Safeguarding the environment of Lake Maurepas

This historic donation comes after Air Products announced plans to build a new facility in Louisiana to create clean hydrogen using technology that dramatically reduces the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This safe technology will store carbon dioxide deep under Lake Maurepas, and the company’s leaders knew they had to ensure the Lake Maurepas ecosystem was studied and protected as their Louisiana Clean Energy Complex project becomes operational.

This is why the company is supporting a three-year, nearly $10 million project for independent biomonitoring research of Lake Maurepas by Southeastern Louisiana University, which will independently monitor the environmental health and safety of the lake during the construction and operation of the Louisiana Clean Energy Complex.

“We realized from the outset that we needed comprehensive and independent monitoring of Lake Maurepas and said so publicly early in our work on this clean energy project,” said Louisiana Clean Energy Project Manager at Air Products Andrew Connolly. “We are pleased to have Southeastern serve this important role. Their scientists have been studying this ecosystem for decades and, with the Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station, they are singularly and best qualified to conduct this monitoring study.”

All of this investment is in addition to supporting the community around Lake Maurepas through the Lake Maurepas Community Fund, which is a $1 million annual commitment to community projects around the Lake.

They turned to the experts at Southeastern Louisiana University, who have a long history of work in the Lake Maurepas community, including running the Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station in the area. Southeastern researchers have studied Lake Maurepas for years and are the leading experts on the lake’s environment, and this independent biomonitoring research will further support and expand their efforts.

“Southeastern will be monitoring all facets of this project involving the lake to ensure up-to-date data and information are available. We will make all the data we record available to the public to ensure everyone’s right to know any findings,” said Dan McCarthy, dean of the College of Science and Technology.

“Transparency is in an important part of this effort, as we want the public to know what is happening on the Lake and to have confidence in the safety of this project,” said Danna Leblanc, the commercial executive director of the project. “As a native Louisianan, I know firsthand the joy that Louisiana’s natural environment brings to the people here and I am committed to ensuring that our project is protective of that.”

Southeastern is directing the funding for research, data collection, and publicly provided analytical results. Southeastern will monitor the aquatic and wetlands environments of Lake Maurepas to include wildlife and other species that live in this ecosystem.

Real-time monitoring buoys will be deployed soon, which will ultimately feed data to a public dashboard so members of the public can also monitor the health of Lake Maurepas. This data will allow other independent researchers to highlight any changes in the lake over time.

In total, SLU has devoted a team of five principal researchers, with a supporting research team of 16 post doctoral and graduate students who will focus on studying all aspects of the Lake’s ecosystem, wildlife and fisheries.

Southeastern is conducting research in multiple phases, which began in 2022 where the team gathered baseline data to build a basis for its future biomonitoring activities. The next phase of monitoring runs from 2023 through 2025, when Southeastern’s team will continue to watch for any chemical or biological impacts on Lake Maurepas’ wildlife or wetlands and aquatic environments.

To learn more about how Air Products is ensuring the health and safety of Lake Maurepas, visit safety.CleanEnergyLouisiana.com.