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Louisiana Could Be Silicon Valley For Water Management -- If It Invests

WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio | By Travis Lux
Published June 27, 2017 at 9:27 AM CDT
The Data Center
The 2017 Coastal Index from the Data Center says not enough of the coastal restoration contracts are staying in Louisiana, and that state could do more to bolster the water management industry here.

Louisiana spends hundreds of millions of dollars every year to restore and protect the coastline with big earth-moving projects, like building marshes and barrier islands.

 

The state hires professional contractors to bring in their backhoes, dozers, dredges and workboats to do the job. It’s big business. But a new report says not enough of that money is staying in the state. And with billions of dollars coming from the BP settlement, some see that as a problem.

 

WWNO’s Travis Lux talked with Dr. Allison Plyer, of the Data Center, about the new report.

 

 

Support for the Coastal Desk comes from the Walton Family Foundation, the Coypu Foundation, the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and local listeners.
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Coastal Desk demographicsWater managementeducationbp oil spill settlementcoastal restoration
Travis Lux
As Coastal Reporter, Travis Lux covers flood protection, coastal restoration, infrastructure, the energy and seafood industries, and the environment. In this role he's reported on everything from pipeline protests in the Atchafalaya swamp, to how shrimpers cope with low prices. He had a big hand in producing the series, New Orleans: Ready Or Not?, which examined how prepared New Orleans is for a future with more extreme weather. In 2017, Travis co-produced two episodes of TriPod: New Orleans at 300 examining New Orleans' historic efforts at flood protection. One episode, NOLA vs Nature: The Other Biggest Flood in New Orleans History, was recognized with awards from the Public Radio News Directors and the New Orleans Press Club. His stories often find a wider audience on national programs, too, like NPR's Morning Edition, WBUR's Here and Now, and WHYY's The Pulse.
See stories by Travis Lux

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