City of New Orleans Celebrates Completion of $5.3 Million Oak Park Drainage Upgrades

Mayor LaToya Cantrell | Mayor LaToya Cantrell Official Photo

By Nola Reporter Report

Dec 22, 2023

NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today was joined by Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Infrastructure Joe Threat, Deputy General Superintendent of Sewerage and Water Board New Orleans (SWBNO) Steve Nelson and District D Councilmember Eugene Green to celebrate the completion of the $5.3 million Oak Park Drainage Upgrades Project.

“I’m so excited about Oak Park because it really is an example of how the City of New Orleans is doing the work on how to best mitigate the effects of climate change and to learn to live with water,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “Here, we have innovative solutions, like bioswales, that are repurposing our streets and walkways to alleviate flooding. This is also a great example of how working together, at every level, gets things done. We understand this work is disruptive, but it’s necessary. We have to ensure we do this well because there is so much more to do and more money to vie for to do even more work.”

The Oak Park Drainage Upgrades Project is intended to help alleviate flooding by increasing the capacity of subsurface drainage between local streets and trunk lines, as well as by using green infrastructure options, which may include retention/detention basins, street basins, rain gardens and street-side bioswales. These mitigation efforts will help reduce flooding for over 200 households in this neighborhood. Through utilizing both grey and green infrastructure, the water storage volume has increased significantly

“This project is personal for me because I lost two houses just down the street from here in Hurricane Katrina, so seeing this progress in the neighborhood makes me feel good,” said Threat. “When I started with this administration on the transition team in 2018, the Mayor asked me to work with the outgoing administration to evaluate what we had on our plate, and we had a handful. Over time, we have been taking small bites of that big apple, and this is another win today. The final story for the Cantrell Administration will be that we spent all the federal money, and we are a model for the world on green infrastructure and how you deal with water.”

“It’s such a pleasure to stand here today, cutting a ribbon on a beautiful and functional project,” said Nelson. “I’d like to echo the spirit of collaboration between SWBNO and DPW, and the amount of work we have been able to get done together. For this project, SWBNO completed two blocks of sewer and water main replacements. Those mains were originally installed in 1952, and while that’s newer than some of our pipes; they were definitely due for retirement. We are glad to send them on their way and add this resilient infrastructure. Again, working together we can accomplish good things, and we are doing that right now.”

This $5.3 million project was funded by Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), as well as by the federal Joint Information Recovery Request (JIRR) program.

“You have seen the Mayor and I together a lot recently, from the Bayou St. John ribbon cutting to the Mirabeau Water Garden groundbreaking and other favorable, positive developments happening in this district,” said Councilmember Green. “I am so pleased to represent this district at a time when so many long-awaited projects are getting done. It is great to see these projects that will enhance our community and our infrastructure, make us live better with water, make us safer and, in the long run, save us money from flood losses and on insurance. It’s important to recognize the progress being made in our city, as we are being recognized on a national level.”

To date, the Cantrell Administration has completed hazard mitigation projects storing 10.8 million gallons of stormwater. Projects currently in construction or advertising for bid will bring that total to 34.4 million gallons stored. All the hazard mitigation projects secured by the City are complete, under construction or advertising for bids, securing those grant funds for the residents of New Orleans.

The combination of stormwater infrastructure, street and drainage upgrades and recreational amenities will prepare New Orleans to thrive through increasingly intense rain events and urban heat. With $269 million in projects beginning construction in 2024, the Disaster Resilience and Hazard Mitigation programs will: