WE NEED YOU TO TAKE URGENT ACTION!
New Orleans is strong and vibrant, but we can't rely on resilience alone. It's time to demand a better drainage system and take control of our city's future! We must come together and connect our communities to develop stronger, better infrastructure to ensure our city’s future, living together above water.
THE FUTURE OF NEW ORLEANS IS AT STAKE.
Many cities in the United States use a stormwater management fee, also known as a stormwater utility fee, to fund stormwater management programs and infrastructure.Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, NC, Philadelphia, Seattle, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Miami-Dade County, and more have already implemented a stormwater management fee to tackle their water management issues.
The New Orleans Office of Resilience and Sustainability has estimated that implementing a stormwater management utility fee could generate up to $26 million in annual revenue, which could be used to fund critical infrastructure improvements and green infrastructure projects.
We propose generating a Water Justice Fund, generated by a stormwater fee, to pave the way for equitably financed capital improvements. The Water Justice fund will provide transparency and accountability around the drainage utility, address flooding problems, and invest into more green infrastructure around the city.
We need everyone to have the courage and determination to face the challenge of water in New Orleans head on, united as a city. Our city’s century old pipes and pumps are deteriorating, under funded and neglected.
A STORM WATER MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT
Join us in supporting the Water Justice Fund, a critical investment in stormwater management. This fund will upgrade infrastructure, facilitate workforce development, and advocate for sustainable and equitable water management practices.
The Water Justice Fund could also prioritize supporting communities that have historically been marginalized or excluded from decision-making around water issues, such as low-income communities and communities of color.
New Orleans needs to invest in resilience and preparedness to adapt to the increasing weather events and subsidence, reduce the impact of flooding, and improve residents' safety and wellbeing. This can be achieved through prioritizing infrastructure investments that increase drainage capacity, improving land use planning, investing in green infrastructure, and reducing subsidence.
Moreover, implementing a stormwater management utility fee in an equitable and sustainable way can help to create a more equitable and sustainable funding model for the stormwater management system, create opportunities for advancement for the local economy and individuals, and place New Orleans at the forefront of stormwater management and economic development.
Investing in resilience and preparedness, such as through infrastructure upgrades, land use planning, and subsidence reduction measures, can help to mitigate the negative impacts of subsidence and build a more sustainable future for New Orleans.
PROGRESS TIMELINE
Read about our journey, every step of the way!
MARCH - MAY 2024
JANUARY - FEBURARY 2024
JUNE- DECEMBER 2023
Over the coming months, we will utilize various engagement strategies, including media, canvassing, public workshops and town halls, and block parties.
MAY 18TH, 2023
Free community event, where we invite our current partners and thank them for their ongoing support. Additionally, announce the formal start of the public arm of our campaign.
MARCH - JUNE 2023
This 10-part workshop series is a culmination of all the research and data we’ve collected since 2019. In the workshops, we provide local residents with data and information to have them co-develop the first draft of the stormwater fee. Within this group, a Community Engagement Committee will work with us over the coming months to refine the policy recommendations.
MARCH 28TH, 2023
JANUARY- APRIL 2023
In partnership with Bywater Branding, we completed several focus groups and salons with specific groups to better understand how to craft messaging.
JUNE - DECEMBER 2022
Over the next seven months we provided both groups with insight into our approach, strategy, and goals. They helped us refine and provide clarity to the future campaign.
MAY 2022
The Public Advisory Group supports the TWC team with the strategic direction of the fee. This group was open to anyone in the community interested in helping to craft the process. They will also provide their knowledge and skill sets to the advisory group to help refine the final policy.
APRIL 2022
Steering Committee Members will help advise TWC and our partners on how to turn the fee into a viable ordinance.
2022
WaterNow Alliance is a San Fransisco-based non-profit that supports community organizations and government agencies to advance equity and climate resilience in water governance and implementation.
APRIL 2021
TWC joins the Business Council of the River Region’s Stormwater Management Stakeholder Committee Meeting
First time leaders across sectors spoke about the need, challenges, and opportunities regarding SWF.
FEBRURARY 2020
TWC joins the Advancing Cities Cohort, where policy and systems change are identified as focus areas to help expand the Green Infrastructure Workforce.
The Stormwater Fee is identified as a key output from the cohort to help create demand for a new and healthy workforce in water management.
JUNE 2019
Hired the current Executive Directive, Jessica Dandridge, who expanded the scope of TWC to include water justice
This expansion moved the proposed Stormwater Fee from being just about water management to tackling governance, accountability, and transparency.
JANUARY 2019
TWC White Paper “Using a Stormwater Fee to Finance More Equitable, Sustainable, and Innovative Urban Water Management”
The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans first published a paper on the need for a Stormwater Fee to equitably fund our drainage system and fund green infrastructure across the city of New Orleans.
