What is Stormwater Management and why does it matter? 

We don’t have to tell you that stormwater is as much a part of New Orleans culture as snowballs and the Saints. At Batture, stormwater management is a huge priority– and it impacts our entire city. As we rapidly approach hurricane season, we know flooding and stormwater is on everyone’s minds–read on to learn about what stormwater management is and how the team at Batture supports it. 

 

Flowing Forward: New Solutions to an Old Problem

Stormwater management, simply put, means finding ways to deal with the rainwater that falls on a site. We develop systems for water management that benefit both people and the environment–striking this balance is a core tenant of the work we do. All projects in New Orleans that are over 5,000 square feet of building, or over 1 acre in size, are required to have stormwater management. This means that the kind of projects we take on are wide-ranging and diverse, both for private businesses and the city. 

In any given project, we’re required to detain the first 1.25″ of rainfall that lands within the property lines; accomplishing this relies on different types of infrastructure. Green infrastructure is nature-based practices that help manage stormwater by reducing stormwater runoff and allowing it to soak into the ground, improving water quality, and filtering out pollutants–think tree boxes, detention ponds, and living shorelines. Gray infrastructure is a traditional man-made method for managing stormwater, such as pipes, catch basins, and pumping stations. 

The benefits of green infrastructure go beyond a stormwater management system– these strategies also enhance the quality of life for communities through outcomes like improved air and water quality, and beautiful green public spaces. 

For example, one of our large-scale projects involves designing green infrastructure in Gentilly. The Mirabeau Water Gardens project achieves functional stormwater management through recreational and educational spaces, like walking paths and play areas. The St. Anthony Green Streets project is a community-inspired stormwater management effort incorporating public art, shade structures, and recreational and social areas.

 

Water We Doing?

A stormwater management project at Batture begins with our civil and landscape departments, which work together to create designs and develop plans using both green and gray infrastructure. The whole team has a hand in the design, and our owner Robert Mora ensures quality control and guides revisions. From start to finish, this is a truly collaborative effort and represents how we like to get things done. The project’s contractor uses our grading plans to manipulate the landform and/or topographic lines so that stormwater can be redirected. Managing the water as close as possible to where the raindrop falls means less pollution discharge and erosion; this is crucial to helping keep both ecosystems and human populations healthy. 

The health of natural and human populations in New Orleans motivates Batture’s work in stormwater management and beyond. Introducing more gray infrastructure into the city, like asphalt and compacted gravel, only puts more pressure on our pump stations and perpetuates stormwater management issues. New Orleans needs and deserves more green infrastructure and sustainable solutions to stormwater management! 

 

For anyone curious for more, see some frequently asked questions and answers below:

Q. What are the costs related to stormwater management?
A: We can safely say that the costs and benefits of stormwater management cancel each other out. It’s hard to put a price on good water systems and New Orleans more than any place needs effective drainage systems in place. Any sustainable infrastructure that protects water resources is a wise investment. Anyone who has seen a sewer overflow will know precisely what we’re talking about. 

Q. Is green and grey infrastructure both necessary?
A: We think so! If we can leverage both types, it will allow us to create both beautiful and safe places to live

Q. Can stormwater management be cost-effective?
A: Yes, and we’d be happy to talk to anyone curious about it. 

Preserving and Protecting Louisiana Irises this Earth Month and Beyond

It’s Earth Month, and we’re highlighting the incredible work our team members are doing to protect and preserve our local habitats here in Louisiana. Mark Schexnayder is a Senior Biologist at Batture LLC and serves as the president of the Society for Louisiana Irises and a board member of the Greater New Orleans Iris Society. Read on to learn more about these organizations and the habitat conservation work that they do, and where you can go to see some beautiful Louisiana irises. 

 

WHAT ARE THESE ORGANIZATIONS?

The Society for Louisiana Irises is a non-profit educational organization with a mission of promoting the use of Louisiana irises as a gardening resource, including education and conservation of the species. The organization aims to initiate conservation actions that can help reverse the habitat loss trends that have been happening over the last 100 years or so and to preserve the collected species and variants. 

The Greater New Orleans Iris Society exists to exchange information on the culture and breeding of native Louisiana irises, to make the public more aware of Louisiana’s irises, to provide members with access to greater variants of irises to grow in their own gardens, and to preserve the native forms of Louisiana irises and their place in the environment. 

Last year, the organization provided thousands of plants to nonprofits and WorkForce Development Programs for public rain gardens and bioswales from a small island nursery tucked deep in New Orleans City Park. Both the Greater New Orleans Iris Society and the Society for Louisiana Irises provide plants for the Pelican Greenhouse and the City Park Sculpture and Botanical Gardens. 

 

PROTECTING LOCAL IRISES IS CONSERVATION WORK


Mark’s passion for preserving local ecosystems and mitigating the effects of coastal land loss drove him to join the Society for Louisiana Irises in the late 1980’s, and has been involved ever since. 

And the work of protecting and preserving irises has larger positive ripple effects on our environment overall:  “I believe we can inspire people to get behind conservation and restoration by connecting the flowers’ health to the overall habitat sustainability. Doing work to protect local irises and their habitat also protects other birds, bees, plants, and wildlife that thrive there,” Mark says.  

Here at Batture LLC, we have a deep commitment to protecting our local environment. Our team has done community service days in City Park where we have helped weed iris beds, cleaned and restored shorelines, and helped with building projects on Nursery Island. We also proudly provide Pro Bono support for some of the development programs and volunteer groups that help to maintain the iris habitats. 

 

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE IRIS ORGANIZATIONS?


In 2023, the Society for Louisiana Irises is planning community outreach and building a partnership with UL Lafayette, NGOs, and Federal and State Agencies to develop projects and land protection for the remaining 1,000 acres of habitat occupied by Iris nelsonii (the native species of Louisiana irises) in the wild. They are also working with the Palmetto Island State Park Staff and the Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative to refurbish and expand boardwalk plantings. 

 

HOW CAN I SEE LOUISIANA IRISES AND GET INVOLVED?


There are two public gardens in New Orleans with masses of Louisiana irises that people can enjoy: the  Sculpture Garden in New Orleans City Park, and Longue Vue Gardens. GNOIS opens the Nursery for the bloom season, and both GNOIS and SLI host showings at private residences. 

You can get involved and learn more about how to enjoy the irises by visiting the organizations’ websites. You’ll find that Louisiana irises are adaptable flowers, reflective of the culture that Louisiana embodies. 

To find out more about Earth Month and spread the love to plants of all kinds, you can check out the official Earth Day website.

 

DID YOU KNOW THIS IRIS TRIVIA?

  • Louisiana iris is a taxonomic group of five iris species native to Louisiana and surrounding regions. These species are Iris fulva, Iris hexagona, Iris brevicaulis, Iris giganticaerulea, and Iris nelsonii.
  • Habitat: Swampy, boggy areas.
  • Hummingbirds, butterflies and insects attracted to flowers rich with nectar are likely to show up near Louisiana irises.