July Meeting - Causes of the Baton Rouge Capital Region Flooding

August 2016 brought record floods to the Baton Rouge Capital Region, equaling and surpassing the historic 1983 flood which many pointed to as a worst-case flooding scenario. After decades of continued land development of the watersheds in this region, fresh, often contentious discussion around the impacts have been flowing in the public discourse.  With the fork in the road these concerns present to evolving public policy and expectations upon private development patterns, we've invited Bob Jacobsen, engineering consultant on flood hydrology, flood risk, & floodplain management, to illuminate the factors that contribute to flooding in the region. 

Jacobsen will address the July 20th meeting of the Baton Rouge Group of the Sierra Club about how storm water runoff has been impacted by: 1) rapid and pervasive development; 2) man-made modifications to channels (dredging, straightening, lining, etc.) and to floodplains (road/railroad embankments); 3) subsidence; and 4) anthropogenic climate change (perhaps the greatest impact). He will also discuss the misconceptions of flood zones and will suggest steps that need to be taken to prevent or reduce flooding and its impact on lives and property. 

An Update on Superfund Sites around Baton Rouge

Local Superfund Sites Update

Devil's Swamp Superfund Site near Alsen, Louisiana in East Baton Rouge Parish, Photo by Willie Fontenot

Baton Rouge Sierra Club presents an update of local Superfund sites of concern, including Devil's Swamp near Alsen, by Dr. Margaret Reams, Co-Principal Investigator of the NIEHS-funded Superfund Research Program at Louisiana State University.

Who: Dr Margaret Reams, professor of Coastal Environmental Science

When: February 16, 2017

7-9 PM, refreshments and chatting 6:30 PM

Where: Greater King David Baptist Church

222 Blount Road, Baton Rouge, LA 

Our readers may wish to catch a portion of this interview of Dr. Reams at "An Index for Resilience" summit in the Netherlands in 2013. Reams speaks about the factors complicating emergency preparations in the event of flooding coupled together with the presence of hazardous industrial facilities. These factors raise additional variables that households will have to consider during their personal disaster preparations in our environs.

For more information contact Gwen Pine or call: (two-two-five) 573-1137

Recovery After the Flood - Rebuilding with Resilience

Rebuilding with Resilience

Thursday, December 8, 2016

7:00-9:00 with refreshments and chatting starting at 6:30

The Backpacker, 7656 Jefferson Hwy

Jeff Carney, LSU associate professor in the School of Architecture & director of the Coastal Sustainability Studio; and Haley Blakeman, landscape architect & CPEX Director of Implementation, will address ways of “Rebuilding with Resilience.”
Jeff holds master’s degrees in both architecture and city and regional planning from UC Berkeley where he was a recipient of a fellowship to study community design in many parts of the world. Working with a broad range of scientists, engineers, and designers, he is currently directing a multi-year project, the Louisiana Resiliency Assistance Program, sponsored through HUD and the Kresge Foundation.
Haley earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from LSU and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree from UNO. Haley works at a variety of scales, from comprehensive planning  and residential master plans, to commercial and institutional site designs, hike and bike trails, open space and greenway plans, and stream restorations.

More information: Nancy Grush nancygrush@gmail.com, Gwen Pine gpine48@att.net or 225-573-1137

Photo The Advocate “Local rebuilding organization to set up offices in Baton Rouge, assist with flood recovery” Jessica Williams Aug 22, 2016