Rain Garden in Filmore

Feb 6 | New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu joined Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy and City officials to commemorate the completion of the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority’s new pilot rain garden at 5302 Wildair Drive in the Filmore neighborhood. This demonstration project is designed to collect, temporarily store, and clean up to 500 gallons of rainwater and allow it to gradually flow into the City’s drainage system. Rain gardens mitigate flooding risk and help reduce subsidence. This is the first project connected to the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan which provides a long-term urban water management plan for Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard parishes.

“Today, we welcome EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to New Orleans to discuss the importance of resiliency which requires planning for the future and investment,” Mayor Landrieu said. “Over eight years ago, we learned hard lessons from Hurricane Katrina and today, we are committed to build back smarter and stronger. NORA’s pilot rain garden program is the perfect example of how we are learning to once again live with water. As we continue to rebuild our city, innovative water management strategies, including the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan, will be at the forefront. We have an opportunity to create a template for water management that can serve as an international model for resiliency.”