The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Dr.
College of Engineering researchers leading efforts for flood mitigation and watershed management
Wed, 03/24/2021 - 8:49am
College of Engineering researchers developed a geospatial technique to design a statewide flood monitoring network based on input from state and regional stakeholders as part of the Louisiana Watershed Initiative’s monitoring and modeling program
An effort to reduce flood risks and improve floodplain management is getting a boost from researchers at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette College of Engineering.
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Watershed Flood Center, directed by Dr. Emad Habib, Civil Engineering Professor, along with Dr. Robert Miller, Civil Engineering Assistant Professor, and Dr. Brian Miles and Dr. Mohamed ElSaadani, are working with the Louisiana Watershed (LWI) Initiative on the six-year, $15 million project to design and develop a statewide network comprised of 100 riverine and rainfall gauging sites. The goal is to use the data collected from the network to improve the state’s efforts for sustainable watershed management and flood mitigation.
The project is part of a scientific modeling program being overseen by the Louisiana Watershed Initiative (LWI). Gov. John Bel Edwards created the LWI in 2018 in response to unprecedented flooding in 2016 that inundated 56 of 64 parishes, killed 13 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.
“I am very proud of our researchers at the UL Lafayette Civil Engineering Department who are partnering with our state and regional leaders to develop science-based solutions for flood mitigation and watershed management throughout the state,” said Dr. Ahmed Khattab, Dean of Engineering. This is a great testament to the high quality of the research and education programs that our College delivers. For more information on how our researchers have a developed design of a statewide network of stream monitoring sensors as part of the Louisiana Watershed Initiative, click here.
“When completed, this network will put Louisiana in a much better position for preparing for and responding to flood hazards, as well as developing pro-active plans for sustainable water management”, Dean Khattab added.
Learn more about the Louisiana Watershed Initiative modeling program. View an interactive map of the new gauge network.
