Stormwater Management at The University of New Orleans

Due to the below-sea-level elevation and coastal location of New Orleans, it is imperative that the city, its inhabitants and its organizations learn to deal efficiently and systematically with water. Following substantial damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, The University of New Orleans, which is located in the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain, embarked upon an ambitious effort to improve its campus. The University has adopted a Hazard Mitigation recommendations and feasible measures for implementation to reduce and prevent damage. However, the university would strongly benefit from having a Stormwater Management Plan that would limit negative environmental impacts on UNO campus. The objective of this research project is to examine ways that The University of New Orleans could improve stormwater drainage and flood prevention. As an effort to foster and encourage the sustainability component throughout UNO’s diverse curriculums, our recommendations will revolve around an interdisciplinary cooperative whose responsibility will be the creation of a Stormwater Management Plan for the university. As part of the study, the authors will look into the existing stormwater management efforts at the university level and city level. The authors will create at least one innovative green infrastructure design for a site on-campus showing how managing stormwater at its source can benefit the campus community and the environment