementintegrated water management projectsand to ensure that local businesses andlocal residents have the capacity andskills to do the work

At the federal level, it is also important to:

Provide guidance and funding toaddress the signiicant contributions ofrunoff and pollutants caused by roadand highway construction

Chapter 5 also lays out a framework forcommunity action that engages the citizensof the Greater New Orleans region to meetgoals in design and planning, research and

Potential

Removing remnant loodwalls can add safety and value to surrounding neighborhoods


18/223


development, and outreach and education.In the near term, these goals include:

Inspire the public with high-impact,high-visibility demonstration projectsat every scale

Expand existing research effortsinto soils, water, design, planning,operations, inancing, and policy, anddevelop ways to share this knowledge

Launch coordinated public outreachefforts, symposiums on topics ofcritical interest, and other forums fordiscussion, participation, and directaction

Inspire others through water-centricconversations, journalism, social media,teaching, art, writing, and music

Establish centers for water-focusedjob training, innovation, and businessincubation to make possible the growthof new industries and new jobs

Position the Greater New Orleans

region as a global leader in watermanagement that exports localexpertise and technologies andpartners with other delta cities inclimate change adaptation efforts

Taking the next steps towardcomprehensive spatial, political, and social

change will require an unprecedenteddegree of collaboration. Local, regional,state, and federal actions must becoordinated. Public and private sectorsmust work together on policies andpartnership structures that beneit both.And policy and community actions mustbe synchronized to ensure public buy-in and the best possible use of limited

resources. Altogether, these steps constitutea departure from the status quo. Butexecuted together, they will lead to a saferand more prosperous future for the GreaterNew Orleans region.

The reports sixth and last chapter,Collaboration: Jurisdictions andPotential Partners,recommendscollaboration among existing organizationalstructures and stakeholders with sharedinterest. It identiies current watermanagers and their roles and illustrates

the existing lood protection and drainagesystems they govern in each of the threejurisdictions within the project area. It alsoidentiies potential partners who may nothave traditionally been involved in watermanagement but who will have a sharedinterest in the envisioned integrated watersystem and likely play a role in its operationand management

Project AreaSt. Bernard parish and the east banks of Orleans and Jefferson parishes

OrleansEast Basin

St. Bernard Basin

Jefferson andOrleans Basin


19/223


Founded on water and controlling the mouth of the Mississippi River, New Orleans and its port symbolize the regions importance to thetrade and security of the American mid-west. The city and its environs are critically vital to the economy.

PrefaceGreater New Orleans grew andprospered because those who builtthe water system we now have,

which set worldwide standards,understood and embraced it. Newtechnologies were developed, hardchoices were made, and publicand private rights and dutieswere aligned to make it possibleto build and pay for, without thehope or expectation that the

federal government or the state ofLouisiana would bear the primarycost and responsibility. Mostimportantly this represented civiccommitment.

Coming Full Circle

New Orleans - and the parishes, towns,and cities around it - form the functionalintersection of the continents greatestriver and the Gulf of Mexico. Historically,the region has been a celebration of thevalue and possibilities of water. Overtime, the economy and population ofthe region ebbed and its orientation

toward water changed, leaving the regionmore vulnerable. Now, as the region isexperiencing exponential economic growthand a resurgence of purpose, the time isripe to recognize and capitalize on its waterassets.

In many ways, the region has come fullcircle. Once again, the Greater New Orleansregion is recognizing the value of its waterassets and its potential to be a leader inthe emerging environmental economy,where addressing environmental issues,

Once again New Orleans

is poised to embrace and

benefit from the very

thing that has threatened

its existence.


20/223

20 Preface

Implementation is thepurposeful, informed,

committed, and

effective set of actions

that achieve the goal of

minimized water risk

and optimized water

value.

Every day the current course is

maintained, the regions lands and

levees sink, pipes break, streets decay,

and building foundations weaken.

The Westersingel canal in central Rotterdam serves both as a sculpture parkand as extra water storage during heavy rains

such as water, can be the source of jobsand innovation. Once again, it is honestlyacknowledging the comprehensive natureof managing water risk in a dynamiclandscape. Greater New Orleans is poisedto embrace and beneit from the very thingthat has threatened its existence.

Fulilling that promise depends on the

development and implementation of acomprehensive water management strategythat is integrated across geographic,political, and agency boundaries. Thisstrategy must be governed by the principlethat every drop of water has value and thatthe management of water is a community-wide endeavor. Now developed, the GreaterNew Orleans Urban Water Plan must beadopted and set into motion.

Steps to Implementation

Successful implementation of the UrbanWater Plan will depend on many factors,including the capacity and commitment ofpartners, inancial and human resources,and continuity and lexibility in policy andaction.

Capacity: Every critical element of theUrban Water Plan must be someonesresponsibility. If a critical task is notpresently under someones direct oversight,then it is the communitys job to changethat.

Commitment: Success in any endeavorcomes from seeing things through to a goodresult, including making good choices andsetting priorities.

Resources: Implementing this plan will takeresourcesdollars, time, and talent. Someof these will come from the public sector,some from private sources. Some alreadyexist and can be applied with relative easewhile others will have to be found.

Continuity: Integrated water managementis not a one-time project nor a temporarypartnership. It will require the ongoingcooperation and coordination between andamong governments and citizens.

Flexibility: Few things are as dynamic aswater and any planning for stewardingwater to optimize value and minimize riskmust also be dynamic, even while stayingtrue to the purposes of those plans.

Lower Risk, Shared Value

The choice facing the residents andcommunities of this region is not whetherto implement an integrated water system


21/223


There is no low cost option on the

table. There is just high value,

represented by the Water Plan, and

low value represented by established

methods.

It is time to let our children play with waterHiding water in buried culverts is a missed opportunity

Smart infrastructure investments expose valueStoring excess water on the surface vs. burying it underground creates amenity and value

or to keep things as they are. Every day thecurrent course is maintained, the regionslands and levees sink, pipes break, streetsdecay, and building foundations weaken.

Even investments in repairs andimprovements made by one communitywill produce little lasting value if notcoordinated with and supported by those

across the region. As the growing numberof boil-water advisories and the rising costsof insurance demonstrate, establishedmethods are not affordable or sustainable.Integrated water management, on theother hand, reconnects communities withwater and with each other to enhance theprospects and well being of all. It is basedupon economies of scale, hydrologic anddemographic reality, and the tenet thatwater sustainability will be a key driverof community success and vitality in the

coming years. Accordingly, integrated watermanagement is more about investing in ourfuture than just about moving water, thoughthat will remain a crucial component.

There is no low cost option on the table.There is just high value represented bythe Urban Water Plan, and low value

represented by established methods. There

are, however, a number of ways to approachthe implementation and inancing of thisnew strategy.

This report lays out and discusses a numberof these options with the full understandingthat these, like everything else, are dynamicand subject to change. The goal is toestablish a irm foundation and directionfor future action. Indeed, the architects ofthis regions past prosperity knew full wellthat water stewardship and prosperity arenot singular destinations but means to an

end. Vision and commitment made GreaterNew Orleans a shining example of how tolive with water. The bar has been raisedsince then, but with renewed vision andcommitment, the region can regain its rankas a worldwide standard-setter. Indeed, itcannot afford not to.


22/223

22 Preface

We have to change our emphasis from evacuatingevery drop that falls to keeping water in the groundto avoid subsidence. We also need to be concernedabout the quality of water we pump out to the lake.

We need a combination of both

pipe and retention systems

and, in order to achieve this, we

have changed our mindset.-- Marcia St. Martin, Director of the New Orleans Sewerage and

Water Board

Engineered solutions are a critical component but,truthfully, thats only one piece of the puzzle.

People have to understandthat there are long term

changes that need to happen

and everyone plays a part.-- Nick Cali, Lake Borgne Basin Levee District Director

The New Orleans area has a unique topography thatrequires a complex drainage system. Flood controland settlement are two sensitive issues for this areathat needs delicate balance.

The more we pump the morewe sink, and the more we sink,

the more we have to pump.-- Kazem Alikhani, Jefferson Parish Public Works Director

Nick Cali at the Jefferson Parish Basin community meetingsaid the Greater New Orleans Water Plan is a consolidation ofcommon sense, August 2013

Recognizing the Value of Integrated Water ManagementDecision-makers at all levels of government state their opinions on the Water Plans objectives

Kazem Alikhani and his team meeting with the Water Plan teamduring the January 2012 workshop series to discuss alternativedrainage practices that consider subsidence control

Marcia St. Martin at Drainage Pump Station #1[Photo credit: Lloyd Dennis Photography]


23/223


"New Orleans is the most

immediate laboratory for

innovation in AmericaIt is appropriate that this initiative will look to theentrepreneurship of our people to find new solutionsto systemic water management challenges. It'simportant for our safety and quality of life."

-- New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu

Many areas in St. Bernard Parish and the east banksof Orleans and Jefferson parishes depend on a large-scale pumping system susceptible to failure evenduring normal rainfall, resulting in flooding thatdivides these neighborhoods. Additional threats, suchas subsidence and rising sea levels, also contributeto the need for a solution-based approach to an

integrated Water Plan that is

vital to the continued recovery,

growth, and development of the

region.-- Paul Rainwater, Louisiana Commissioner of Administration

"It is critical that the Greater New Orleans region has

a comprehensive water management plan that canmitigate risk while enhancing

economic opportunities and

improving the quality of life for

our citizens"-- US Senator Mary Landrieu

"We offer our support to Waggonner & Ball indeveloping a wide-ranging approach to

effective water management

and planning in order to

protect our precious natural

resource.-- Jefferson Parish President John Young

Photo Credit: nola.com

Photo Credit: The Advocate

Mayor Landrieu with then Dutch Ambassador Rene Jones-Bosand the Embassys Senior Economist Dale Morris, and DavidWaggonner at a Dutch Dialogues 3 workshop, April 2010

US Senator Mary Landrieu and EPA Administrator Lisa Jacksonwith City of Rotterdams Strategic Advisor on Water ManagementDanil Goedbloed, Netherlands May 2009


24/223


25/223


Why Invest

The lowlands in the Greater New Orleans region

have subsided as much as 8 to 11 feet over the pastcentury and some of that land is predicted to sinkanother half to two feet over the next 25-40 years.Left unchecked, this trend, largely caused by thepumping of stormwater, will result in more flooding

and property loss, and higher insurance rates.According to a study funded by FEMA, adollar spent on mitigation saves societyan average of four dollars (MMC 2005).Mitigating this trend requires balancedsoils and this areas soft soils need solidwater management.

Water can be this regions greatest asset.The Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan

provides a vision for our region to establisha new relationship with this fundamentalresource. But to make this vision a reality,a set of effective, informed, and committedactions must be set in motion to achievethe critical goal of minimizing the risk andoptimizing the value of water.

CREATING SHARED VALUE1


26/223

26 Why Invest

Seeing theOpportunityThe Urban Water Plan envisions

an integrated system that providessafety within the flood protectionperimeter, improves livingconditions and public spaces, spursreinvestment, and attracts much-needed new residents and jobs.

Embrace Your Treasure

Properties adjacent to canals, currentlywalled off by divisive infrastructure, havethe opportunity to be transformed intowaterfront properties with spectacularviews and access to water.

Using vacant and blighted properties

adjacent to canals for extra water storageand lowering superluous lood wallscan add safety and value to surroundingneighborhoods. The canals themselvescould evolve from purely utilitarian greyinfrastructure to corridors of water andgreenery that connect neighborhoods,become popular destinations for relaxationand recreation, and spur new economicactivity.

Dual-purposing these public lands bymaking water storage and conveyancestructures visible, accessible andattractive injects vibrancy into urban andsuburban corridors and sites, reconnectsneighborhoods and people, and addssigniicant value to the city and region.

ExistingCanal loodwalls prevent the development of desirable waterfront property


27/223


PotentialCanals can transform into corridors of water and greenery that reconnect neighborhoods

Rediscovered Waterfronts26 miles of potential waterfront economic development


28/223

28 Why Invest

Potential Corridors of Economic ActivityProposed interventions that will have a positive impact on adjacent property and investment

Storage lots +Development

Improve existing waterfront

Typically private land adjacent

Typically public land adjacent(streets)

Airline Highwayimprovements

Claiborne Canal

Renov

Renovate existing Palmetto Canal

West End

Lafitte Corridor

Monticello Canal

Monticello Storage

Filmore neutralground network

Canal St. Canal

ImproveKenner canals

Florida Canal Storag

Outfall Canal improvements

Over the next 50 years, property

values will increase by $183 Millionfor over 41,500 properties within 200 metersofproposed water management interventions.


29/223


ate existing Florida Canal

40 Arpent CanalZone for water

Make public amenity

Typically private land adjacent

L9 Amenities + Storage

20 Arpent Canal

Green Heart ZoneNew development + water storage

Improved N/S Canals

Dwyer Amenities + Storage

St. BernardAmenities + Storage

e

Transforming Outfall Canal intoWaterfront

Outfall canals are transformed from a drainage-only

function into accessible waterfront. An additional phaseto development would include potential propertybuyouts and property swaps along the new waterfrontto create public green-blue corridors.

Improved Canal Adjacent to PublicStreets

These canals typically exist adjacent to public streets andcommercial areas presenting the opportunity to

create habitabledge conditions and provide recreationalfeatures, such as pathways.

Improved Canal Adjacent to PrivateProperty (residential)

Canals present the same opportunities for aestheticimprovements but would primarily impact directlyadjacent residential properties.

New waterways

Lafitte Corridor, Claiborne Avenue, and the 20 Arpent

Canal present an opportunity for new attractive waterwaysto spur neighborhood redevelopment.

Water park storage

These large plots will provide stormwater storage inconjunction with new development to maintain and

operate the site. These may provide new urban andsuburban public recreation and parks.


30/223

30 Why Invest

Make Space for Water

Unlike denser urban areas, theopportunities for water storage in NewOrleans and its environs abound. Space forboth small-scale distributed interventionslike stormwater best management practices(BMPs) and larger-scale water storagesolutions necessary to address the severelooding problem can be found at least in

the following spaces:

Vacant and blighted properties Existing parks Streets and neutral grounds (medians) Rights-of-way along major

infrastructure Brownields (polluted industrial

properties that have been abandoned)

There are over 40,000 vacant, blighted,and adjudicated properties across Orleansand St. Bernard parishes (Plyer and Ortiz2012, SBPG and SDT 2011). The investmentrequired to provide basic maintenanceand code enforcement with no returnmakes these properties a liability to localgovernments but prime candidates forwater management. Existing parks shouldwork harder too, starting by retainingtheir own runoff and making more spacefor water retention. Corridors of space,especially rights-of-way along majorinfrastructure, can be used to both retainwater and create new water connections

across the region. Streets and neutralgrounds may individually manage arelatively small volume of stormwater,but collectively can have a signiicantimpact. Incorporating integrated watermanagement practices into plannedreconstruction and retroit projects canplace local governments in the lead of asustainability movement that helps buildpublic awareness and buy-in.

For example, in Jefferson Parish stormwaterdetention ponds have been constructed

in multiple locations, such as PontiffPlayground, the Woodland West area (onthe West Bank), and Earhart Expressway atClearview and at Causeway. In the event ofsevere rains, water can be diverted to andtemporarily detained within these areas toremove rainwater from neighboring streets.

Metairies Pontiff Park: Water Management in

Public Spaces

Wally Pontiff Jr. Park, located in the Old Metairie sectionof Jefferson Parish, is a high-performance landscape

that maintains the appearance of a traditional suburbanpark. In addition to providing signiicant stormwater

retention, it offers recreational opportunities for local

residents including ball ields and a gymnasium. PontiffPark looded after Hurricane Katrina and subsequent levee

failures, damaging facilities and necessitating near totalreconstruction.

The most striking strategy of the reconstruction of

Pontiff Park is a three foot tall earthen berm which wasconstructed around the perimeter of the park, creating

a 40-acre stormwater retention area that is designed toretain water for up to a day before being siphoned into

the 17th Street or Suburban canals. The bermed area

accommodates approximately 6.9 million cubic feet (52million gallons) of stormwater. This is suficient to drain six

inches of standing water from a surrounding area totaling180 acres, with the goal of mitigating a ten-year rain event

(9.4 inches in a 24 hour period) During heavy rainfall,the park can be intentionally looded to help alleviatethe burden on surrounding drainage systems. The berm,

additional drainage modiications, and required pumpswere inanced by the Jefferson Parish Department of

Drainage for approximately $6 million. Enhancing the pre-

Katrina park infrastructure with a cost-effective and high-capacity integrated landscape water management system

has reduced risk of looding in Old Metairie, dual-purposedpublic land, and has created a popular destination that

improves the quality of life for Jefferson Parish residents.


31/223


Vacant (above left and right) andblighted properties (above middle)exist in different patterns and allow for

a variety of uses

Neutral grounds (left) have thepotential of storing water as shown inthis example of Canal Blvds sunkengardens

When rebuilding broken streets(above) new standards should be used

to delay and iniltrate water

Rights-of-way along majorinfrastructure (left) can be usedto store water and create newconnections

Orleans Ave. Canal at City Park (right)

and Monticello Canal at HollygroveGreenline (far right) have the potentialof being widened to store more water

Water Storage OpportunitiesVacant and blighted properties, streets and neutral grounds, rights-of-way, improved parks and canals


32/223

32 Why Invest

Build on Existing Momentum

Securing funding, designing inancialpolicies and mechanisms, and employingthese in ways that are equitable and justmay seem dificult to accomplish. However,with funds made accessible throughunique public and private collaborations,political momentum, and inspiringnational and international examples to

draw on, opportunities abound. Financialmechanisms and policies - thoughinherently challenging - can serve asgenerators of public and private wealthin addition to being catalysts for greeninfrastructure investment. Financingstructures can be tailored to it each areasspeciic conditions to incent the right typesof public and private investment whilediscouraging unsustainable developmentpractices. Achieving socially just outcomes- equal protection and amenities for alland avoidance of undesired demographicshifts and extreme changes in cultureand character - also presents a greatopportunity in a city and region wherethe most disadvantaged often live in theareas most prone to looding. Financingopportunities include:

Capitalizing on existing funding sourcesgranted to the region as a result ofrecent events like hurricanes Katrina,Gustav and Ike, and following thedevelopment of potential sources from

the RESTORE Act as a result of the

2010 Gulf oil spill. Adopting new regulations that generate

revenue dedicated to stormwater bestmanagement practices (BMPs) andbetter the region as a whole.

Creating programs and incentivesthat stimulate investment in greeninfrastructure for the private sector.

Developing innovative inancing

structures by studying and learningfrom other cities that have successfullyimplemented green infrastructureprojects (i.e. Philadelphia, PA,Washington, D.C., Portland, OR, etc.)

Building consensusamong policy makers,water system managers, and local and stategovernment oficials - representing sociallyand hydrologically diverse areas of thecity and region - is both a challenge and anopportunity. Garnering their support andfeedback will be essential to the delivery of

a plan that best serves their constituentsand, at the same time, looks beyondthe limits of jurisdictions and localizedinterests to consider the well-being of theentire region.

Policy makers and water system managerscan work together to develop diverse andsometimes complex solutions - includingstormwater fees, developer incentives,water credit trading programs, andpublic-private partnerships - that othercities have used to secure funding for the

implementation of water management best

Jefferson Parish Basin Meeting, Lafreniere Park, August 2013


33/223


practices. Non-traditional collaborativestructures will need to be establishedto achieve common goals throughshared resources and expertise. Policyopportunities include:

Building on initiatives with sharedobjectives like the National FloodInsurance Programs Community

Rating System, the Louisiana CoastalMaster Plan, the New Orleans MasterPlan and draft Comprehensive ZoningOrdinance, and the Sewerage andWater Boards wetlands assimilationprogram.

Capitalizing on a collective sense ofurgency to address our water risks toestablish fundamental collaborationsand expand water management roles toinclude subsidence control.

Developing a set of policy actions thatultimately lead to enforceable codes,

benchmarks, and stormwater retentionstandards in urban development andredevelopment.

Transforming our water cultureis acritical step toward living with water.Perhaps the Urban Water Plans greatestopportunity is to inluence the peoplewho can make it a reality: the citizens ofGreater New Orleans. Though awarenessof integrated water management andits beneits is spreading thanks to manyafiliated and unafiliated outreach events,

conferences, and organizations, catalyzingaction in the public realm will dependheavily on ongoing coordinated outreach,education, and marketing. Moving fromawareness to action is a critical next step.By providing the tools and frameworkfor progressive, results-oriented publicengagement, the Plan can translate ideasinto citizen action. Community engagementopportunities include:

Building on the shared knowledgeof public and private partners andinvested stakeholders in water-based design, engineering, science,economic development, education, civicengagement, and other ields.

Improving public water literacy andeducation in water-related subjectsincluding subsidence, topography, anddrainage systems.

Creating world-class scientiic andarts initiatives and institutions aroundwater issues.

Engaging a class of 4th graders at KIPP Central City about basicconcepts of water management, May 2013

New Orleans Basin Meeting, Xavier University, August 2013

New Orleans East Basin Meeting, Read Library, July 2013

St. Bernard and Lower 9th Basin Meeting, Nunez College, July 2013


34/223

34 Why Invest

Cost ofInactionDespite the billions of dollars

invested in our flood protectionand drainage systems, streetscontinue to be inundated byfrequent downpours. After decadesof fortifying levees and drainingour lowest-lying areas, subsidencehas become a major issue in ourregion. And population numbers

are below pre-Katrina levels.

The costs of maintaining the status quo aremyriad and they are dispersed in ways thatare not always obvious or easy to quantify.But by looking at problems and costsindependently - looding, subsidence, aginginfrastructure, population, and degradedecosystems - the cumulative toll of passivitybecomes apparent. Addressing these issuesis essential to the regions prosperity, as

they affect livability, infrastructure, andinsurability.

Flooding

Over the next 50 years, the three-parishstudy area will sustain an alarming amountof damage due to looding from rainfall:an estimated $8 billion. This igure doesnot include the effects of climate changeand the increased frequency and intensityof storms that will come with it. Despitethe areas massive pumping capacity,

heavy downpours overwhelm drainagesystems causing frequent localizedlooding. These rainfall events, whichdo not include named storms, createsigniicant disturbances in our lives andhave a trickle-down effect on the regionaleconomy. Flooding causes damage toproperty, displaces households, generatestons of debris, and interrupts businessesand cultural events, resulting in propertydepreciation in these vulnerable areas and,more importantly, low citizen, visitor, andinvestor conidence.

Subsidence

Adding to our systems weakness, thecurrent approach of pumping stormwaterout as fast as possible has an adversesecondary effect. It causes organic soils todry and oxidize, causing many areas thathave already settled several feet belowsea level to sink even lower. Subsidence-induced damage to personal property alonewill cost home and business owners in thestudy area over $2.1 billion dollars overthe next half century. Not included in thisigure is the costly impact subsidence hason the regions infrastructure. The City ofNew Orleans Department of Public Worksacknowledges that most of the damage tostreets, sidewalks, and subsurface pipesis due to subsidence and the shrink/swelleffect that occurs when soils get wet andthen dry. This adds millions of publicdollars every year in preventable expenses

April 2013: Street flooding, Garden DistrictFrequent flooding in areas with many businesses and highpopulation density suggest substantial economic damage


35/223


Flooding

60 inches per yearAverage rainfall in Louisiana

6 to 8 inches per hourPeak rainfall

1 to 5 times a yearPeak storm occurrence

Drainage systems cannothandle peak stormsAccording to water systemmanagers of the three-parish studyarea, the drainage systems canhandle one inch of rain the irsthour and, as the ground becomessaturated, one-half inch per hour

thereafter. Rainfall at a greater ratethan that, a frequent occurrence inour area, causes looding.

Doubling the pumpingcapacity would only solve40% of the problemThis is based on our teamshydraulic model results. Inaddition to only solving 40% of theproblem, doubling the pumpingcapacity would be cost prohibitive

and, most importantly, it wouldexacerbate subsidence. This is nota viable solution.

Impervious surfacesincrease floodingDevelopment in urban areasincreases stormwater volumeand velocity and decreasespermeability. New measures thatallow water to iniltrate into theground are necessary to stabilize

soils and prevent extensive damageto structures and infrastructure.

July 2012: Street flooding in the Seventh Ward

Subsidence results are evident in depressed driveways andexposed foundations in Village de lEst, New Orleans East

July 2012: Street flooding in East Jefferson along Airline Highway


36/223

36 Why Invest

Flooding10-year storm lood model: problem areas

July 2012: Street flooding in the Seventh Ward

July 2012: Circle Food Store on St. Bernard Avenue and Claiborne Avenue

across all parishes. Subsidence alsodrastically raises the cost and frequency ofrepairs to levees, canals, and loodwalls thathave been compromised by degradationor lowered elevations. According to theSoutheast Louisiana Flood ProtectionAuthority - East, the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers could largely avoid the costlyprocess of levee lifts, which occur three or

more times over 50 years in some places,if subsidence were not a factor. Finally, halfor more of the citys drinking water is lostin transmission before it ever reaches a tap,largely due to infrastructure made leaky bysubsidence (The Editorial Board 2011).

Water Quality

Regional ecosystems - air, water, soil quality,and biodiversity - also are under-servedby the current system, which does littleto improve them. Our municipal separate

stormwater sewer systems (known asMS4s) wash large quantities of stormwateracross urban surfaces that contain a mixof pollutants, posing a threat to the healthof our waterways and habitats. As MS4permittees, and to avoid looming penalties,Orleans and Jefferson parishes are requiredto develop and implement a StormwaterManagement Plan that addresses all thecomponents required by the permit.

Legend10 Year Storm

0

Above sea level

0.5 Ft Depth

0.5 to 1 Ft Depth

1 to 1.5 Ft Depth

1.5 to 2 Ft Depth


37/223


Cost of Flooding

$8 billionEstimated lood damage from rainfallin the three-parish study area overthe next 50 years.

Repeated flooding is costlyHomes or businesses with two ormore claim payments over $1,000from the National Flood InsuranceProgram within a 10-year periodare considered Repetitive Loss (RL)structures (NFIP 2007). Propertieswith four or more claims over$5,000 each are considered SevereRepetitive Loss (SRL) structures(FEMA). The map below indicates theseverity of our problem.

Citizens bear the costEvery lood occurrence has asigniicant impact on taxpayers,either through physical damage toproperty, business interruption, lostproductivity and wages, or risinginsurance rates.

Repetitive LossFEMA Repetitive Loss Claims

LegendFEMA Repetitive Loss Claims

Repetitive Loss

Severe Repetitive Loss

Surface Elevation

+6 to +9 feet

+3 to +6 feet

0 to +3 feet

0 to -3 feet

-3 to -6 feet

-6 to -9 feet

< -9 feet

July 2012: Street flooding in Mid-City (Hagan Street)

July 2012: Street flooding on Jackson Avenue, Garden District


38/223

38 Why Invest

Living Below Sea LevelVulnerable low-lying areas indicated in feet below sea level

LegendMean Sea LevelElevation

+6 to +9 feet

+3 to +6 feet

0 to +3 feet

0 to -3 feet

-3 to -6 feet

-6 to -9 feet

< -9 feet

Subsidence

The area sits below sea levelApproximately half of the study area isbelow sea level.

The more water is pumped,

the more the ground sinksThe areas already below sea level havesubsided over the years due to soilswith high organic content that requirewater to remain stable.

Highest rates of settlementoccur during dry weatherCanal operation levels in Orleans andJefferson are kept as low as -12 to -14feet below sea level, drawing downwater tables and causing soils to dry

out and settle at varying rates.

Subsidence control fallsunder no ones jurisdictionCurrently no entity is responsible forgroundwater management.

Severe street damage due to subsidence in St. Bernard Parish

Buckled sidewalk due to subsidence


39/223


Cost of Subsidence

$2.2 billionEstimated damage to structures due tosubsidence in the three-parish studyarea over the next 50 years.

Broken infrastructureThe inestimable cost of infrastructurerepairs and required levee lifts is notincluded in the igure above.

Low groundwater levelscause wood pile decayLowered water tables have causedbillions of euros in wood pile damagein Dutch cities. The Dutch response:a monitoring well every 100 meters.The New Orleans region faces asimilar issue but lags in awarenessand response.

Citizens bear the costThe cost of subsidence-induced damageis borne by residents and businesses inrepairs to buildings, cars and utilities,and increased utility rates to pay forbroken public infrastructure.

Exposed foundation and wood pile decay risk due to subsidence

Broken streets common in the Lakeview area (pictured here) and elsewhere dueto differential ground settlement


40/223

40 Why Invest

Projected Drainage Revenue Requirements 2011-2020

Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans

Drainage Operating Budgets

Fiscal Year 2012

NEW ORLEANS

Sewerage & Water Board

Department of Public Works*

$ 44.5M

$0.3M

JEFFERSON PARISH

DPW Drainage Department

City of Kenner

$ 20.0M

$ 1.5M

ST. BERNARD

Lake Borgne Basin Levee District

Department of Public Works

$ 4.5M

$ 2.0M

Drainage Total $ 72.8M

Aging Infrastructure

The regions aging drinking water, sewerand drainage systems face seriousrisk without signiicant infrastructureinvestments. In New Orleans, this resultedin a vote by the City Council in late 2012to raise water and sewer rates 10% a yearfor the next eight years (Krupa 2012).According to the Sewerage and Water

Board of New Orleans projected revenuerequirements illustrated below, in additionto the increased rates, a monthly parcel-based fee will be needed to support thecitys colossal drainage system.

Population

The three-parish study area has 25% fewerpeople today than it did at its peak in1980 (U.S. Census Bureau). New Orleanspopulation has been declining for severaldecades, shrinking 27% by July 2005from its 1960 peak and notching a 45%decrease by 2010. While Jefferson and St.Bernard parishes saw a signiicant increasein population in the 1980s and 1990srespectively, they too have experienceddownward patterns since then. Post-Katrina, St. Bernard lost 46% of its peakpopulation and Jefferson approximately5%.

* DPW budget for drainage point repairs and to support the staffing/operation of 3 vacuum trucks


41/223


Cost of EstablishedMethods

$72.8 millionAnnual cost of operating the studyareas drainage system, which

dates back to the turn of thecentury. (Source: 2012 operatingbudgets published on the drainageauthorities websites).

Increased rates and newfees are necessaryAs indicated by the New Orleansexample, future revenuerequirements are projected to bemuch higher than they are today,requiring increased rates and newfees.

More people are neededCurrent population numbers and theshrinking tax base they representcannot support the massive drainagesystems needed to keep up withrainfall frequency and intensity.

Vacancy and BlightOver 40,000 vacant, blighted, andadjudicated properties acrossOrleans and St. Bernard parishes

continue to use up public funds withno return on investment.

MS4 penaltiesIn 2010 the Sewerage & WaterBoard reinstated its 1998 consentdecree agreement with theU.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency to reduce the raw sewageoverlows that plagued the citysmunicipal water system, streets,and waterways. The city complied

with the agreement, spendingover $200 million, until Katrinastruck and the program was put onhold. Resumption of the programwill likely bring overall costs to$400 million to $500 million. Non-compliance costs vary but couldreach into the tens of thousands ofdollars per day.

Declining Population

Abandoned properties in Filmore, near London Avenue canal

Population figures according to US Census Bureau


42/223


43/223


Population Density by Census Block Group

Business Units by Census Block Group

Legend

0-2,500

2,501-5,000

5,001-7,500

7,501-10,000

10,001+

Persons per Square Mile

Parish Boundary

Hydrography

Water

Legend

0 - 5

6 - 10

11 - 20

21 - 40

41 +

Number of Businesses

Parish BoundaryHydrography

Water


44/223

44 Why Invest

1850 200019501900 2050

FIRST DRAINAGEIMPROVEMENTS

DRAINAGE &URBAN EXPANSION

FLOOD PROTECTION& URBAN EXPANSION

SUSTAINABILITY& URBAN QUALITY

1895 New OrleansDrainage Master Plan

1965 BetsyLP&V HurricaneProtection Project

2005 cost: $700 Million

$834 Million*

2005 Katrina2012 HSD RiskReduction System

2012 cost: $14.8 Billion

$15 Billion*

1917First Drainage SystemProject

1917 cost: $30 Million

$545 Million*

2065 estimatedIntegrated WaterManagement System

2013 estimated cost

$6.2 Billion

Change Is Inevitable

Key indings of the New Orleans Index atSix, a report released by the Greater NewOrleans Community Data Center in August2011, suggest that while the area continuesto recover from Hurricane Katrina and insome ways is rebuilding better than before,several economic, social, and environmentaltrends remain troubling and indicate the

region faces signiicant challenges andunmet needs. The report, which presentsdata on the regions recovery from Katrina,concludes that while growing the economyand lifting up opportunities for all residentsis essential, perhaps more important stillare additional lood risk reduction efforts.

The good news is that plans and initiativesare underway to revive coastal wetlands,our irst line of defense, which act as abuffer against storm surges. Meanwhile,the multi-billion dollar perimeter defensesystem, our second line of defense, iscomplete and more robust than beforeKatrina. What is missing is a critical thirdline of defense, which can be found in a newintegrated and sustainable approach to oururban water management to supplement,build upon, and amplify our baselinedefenses in the years and decades ahead.

Water Management Eras and Investments

Towards aNew EraSignificant investments have been

made over the decades to dealwith water and manage risk. Butthe current course of pumpingevery drop that falls exacerbatessubsidence and flooding, causingimmeasurable damage tocommunities. We must alter ourapproach if we want this to be a

safe place to live, work, and investin.


45/223


1965-2013

Keeping Water

OutWalled City

1895-1965

Pipes & PumpsWaterworks Era

1718-1895

First Water

ImprovementsRiver & Canal City

2013 -

Letting Water In

Sustainability Era

In the past, residents, withoutcomprehensive loodwalls and powerfulpumping systems, had to live with water.From lakefront camps to raised buildingsin the quarter, residents knew how to liveabove the water and provide spaces wherewater could low.

The citys irst drainage master plan,adopted in 1895, called for the constructionof huge new pump stations and giganticburied concrete culverts. In 1913, NewOrleans own A. B. Wood designed a pumpthat revolutionized urban developmentand allowed New Orleans to expand intodrained marsh along Lake Pontchartrain.

As the city expanded to the north, a leveeat Lake Pontchartrain became necessary

to block storm surge and high tides. As aresult, the city is sealed off from nature. Inmany parts of Jefferson and New OrleansEast, levees render sections of the lakefrontinaccessible for public use.

Today, nearly 100 years since theintroduction of the irst drainage system,it is time for the region to reinvent itself.Now is the time to adopt a new approachto stormwater management that is safer,smarter, and more cost-effective.


46/223


47/223


Building Value2

Our forefathers had a choice: to invest in the future,to put the cost before the benefit, or to ignorethe past. Without public investment, engineering,and innovation, the Dutch would now be living in

Germany, or Belgium. (Jones-Bos 2012)

As former Dutch Ambassador Rene Jones-Bos notes, the Dutch have been forced to

approach large infrastructure and planningprojects head on, given that 60% of thecountrys population lives below sea level.American cities may learn from theirallys proactive embrace of cost-beneitanalysis. Like the Dutch, whose canalsprovide unparalleled beauty and protectionsimultaneously, the Urban Water Planachieves a universality of outcomes throughproven, inclusive, and sustainable design.

In the envisioned water era, water is a toolfor the creation of wealth, new industries,

inviting places to play and stroll, andenvironmental restoration. In this plan,value is also shared more equitably region-wide, by those in both low- and high-riskareas. Everyone can appreciate loweredlood risk and reduced subsidence costs,while all share in the new spatial qualitiescreated by the proposed interventions. Andas the numbers show, these strategies payfor themselves many times over.

THE ECONOMICS OF INTEGRATEDWATER MANAGEMENT


48/223

48 Building Value

EconomicValue

To assess the economic benefit of

implementing the Urban WaterPlans long-term vision, five factorshave been analyzed: constructionimpact and job creation; reducedflooding cost; reduced subsidencecost; potential savings in floodinsurance premiums; and increasedproperty values. While the plans

full economic impact cannot bequantified at this preliminarystage, these five factors alone total$22.3 billion over the next 50years. [see Appendix A for fullmethodology]

Economic Impact & Job Creation

The implementation of the Urban WaterPlan will require a signiicant investment inlabor and materials, with initial estimatesranging from $2.9 billion for basicimplementation to $6.2 billion for intensiveimplementation. Using the U.S. Bureau ofEconomic Analysis Regional Input-OutputModeling System, it is estimated that this

investment will have direct and indirectimpacts ranging from $5.29 billion to$11.32 billionand will support between44,040 and 101,790 jobs. Many of thesejobs will stem from existing labor andinclude part-time and temporary positions,but given the growth of nascent greenindustries, there is signiicant potential tofoster a new economic driver in the region,one that is anticipated to grow nationallyand provides quality jobs with living wages.

Value of Reduced FloodingBased on hydraulic modeling conductedby the teams engineers and hydrologists,full implementation of the WMS wouldeliminate looding from a ive-year stormevent and substantially reduce the effectsof a ten-year event. Costs associated with aive-year lood event were estimated usingFEMAs Hazards-United States (HAZUS)model, which indicates that each eventcosts the New Orleans region over $942million in building damage, lost wages

and business interruption. Over a 50-yearperiod, these costs add up to an estimated$8 billion.

Value of Reduced Subsidence

By actively managing the regionsgroundwater levels, the Urban WaterPlan can mitigate subsidence and therebyreduce the need for property owners toperiodically shore and repair foundations.Based on available soil data as well asphysical soil borings taken throughout the

study area, a subsidence potential mapwas generated to identify vulnerable areas.Using housing counts provided by the U.S.Census Bureau and a preliminary structuralassessment of the costs associated withsubsidence-related repairs in the identiiedzones, an estimated 35,000 homes areimpacted by high and moderate rates ofsubsidence, costing property owners nearly$2.2 billionover the next 50 years.

Second line in honor of Uncle Lionel Batiste in the flooded streets ofNew Orleans, July 20, 2012. Photo by Kim Welsh.


49/223


In the three-parish studyarea, each five-year floodevent...

Produces 59,124tons of debris

Displaces 27,086 households

Costs businesses $8.4 millionin lost productivity

Costs employees $3.7 millionin lost wages

Causes $930 millionin flood damage to structures

A Total Economic Lossof over $942 million perevent

Over the next 50 years,these frequent flood eventsadd up to...

600,000tons of debris

270,000 households in need ofshelter

$8 billion in flood damage

$2.2 billion in subsidencedamage to structures

Total Avoidable Costs of$10.2 billion

Lower Flood InsurancePremiums

Through the National Flood InsurancePrograms Community Rating System (CRS),communities can make investments thatearn lower lood insurance premiums forresidents. To estimate the potential savingsin insurance premiums, three areas alignedwith the Urban Water Plan were identiied

that increase CRS scoring: open spacepreservation, stormwater management andlood plain management planning. Usingthe CRS Coordinators Manual, two scoringscenarios - an average and a maximum -were developed, and a discount percentagewas assigned to the average of the twoscores. This methodology resulted in anaverage 10% increase in discount for allthree jurisdictions and a total estimatedsavings of nearly $609 millionover 50years.

Increased Property Values

Numerous studies analyzing the linkbetween public waterways and propertyvalues have found a positive causalrelationship between the two. By making asigniicant public investment in improvedand new open canals, water storage basins,constructed wetlands, and green space, theUrban Water Plan stands to have a positiveimpact on property values around areas ofnew investment. To estimate this impact,

a 1.9% increase in property values toproperties within a 200 meter buffer of thePlans interventions or improvements wasassumed, based on similar studies acrossthe country. Over 41,500 properties wereidentiied within the 200 meter zone ofimpact, resulting in an estimated increasein property values of $183 millionover thenext half century.

Other Economic Benefits

Integrated stormwater management

delivers multiple other economic, socialand environmental beneits to thecommunity. Other economic beneits thatare dificult to quantify are discussed ingreater detail in following sections. Theyinclude creating new industry and jobs,attracting and retaining business andinvestment, reducing energy consumption,and transforming blight and vacant landfrom a liability into an asset.


50/223

50 Building Value

Estimated Economic Value: Quantitative Benefits

Common two-year, five-year, and ten-year storm events in the New Orleansarea (with 50%, 20%, and 10% chance of occurring each year, respectively)impose an economic drain on local businesses and property owners. Beyondthe structural damage and lost worker productivity, these flood events, over 50years, produce approximately 600,000 tons of debris and leave over 270,000

households in need of temporary shelter.

Value of ReducedFlooding

By actively managing the regions groundwater levels, the Plan minimizesland subsidence, thereby reducing damage to structures and infrastructure,including levee improvement costs. Only costs associated with buildingstructural damage are presented here. Infrastructure costs due to subsidence,such as damage to streets, sidewalks, utilities, etc, which are not quantifiedwithin the scope of this project, will be significantly higher.

Value of ReducedSubsidence

The National Flood Insurance Program allows cities and counties to earndiscounts on flood insurance premiums for their residents through theCommunity Rating System. The CRS awards points to communities thatimplement technical solutions and outreach campaigns that mitigate floodrisk. Analysis of the credits currently earned by Orleans and Jefferson Parishcommunities, and the range of credits available, reveals that there is potentialfor significant savings in all three parishes.

Lower FloodInsurance Premiums

By investing in new open canals, storage areas and green space, the UrbanWater Plan stands to have a positive impact on property values and newinvestment. Over 41,500 properties lie within 200 meters of a proposed

intervention or improvement. Using assessed values for these parcels, it isestimated that with intensive implementation, property values would increaseby $183 million.

Increased Property

Values

The Urban Water Plan introduces a new industry, creating jobs in the design,construction, and maintenance of stormwater management practices. Inaddition to the wages paid to individual workers, these new jobs create an

economic benefit to society in expanding the tax base and reducing poverty-related costs. Intensive implementation of the plan would create up to 101,790direct and indirect jobs (full and part-time) over the next 50 years and have aregional economic impact of $11.3 Billion.

Economic Impact

and Job Creation


51/223


$8.0 Billion

$2.2 Billion

$609 Million

$183 Million

$11.3 Billion

>$22.3 Billion

=Total Economic Benefit

+

+

+ Quantitative Benefit Ratios

Plan Costs vs. Benefits

+


52/223

52 Building Value

In Philadelphia, managing impervious surface runoffthrough green infrastructure will likely result in a

benefit of around $2.8 billion- versus only $122 million for the traditional grey

infrastructure option.

-The Center for Neighborhood Technology, The Value of GreenInfrastructure - A Guide to Recognizing Its Economic, Environmental

and Social Benefits, 2010

The City of Portland, Oregon estimates that itsgreen infrastructure investment of $9 million has

saved over $224 million in

maintenance and repair costs.

-EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, GreenInfrastructure Case Studies: Municipal Policies for Managing

Stormwater with Green Infrastructure, 2010

Since its Green Streets and Green Roof programswere established, Chicago has added more than

600,000 trees and 4 million

sqare-feet of green roofs.

-EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, GreenInfrastructure Case Studies: Municipal Policies for ManagingStormwater with Green Infrastructure, 2010

Photo Credit: Grid Magazine

Photo Credit: American Society of Landscape Architects

Photo Credit: University of Chicago

Estimated Economic Value of GreenInfrastructure in Other US Cities


53/223


Seattles Street Edge Alternative (SEA) project

saves $100,000 per blockcompared to traditional street design, its

public utilities agency estimates.

-The Center for Neighborhood Technology, The Valueof Green Infrastructure - A Guide to Recognizing ItsEconomic, Environmental and Social Benefits, 2010

Photo Credit: Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce

When Philadelphias revised stormwater regulationsare in place, the City estimates combined sewerloads will be reduced by 25 billion gallons,

saving $170 million annually.

-EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, GreenInfrastructure Case Studies: Municipal Policies for ManagingStormwater with Green Infrastructure, 2010

The City of Portland, Oregon, estimates that fullyimplementing its 43-acre green roof program will

save 63,400 kWh of electricity.

-The Center for Neighborhood Technology, The Value of GreenInfrastructure - A Guide to Recognizing Its Economic, Environmentaland Social Benefits, 2010

New York City officials estimate thatplanting public rights-of-way will create

between $139 million and

$418 million in benefitsdue to energy savings, increased property

values, improved health, and reducedcarbon dioxide emissions over the next 20

years.

-Natural Resources Defence Council, Rooftops toRivers II: Green strategies for controlling stormwaterand combined sewer overflows, 2011

Photo Credit: Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce

Photo Credit: Chesapeake Stormwater Network

Photo Credit: Ecoroofs Everywhere


54/223

54 Building Value

BenefitsThe benefits of integrated watermanagement are diverse, mutuallyreinforcing, and inclusive. Safety

improvements, boosts to economicvitality, and quality-of-lifeenhancements go hand-in-hand,positively impacting citizens,businesses, and governmentagencies across the Greater NewOrleans area.

The beneits of the Urban Water Plantouch almost every aspect of urban life.For the sake of simplicity, here they havebeen grouped into three categories:safety, economic vitality, and quality oflife. This structure differs from the morecommon triple-bottom-line approach,which measures social, economic, andenvironmental outcomes. This deviation

is largely due to the Plans focus on safety.The Urban Water Plan also looks at lifeand ecology more holistically. Qualityof life includes improvements to human,animal, and vegetable life - the entirebiome - while accounting for commonlyaccepted ecological measures (CO2, waterquality, etc.). Finally, economic vitality isa broadened account of inancial outcomes,as it looks at economic considerationsbeyond those that are calculable.

Safety

Safety irst is one of the strategys guidingprinciples. While economic vitality andquality of life are of utmost importance,providing for the safety of our people andtheir valuables is primary. For the GreaterNew Orleans region, this means reinforcingand adding to our existing lood protectionsystem. The proposed integrated watersystem adds multi-level protection bystrengthening our perimeter defenses,reducing loads on them, and creatingnew ways to manage water internally.

Stormwater management strategies makeour regions residents safer by managingurban stormwater and groundwater,thereby reducing damage caused bylooding and subsidence. They also lessenthe threat to life and property posedby regular street looding and improveinsurability by reducing repetitive lossrates and lowering premiums. Balancinggroundwater stabilizes soils and minimizessubsidence rates, which helps to maintainlevee and loodwall integrity, a safer watersupply and an effective drainage system.At the same time, this minimizes thesigniicant costs associated with repairsto subsurface utilities, roadways, andbuildings.

Economic Vitality

In order for integrated water managementto be sustainable in the long term, it mustprotect our regions valuable economic

Integrated Water Management

Social

Economic

SafeSustainable

Bearable Equitable

ViableEcological


55/223


Quality of Life

Left: Kids play soccer onthe Lake Ponchartrainlakefront. Right: A MardiGras Indian on BayouSt. John.

assets and create new opportunities forwealth creation. The region must be a placewhere businesses can safely thrive, wherelood-induced business interruption is not aconstant worry, and where property valuesare unfettered by the threat of loodingor subsidence. Economic developmentimperatives like growth of the regionspopulation and tax base are intimately tied

to the publics sense of our regions safetyand economic vitality. By reducing damagesdue to looding and subsidence, storm-water management strategies make bigstrides in protecting private interests. Theyalso reduce related market ineficienciesby improving insurability and reducingenergy costs, which save private citizensand municipalities millions of dollars.However, integrated water managementdoes more than preserve value; it createsit. By enhancing the regions marketability,it attracts business, talent, and new real

estate investment to the area. It alsonecessitates the creation of an entirely newwater management industry, much like theNetherlands, which is valued at $57 billion.At street level, these kinds of infrastructurestrategies convert vacant and blightedproperties into safe, welcoming assets andboost the surrounding property value -value shared by the entire community.

Quality of Life

Our region has long been blessed with a

high quality of life: unique natural beauty,weekly festivals, and disarmingly goodfood and music. However, we are far fromperfect when it comes to preserving thesefeatures. We have walled ourselves off

from one of our greatest assets - water- and as a result have shortchanged ourenvironment and hindered our abilityto enjoy and utilize our surroundings.We also have been slow to build thenew assets that will provide the culturalframework for future generations. We areconstantly reminded of the precariousnessof our customs and ways of life; in the

middle of a second line, we are waitingfor the other shoe to drop. Integratedwater management goes beyond safetyand economic vitality to touch quality oflife. It builds value with water, creatingwaterfronts, accessible public spaces, andrecreational opportunities where therewere none. By delivering protection fromloods and subsidence, it preserves thoseways of life that we all depend on for ouridentity. A comprehensive approach towater management is also a sustainableone: it enhances water and air quality

through blue-green strategies; enriches ourregions diverse and vibrant ecosystems;and reduces the heat we all know too well.Integrated water management treats wateras an asset, as something to be carefullyconserved, but also as something to beappreciated and used to the fullest.


56/223

56 Building Value

DRAINSTOREDELAY

GreenRoofs

Plants

Bioretention&Infiltration

PerviousPaving

Exfiltration

WaterHarvesting

SubsurfaceStorage

ImprovedCanal

StorageBasin

ConstructedWetland

RedirectedDischarge

RECHARGE

CirculatingNetwork

QUALITYOFLIFE

ECONOMIC

VITA

LITY

SAFETY

Provides

Multi-Level Protection

Reduces Flood Risk

Limits Subsidence

Reduces Damages due to

Flooding and Subsidence

Improves Insurability

Attracts & Retains

Businesses and Investment

Creates New Industry and Jobs

Increases Property Values

Uses Vacant &

Blighted Properties

Reduces Energy Consumption

Uses Water to Improve

Urban Quality and Value

Enhances Water & Air Quality

Enriches Ecosystems

Reduces Heat Island Effect

Increases Citizen

Wellbeing and Confidence

Stormwater Management Benefits and Practices

This matrix provides a list of proposed water management strategies discussed in more detail in the Vision and Designreports and examines the breadth of beneits this type of integrated approach can offer. The matrix is an illustrativesummary of how these strategies can produce different combinations of beneits.

Little Impact

Some Impact

High degree of impact


57/223


Provides Multi-Level Protection

Strengthens lines of defense

Reduces loads on existing drainage systems

Multiple lines of defense - healthy wetlands,a strong levee system, and urban watermanagement - are essential to our regionsfuture. An integrated urban water systemsupplements the regions existing looddefenses in a symbiotic way, protecting thesurrounding infrastructure and reducingthe load on the drainage systems, whilerelying on the integrity of these systems toensure existing and new urban assets arethemselves protected from catastrophic

events. Through this strategy of layering,strengthening, and reinforcing, the regionwill experience myriad beneits, theprimary of which is safety.

The levee system is notsufficient to protect ourcoastal communitiesover the long term... Thelandscape along the coast isdrastically changing, whichthreatens an entire way oflife for the people who live

and work there. Adaptationis essential.

- Marco Cocito-Monoc, Greater New OrleansFoundation

SAFETY


58/223

58 Building Value

Reduces Flood Risk

Manages urban stormwater

Reduces threat to life and property

Improves insurability

New Orleans experiences incalculablelosses each year from looding caused byrelatively common storm events. Integratedwater management drastically reduceslood risk in a way that ensures the long-term safety and economic competitivenessof our city. Flooding does not only occurwhen a named storm comes ashore.Because of our sinking soil, antiquatedand overtaxed drainage system, andunsustainable development practices,

loods are an unfortunately commonevent that can be brought on by relativelycommon rain showers. These storm eventsimpose signiicant safety risks and a majoreconomic drain.

The quantitative costs of these events arealarming. Beyond structural damage andlost worker productivity, over 50 yearsthese lood events produce over 450,000tons of debris, displace over 639,000people, and leave over 241,000 households

SAFETY

Flood damage to structuresand total economic loss tobusinesses and employeesfrom frequent storm eventsis estimated to be $7.9billionover 50 years.

in need of temporary shelter, with majorimplications for public health and safety.Local businesses bear economic costs thatothers in drier cities do not and propertyowners must shoulder costs that imply atrade-off with quality of life, reducing theiroverall happiness and prosperity. Thisreality is felt in municipality coffers too,as the lood events thwart the populationand tax growth of the region. An integratedwater systems signature techniques -

slowing, storing, circulating, and recharging- directly manage urban water to lower therisk of water creeping in the front doors ofhomes or businesses.


59/223


Limits Subsidence

Balances groundwater and stabilizes soils Helps maintain levee and floodwall integrity Helps maintain safe water supply

Protects subsurface utility infrastructure

By slowing down stormwater and allowingit to iniltrate the ground, integratedwater management balances groundwater,stabilizes soils, and limits subsidence. Byactively managing the regions groundwaterlevels, the Urban Water Plan minimizesland subsidence, thereby reducing damageto structures and infrastructure, includinglevee improvement costs.

Property owners stand to gain signiicantly

from anti-subsidence measures. Integratedwater management could prevent up to$2.2 billion dollars in subsidence-relatedmaintenance costs over the next 50 years.However, the 35,000 homes in the mostsubsidence-prone areas would also beneitfrom increased home values and the safetyand peace of mind of living on stabler land.

Subsidence has profound effects on thewater delivery system in New Orleans.According to the City of New Orleans

SAFETY

Integrated watermanagement can saveproperty owners anestimated $2.2 billioninsubsidence costs, impactingapproximately 35,000structures over the next 50years.

Department of Public Works, subsidenceis responsible for the majority of theirsystems overall maintenance costs.Yearly repairs due to subsidence amountto millions of dollars, money that wouldbe saved with an integrated urban watersystem. By stabilizing the ground aroundthe regionss water delivery systems,quality, safety, and reliability would beimproved.


60/223

60 Building Value

ECONOMIC VITALITY

Reduces Damages Due to Flooding and Subsidence

Reduces flood-related property damage

Reduces subsidence-related damage to structures and infrastructure

Reduces cost of levee improvements

Integrated water management drasticallyreduces the economic impact of loodingand subsidence, resulting in billions ofdollars in savings and creating conditionswith profound secondary and tertiaryeconomic beneits.

Integrated water management signiicantlyreduces the direct costs of looding andsubsidence by curtailing lood-relatedproperty damage for residents and

businesses and damage to structures andinfrastructure. The direct savings of theseimprovements are staggering: $7.9 billionin reduced lood damage and $2.2 billion insavings due to reduced subsidence damage.And the ten-plus billion dollars in savingsapplies to structures alone; this total doesnot even account for infrastructure damage.

Integrated water management is a long-term solution, with long-term beneits.The costs of maintaining the status quoalso stretch far into the future, but their

By radically reducingdamages due to f looding andsubsidence, $10.1 billion

gno urban water plan_implementation_03oct2013

Documents