Proposed ‘Urban Water Plan’ drowning in obstacles

By Sam Tabachnik
Contributing Writer

Last Friday, Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO) introduced an impressive and radical new Urban Water Plan for the city of New Orleans and neighboring parishes.

Speaker after speaker trotted excitedly to the podium to gush over the aesthetic modifications the project will bring: new parks, wider canals and floating streets.

Both Dutch and New Orleans’ officials spoke animatedly about the economic benefits of the project (an estimated $11.3 billion) while decreasing flooding and land loss and improving the quality of life for its residents.

The presentation and the speakers were impressive, but there appears to be a number of obstacles to overcome before New Orleanians will see drastic changes: time, funding, and major differences in environmental factors between the Netherlands and Louisiana.

The sheer ambition of the plan makes clear the impossibility of any swift completion. The plan’s chief architect and planner, David Waggonner, said that this will be a long-term ordeal, with 2050 set as a tentative completion date.

Thirty-seven years down the road, who knows what kind of city New Orleans will be. Standing precariously on the front lines of climate change, a host of new environmental issues promise to change the city’s landscape in that time frame.

Another issue worth noting is the difference between the Dutch and New Orleans environments. This plan has heavy influence from members of the Royal Dutch Embassy and since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans officials have taken multiple trips to the Netherlands to learn how they deal with water.

Although the Netherlands was built on soft alluvial soils similar to those found in southeastern Louisiana, Dale Morris, a senior Dutch economist involved in the project, acknowledged that New Orleans would have a much harder time implementing its water strategy than his country did.

A key difference is that the Dutch don’t face frequent hurricanes and violent thunderstorms such as those that hit Louisiana. With much calmer weather patterns, the Netherlands has a lot less to worry about than New Orleans and surrounding parishes.

The final potential speed bump for the Urban Water Plan is the funding. It remains unclear from where the $6.2 billion necessary to complete this project will come. GNO, Inc stated that potential funding options include the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) and U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, among others.

Until a more detailed funding plan is announced, skeptics will continue to look at the plan as an impressive idea and little more.

The Urban Water Plan is undeniably ambitious and radical, and we will soon see whether these obstacles are simple bumps in the road to a safer, greener city or whether they may prove to be more considerable.

This article originally published in the September 16, 2013 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.