Reports
Spanning an array of subjects and formats, The Water Institute of the Gulf’s reports provide an in-depth look at the work we do. Please refer to Our Projects to learn more about individual projects.
Monitoring Plans for Louisiana's System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) Version IV
The purpose of this report is to describe the development of a coastwide monitoring plan for Louisiana with specific implementation recommendations fo...
View PublicationDiversion Expert Panel Report #6
The Expert Panel on Diversion Planning and Implementation met for a sixth time on October 27-28, 2016 to provide expert advice to the state on issues ...
View PublicationNational Flood Insurance Program: Impact of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012
Concern over the changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) imposed by the Biggert-Waters Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12) that likely will impo...
View PublicationReview of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Hurricane Storm Damage Risk Reduction Evaluation (September 2012)
In response to requests from Senator David Vitter and Colonel Ed Fleming, The Water Institute of the Gulf engaged in an ‘over the shoulder review’ of ...
View PublicationScience and Engineering Plan
This document identifies the principles, goals, and priorities that will govern The Water Institute’s initial research activities for the state of Lou...
View PublicationDiversion Expert Panel Report #3
The Expert Panel on Diversion Planning and Implementation met for a third time from October 27 to October 29, 2014 to provide expert advice to the sta...
View PublicationPeer Review of Analytical Model Technical Reports
As part of development of its 2012 Coastal Master Plan, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority sponsored the development of a suit...
View PublicationInto the Blue 2050
Baton Rouge and the Capital Region possess a tremendous environmental and economic asset in our freshwater resources. If we act now in a collaborative...
View PublicationDiversion Expert Panel Report #1
The Expert Panel was organized and established by The Water Institute of the Gulf to provide independent advice as plans are refined for implementing ...
View PublicationRisk Reduction for Water-Based Hazards Latin America & Caribbean
The Water Institute of the Gulf released a report that proposes collaboration among organizations and coastal communities in Louisiana and Latin Ameri...
View PublicationDiversion Expert Panel Report #4
The Expert Panel on Diversion Planning and Implementation met for a fourth time from February 11 to February 13, 2015, to provide expert advice to the...
View PublicationLouisiana Coastal Adaptation Toolkit
The Louisiana Coastal Adaptation Toolkit, co-authored by Craig E. Colten and Garrett C. Wolf, is designed as a general reference that provides resourc...
View PublicationSWAMP Version I
The System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) has been envisioned as a long-term monitoring program to ensure a comprehensive network of c...
View PublicationResearching Uncertainties Related to Sediment Diversions
This project, funded by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), focused on the development of a work plan to address critical technic...
View PublicationSocial Impact Assessment Methodology for Diversions and other Louisiana Coastal Master Plan Projects
The Water Institute of the Gulf convened an expert panel to help develop a methodology for conducting social impact assessments for sediment diversion...
View PublicationBuilding community and coastal resilience to a changing Louisiana coastline through restoration of key ecosystem functions
Bridging scientific working groups with community input, the “Building community and coastal resilience to a changing Louisiana coastline through rest...
View PublicationAn Approach to Identifying Environmental and Socio-economic Performance Measures for Coastal LA
This report identifies key indicators that can be used to track the progress of CPRA's programs and achieve the goals of restoration and protection de...
View PublicationSWAMP Version III
The purpose of this report is to describe the development of a coast wide monitoring plan for Louisiana with specific implementation recommendations f...
View PublicationExpert Panel on Greater New Orleans Hurricane & Storm Damage Risk Reduction System Design Guidelines
An independent technical peer review was conducted of the design guidelines used to develop the New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction ...
View PublicationDiversion Expert Panel Report #2
The Expert Panel on Diversion Planning and Implementation met for a second time from April 29 to May 1, 2014 to provide expert advice to the state on ...
View PublicationCPRA Data Management Plan
The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) creates, consumes, and disseminates large amounts of electronic data during its day-to-day ope...
View PublicationScenario Building Workshops
During the spring of 2014, The Water Institute of the Gulf conducted scenario-building workshops to help key stakeholders and coastal communities iden...
View PublicationDiversion Expert Panel Report #5
The Expert Panel on Diversion Planning and Implementation met for a fifth time on August 4 to provide expert advice to the state on issues pertaining ...
View PublicationSynthesis Report Series: Trends in oil and gas infrastructure, ecosystem function, and socioeconomic wellbeing in coastal Louisiana
Understanding historical changes in infrastructure density, ecosystem function, and socioeconomic wellbeing in coastal Louisiana can support better ma...
View PublicationMethodology for Producing a Coastal Louisiana Report Card
The Water Institute of the Gulf, with guidance and input from the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, was tasked to develop methodology for ...
View PublicationDiversion Expert Panel Report #7
The Expert Panel on Diversion Planning and Implementation (Panel) met for a seventh time on August 31, 2016 with a follow-up discussion on September ...
View PublicationCreating a System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program for Coastal Louisiana (SWAMP)
A System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) is being developed to ensure a comprehensive network of coastal data collection activities to ...
View PublicationCoastwide and Barataria Basin Monitoring Plans for Louisiana's System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP)
The purpose of the Coastwide and Barataria Basin Monitoring Plans for Louisiana’s System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring (SWAMP) Version II is to descr...
View PublicationAssessing the Cost of Coastal Land Creation Using Dredged Material
This report looks at the number of factors that influence the cost of building coastal land using dredged material and recommends cost-saving measures...
View PublicationGeomorphic Evolution of the Coupled Raccoon Pass and West Belle Pass Barrier Spit, Louisiana
Made of the remnants of former Mississippi River Deltas, barrier islands stretch across Louisiana’s coast. As a first line of defense against storm su...
View PublicationTransplanting Communities Facing Environmental Change: An Annotated Bibliography on Resettlement
Through hurricanes, floods, oil spills and other hazards, the people of Louisiana’s coast have one of the highest rates in the country of people livin...
View PublicationFuture Costs of Marsh Creation Projects in Coastal Louisiana
This study looks at how costs of marsh creation can change over time and some of the factors that influence those changes. Done for the Coast Builders...
View PublicationPlanning for Ecosystem-based adaptation in Taveuni, Fiji
This synthesis report provides an overview of the first seven steps used to identify, prioritise, and implement ecosystem-based adaptation projects in...
View PublicationPlanning for ecosystem-based adaptation in Honiara, Solomon Islands
This synthesis report provides an overview of the first seven steps involved to identify, prioritise, and implement ecosystem-based adaptation project...
View PublicationPlanning for ecosystem-based adaptation in Port Vila, Vanuatu
This synthesis report provides an overview of the first seven steps involved to identify, prioritise, and implement ecosystem-based adaptation project...
View PublicationLouisiana Adaptive Management Status and Improvement Report: Vision and Recommendations
In developing the vision and recommendations for implementation of adaptive management, the Institute gathered experts in adaptive management from the...
View PublicationFramework for a Long-term Strategic Plan for the Capital Area Groundwater Conservation Commission
The Capital Area Groundwater Conservation Commission oversees the use of groundwater in six parishes in Louisiana. In carrying out its statutory respo...
View PublicationFinding the Means: Investment and Adaptation in Vulnerable Communities
Facing multiple challenges from rising seas to repetitive flooding, a new issue paper from the Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law & Policy an...
View PublicationInvestigation of Flow and Water Constituent Fluxes Through the Tidal Inlets of the Barataria Basin
The Water Institute of the Gulf (the Institute) was contracted by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) of Louisiana to characterize...
View PublicationA Community-Informed Framework for Quantifying Risk and Resilience in Southeast Louisiana
This study integrates the multi-attributed aspects of coastal risk—economic, social, and environmental—into a unified coastal resilience assessment fr...
View PublicationUrban, Water, and Social Integration Plan for Quilmes
In May 2019, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation approved a $75,000 grant to Tulane University and the Institute to support work in developing a plan to r...
View PublicationNumerical Modeling of the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama Coastal System (LMACS)
Through the support of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Restoration Center, the Water Institute of the Gulf ("the Institute”) developed...
View PublicationScience-based Decision Support for Restoration and Conservation Planning in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
There are currently multiple large mechanisms to support restoration and land conservation in the northern Gulf of Mexico. To ensure that environmenta...
View PublicationIdentifying Sediment Sources and Optimizing Placement of Dredge Material to Protect Critical Infrastructure – Port of Lake Charles
This report covers data collection, analysis, and modeling conducted by The Water Institute of the Gulf (the Institute) in the Calcasieu Ship Channel ...
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