Framing Action Around a Watershed “No one city can affect the change needed to control large flooding events and likewise no one project will be enough to solve the problem.” - Denham Strong Strategy for the Future , 2017, p.12
In 2016, Louisiana experienced two catastrophic rain events. The catastrophic August flooding in and around Baton Rouge took 13 lives and inundated more than 109,000 homes (LED 2017). In its wake there was an estimated $8.7 billion in damages requiring recovery efforts that will take years to complete. Though classified as a “one-in-1,000-year flood” this was the 3rd such event to hit the southeastern US in 2016, and one of 16 since 2010. Climate scientists predict that these types of severe rain storms are likely to increase in frequency and intensity in the future (Prein et al. 2016). These two 2016 floods highlighted weaknesses in Louisiana’s approach to managing water and risk reduction. In response, the state has implemented the Louisiana Watershed Initiative. This effort coordinates state, regional, and local agencies to reduce flood risk by managing the flow of water along natural boundaries, and encouraging coordinated mitigation action across watersheds. Actions taken in one community can have a downstream impact on the flow of water−increasing or reducing the risk of flooding in other communities. At the same time, decisions about community development across a region are often uncoordinated and may be inconsistent with flood prevention. While in its early stages, the watershed approach will help to coordinate decisions about land use and infrastructure investment to more effectively manage flood risk. When thinking about planning at a watershed scale, these concepts set the framework apart: broad scales, systems, complex systems, and dynamic strategies.
watershed A watershed is an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.
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Denham Springs Resilience
