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Urban Waters Partnership

Urban Waters and the Lake Pontchartrain Area/New Orleans (Louisiana)

At over 40 miles wide, Lake Pontchartrain is the second largest inland saltwater body in the United States. It covers 630 square miles, serves six Louisiana parishes and 1.5 million people. Though classified as a lake, Lake Pontchartrain is technically an estuary that connects to the Gulf of Mexico. Lake Pontchartrain has suffered devastating hurricane effects and been adversely affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

While the community continues to recover, Lake Pontchartrain remains a vital resource for economic development, recreation and sustainability. The lakeshore has historically been utilized by a wide range of New Orleans' diverse community members. The Urban Waters partnership seeks to reconnect citizens to the lake by:

  • revitalizing abandoned lakeshore areas
  • restoring damaged structures
  • improving access and
  • educating citizens about the environment.

Initial areas of Focus selected for the Urban Waters Partnership effort include:

  • West End – Reconstruction of the New Canal Lighthouse and the West End fishing pier destroyed by Katrina.
  • Pontchartrain Beach – Reconstruction of beach facilities destroyed by Katrina.
  • East End Area – Construction of safe and accessible fishing pier facilities in Eastern New Orleans.
  • University of New Orleans (UNO) Research Facility – Partnering with UNO to expand the use of Shea Penland Coastal Education and Research Facility.
  • Lafitte Corridor/Bayou St. John – Development of greenway connecting French Quarter to Lake Pontchartrain.

List of Partners

Federal Government

  • Economic Development Administration
  • Environmental Protection Agency Region 6
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency
  • National Marine Fisheries Service
  • National Oceanic and Atmoshperic Administration
  • National Park Service
  • Natural Resources Conservation Service
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  • U.S. Department of Transportation
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • U.S. Forest Service
  • U.S. Geological Survey

Non-Fed Partners

State Agencies

  • Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission
  • Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
  • Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
  • Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

Local Government Agencies

  • City of New Orleans
  • City Planning Commission
  • New Orleans City Council
  • New Orleans Municipal Yacht Harbor Management Corporation
  • New Orleans Redevelopment Authority
  • Regional Planning Commission
  • Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans 

NGO Partners

  • Friends of Lafitte Greenway
  • Greater New Orleans Foundation
  • Greener Bywater
  • Groundwork New Orleans
  • Gulf Restoration Network
  • Hike for KaTREEna
  • Lafitte Greenway Steering Advisory Committee
  • Land Trust for Louisiana
  • Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
  • Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development
  • Louisiana Water Network
  • Regional Planning Commission
  • Sierra Club
  • The Trust for Public Land
  • The Water Institute of the Gulf
  • Tulane/Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research
  • Tulane City Center
  • UNO Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences
  • Urban Conservancy

Partnership in Action Report

Local Partnership Workplan 2013

Strategic Transition Plan

Presentation to 18 Urban Waters Locations Exit

The Living With Water Page Exit