BATON ROUGE, La. ‒ The Council on Watershed Management will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 25 in Monroe, Louisiana. Earlier this year, Gov. John Bel Edwards established the Council through an executive order to help develop a new approach toward mitigating increased flood risks statewide. It was in direct response to the 2016 floods that devastated much of Louisiana.

“We know that what happens in one watershed can either directly or indirectly impact another one, which is why it’s necessary to develop a coordinated plan based on science that will help better protect our communities against increased flooding,” said Gov. Edwards. “The work has begun, and I am encouraged by how regional efforts such as Ouachita Strong are already serving a key role in creating greater resilience in our state.”

The meeting is open to the public and will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Monroe Public Safety Center Auditorium, 1810 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., following the Restore Louisiana Task Force Meeting scheduled for this same location on Sept. 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

There will be updates on policy, planning, projects and community outreach as well as ongoing flood risk reduction efforts currently taking place throughout the state. In addition, there will be a presentation by Ouachita Strong, which is an initiative focused on the development of a regional strategy for flood risk reduction and resilience. It was established by the local government agencies of Ouachita Parish in partnership with regional, state, and federal partners following the March 2016 floods.

The Council on Watershed Management is composed of Secretaries and Executive Directors of the Office of Community Development (OCD), the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).

The meeting will also be livestreamed on Facebook at this link: www.facebook.com/lawatershedinitiative.

For more information, email watershed@la.gov or access an overview of the Louisiana Watershed Initiative, located here, which defines the long-range vision for the state’s approach to mitigating future flood risk by focusing on natural, watershed-based boundaries.