The Water Institute of the Gulf (The Water Institute) is celebrating a decade of connecting public, private, and academic collaborators to address some of the most pressing challenges facing Louisiana and coastal communities everywhere.
The Water Institute was founded in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Following those destructive storms, Louisiana leaders, led by former Senator Mary Landrieu and then Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) Chairman Garret Graves, decided it was time for a new approach in addressing water management and applied river-coastal research. Following several fact-finding trips to Deltares, the renowned water management research institute in the Netherlands, there was a push to form something similar in Louisiana. In late 2011, that vision became a reality with the formation of The Water Institute through a collaborative effort involving the State of Louisiana and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF).
The Water Institute formed as a hub to connect the academic, public, and private research communities and conduct applied research to support decision-making. In 2014, The Water Institute was selected as the RESTORE Act Center of Excellence for Louisiana, administering a grant program that provides million in funding for academic researchers working on topics to strengthen and inform the state’s Coastal Master Plan.