Storm Water Regulation and Best Practices John G. Minor : General Contractor .

Storm Water Regulationand Best Practices

John G. Minor : General Contractor www.completecontracting.com

Storm Water Management New Orleans, Louisiana In 1900, New Orleans could be said to have a drainage system which was thoroughly equipped and competent to effectively deal with Storm Water management.

What Was Wrong?•There were no sewers.•Vaults & Cesspools were

cleaned in intervals by excavating companies and the contents were removed in barrels and dumped into the Mississippi River below the city.

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Storm Water Management New Orleans, Louisiana •Drainage system consisted

of approximately sixty-nine miles of canals, both low and high level.

•Storm Water was discharged into tide-water.

•System Consisted of Seven Pumping Stations with a Functioning Capacity was 2.5 billion gallons/24 hours .

Archive Web Photos : Reference Registry

Storm Water Management New Orleans, Louisiana

In 1903, the Drainage Commission was merged with the Sewerage and Water Board to consolidate drainage, water, and sewerage programs under one agency for more efficient operations.

Archive Web Photo : Reference Registry This organization retained the title Sewerage and Water Board, and remains as such today.

Storm Water Management:•Understanding•Planning•Analyzing•Controlling

Archive Web Photo : Reference Registry


Because the river levees are higher than the lake levees, most rainwater is pumped into Lake Pontchartrain.

Exceptions are the West Bank Pumping Stations and two stations in Eastern New Orleans that pump rainwater into the Intracoastal Waterway or the Industrial Canal.


Lake Pontchartrain Water Basin


In addition to Pump Stations, the New Orleans area has utilized Spillways to manage Storm Water.

Bonnet Care’ Spillway


Storm Water Management : The use of spillways diverts millions of gallons of water into the basins surrounding the New Orleans area and across the state of Louisiana.


Watershed Programs

A watershed is the area of land from which all rainfall (runoff) drains into a body of water. A watershed is like a funnel; it collects all the water within the drainage area and channels it into a waterway.


email: [email protected]

Watershed Programs Offer Additional Storm Water Management Opportunities

There are over 2,100 watersheds in the continental U.S and an additional 150+ in Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico.

New Orleans Drainage Pump Station No. 4 (DPS #4) serves as a watershed and drains some 4,800 acres by discharging the storm water runoff into Lake Pontchartrain.


Watershed Programs are used throughout the Southeast, especially in coastal areas that have a topography similar to New Orleans.

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Extensive drainage plans often become an integral part of subdivision planning along the gulf coast.

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Storm Water Management New Orleans , Louisiana

The NO Sewerage and Water Board System has two main sewage treatment plants: Algiers and the East Bank

The treatment capacity is 132 million gallons per day. Both plants were built in the 1970’s and have been upgraded and expanded to increase their capacity and to keep up with the growth of the city.


Algiers Point

East Bank Pump Station


Continuous maintenance and repairs have been carried out by the Sewerage & Water Board over the years, but the age of the system, and the soil, weather and other conditions unique to this area resulted in the need for an evaluation of the entire collection system.

The first phases of the evaluation have led to great improvements and it's expected that future phases will reveal the need for millions in repair work in each area of the City.

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The Sewer System Evaluation and Rehabilitation Program (SSERP), formed in 1996, is part of the EPA Consent Decree the Board signed in 1998.

It focuses on the sanitary sewer portion of the sewerage system which collects wastewater from homes and businesses and transports it to the wastewater treatment plants.

The New Orleans Sewage & Water Board has received $38 million in federal grants.

Depending on the eventual total costs, funding for all the projects of the SSERP will come from federal funds in the form of EPA Grants; Sewage & Water Board Matching Funds; as well as, various Sewage & Water Board Operational and Maintenance Funds.

HISTORY OF FEDERAL GRANT FOR STORMWATER MANAGEMENT

Storm Water Management New Orleans , Louisiana Mandates imposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] states that the NO Sewerage & Water Board must find $200 million over the next 10 to 15 years. Renovation of the drainage system will require another $800 million.

If the Sewage & Water Board can provide matching funds of $600 million, the federal government will commit to $400 million to assist with the renovations.



The $200 million Sewage System project will include a sewerage collection system that is computerized and monitored constantly.

It will also include the structural rehabilitation of the sanitary sewerage collection pipes and expansion of sewerage lift & pump stations.

The project will provide for structural rehabilitation of sewer force mains, as well as, the removal of obstructions from sewer lines.


Southeast Louisiana Drainage Program

Southeast Louisiana Drainage Program [SELA] This program consists of several project components that are being designed and constructed throughout the New Orleans tri-parish area.

The Project Cooperation Agreement executed by the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans in January 1997 required that the federal government provide 75% of the total project cost of the SELA projects in Orleans Parish and that the S&WB provide 25%.

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• The Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $5.3 million contract to build a floodgate across Louisiana 46 in the eastern end of St. Bernard Parish, which will tie together two large stretches of concrete-topped levees that will eventually ring most populated areas of the parish.

• The Louisiana 46 floodgate project is expected to begin construction before summer and complete work within eight months. The gates would be closed in the event of an oncoming storm, but would remain open at all other times. There will be an emergency access road built to allow drivers to get around the gate in the event it is closed.

• Louisiana 46 is one of the final floodgate projects in the so-called Chalmette Loop levee system. Times Picayune 03 24 10

[Click to HyperLink]


The city of New Orleans is also responsible for incorporating Housing standards from the ICC’s International Building Code.

The City’s standards for grading and drainage state that water from your property has to drain towards the street. It cannot drain into your neighbors’ property or under your house. Also, your property must drain in a way that prevents standing water from accumulating. The fill of your lot has to maintained and has to be replaced when erosion occurs.



The city’s housing standard for roofs states that the roofs cannot allow rain or water to enter the house and cannot have broken or loose materials.

Roof drains, gutters and downspouts must be in good repair and cannot be blocked up. Gutters cannot allow standing water due to mosquito breeding.

Roof water must drain towards the street and cannot drain onto adjacent property. Water cannot drain under your house because it will cause the foundation to weaken.



FEMA has recently taken on the Louisiana Mapping Project (LaMP) which will result in homeowners, business owners and other citizens of the 15 Louisiana parishes receiving more accurate flood hazard and risk information.



The new maps are known as DFIRM’s [Preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps] and are based on the most technically advanced flood insurance study performed in Louisiana. They give a current and accurate picture of the coastal Louisiana flood risks. The updated preliminary flood hazard maps have now been provided to all coastal parishes in Louisiana.


Storm Water Management Plays a Critical Role In . . .

•Controlling Flooding•Enhancing Safety•Protecting the

Environment •Meeting the Requirements

of Federal Regulations


Photograph Reference Registrywww.louisianahistoricalsociety.orgwww.mvn.usace.army.mil/environmentalwww.jeffparish.netwww.swbno.org www.lamappingproject.com www.neworleansboardofrealtors.com

www.fema.com [email protected]@usace.army.mil

Storm Water Regulation and Best Practices John G. Minor : General Contractor .

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