Is the U.S. or even Louisiana prepared for water-related issues during this 21st century.  After the hurricanes such as Katrina, this is the question that is being considered by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.  On Tuesday, United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., testified in front of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee about the need for comprehensive reform of the Army Corps of Engineers. The hearing, titled “New Orleans Hurricane and Flood Protection and Coastal Louisiana Restoration: Status and Progress,” provided Sen. Landrieu the opportunity to share her vision for flood protection and coastal restoration efforts in Louisiana and around the nation.

Below is her prepared speech:  Also below is a link to the entire audio portion of her testimony:

Madam Chair and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to be here to discuss the status of hurricane protection and the critical coastal restoration work underway in south Louisiana.  This area of focus is one of the most unique and fragile delta landscapes in the world - a landscape that drains over 40 percent of the North American continent.  Positioned at the mouth of the largest and most powerful rivers in the world, Coastal Louisiana and the delta hold a tremendous bounty of natural and human resources.  Our coast is a working coast that contributes 90 percent of America's offshore energy production, 30 percent of the nation's overall oil and gas supply, and 30 percent of its seafood in the lower 48 states.   But the coast is in a state of crisis, losing 25 to 35 square miles of wetlands per year – placing millions of lives and critical national resources at alarming risk.

            This Committee bears an immense responsibility to the nation as it relates to flood control and ecosystem restoration and is to be commended for its continued role in this endeavor.  The people of Louisiana are grateful for the prior work of this Committee through WRDA bills and the massive federal investment in improving hurricane protection for New Orleans and other vibrant communities in southern Louisiana.

            But Madam Chair, I am here to report that we have a long way to go until we can claim victory.  We have a long way to go to ensure that the entire coast of Louisiana can thrive with safer cities, vibrant communities and a more sustainable coastal landscape.  We have a long way to go in establishing a true system of integrated water management and flood protection from intensifying storms and rising sea levels.  And we have a long way to go in restoring the confidence - shattered by Hurricane Katrina - that our federal government is a reliable and trustworthy partner. 

            Of particular concern today is the decision by the Corps of Engineers to proceed with a plan for the storm surge protection of New Orleans that will neglect a critical piece of the puzzle.  The Greater New Orleans area annually ranks as one of the rainiest cities in the United States – receiving over five feet of rain a year.  The heaviest and most intense rainfall occurs during hurricane season and often coincides with the massive storm surges that test our levees and flood walls.

            If Hurricane Katrina taught us anything – it is that we must coordinate and manage our outer hurricane protection system with the interior drainage and flood control of the city.  If we fail to properly design this system – we will fail the people of New Orleans and the region, and likely repeat the same mistakes that killed over 1,400 people in Louisiana and brought a major American city to the brink of collapse.     

            I urge this Committee to take swift action to address the concerns of the State of Louisiana, the City of New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, and the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, who have all announced their strong and unified opposition to the Corps’ selection of Option 1 for the construction of permanent pump stations along Lake Pontchartrain at the mouth of the primary outfall canals.  I understand that you will receive detailed testimony today on the technical merits of the locally preferred plan.  I look forward to working with the Committee to identify any needed changes in existing law that will allow the Corps to design and construct this alternative system properly with local support and input, and with all due haste!

            While the subject of today’s hearing is focused on the specific issues of hurricane protection and flood control in the New Orleans region and the plans for permanent pumping stations, these matters are symptomatic of a much larger challenge.  Simply put, our national flood protection and water management policy is woefully and dangerously inadequate, and out-of-date. This piecemeal approach – we now refer to as “patch and pray” has failed our nation, and specifically the Gulf Coast region, from Galveston to Mobile. Our coastal communities can no longer afford the backlogs, delays and an inefficient process of overlapping and confusing federal authorization, and delayed appropriations.  We must build a better model.  We must move in a new direction.  We must find a new way to focus our efforts at the federal, state and local level so that we can construct water infrastructure in a more natural landscape that keeps communities safer and strong.  It was in search of this new model that I recently led a delegation to the Netherlands with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, as well as staff from this very Committee. 

            What can we learn from the Dutch model of water management?  A great deal, I believe!  The Dutch people suffered a catastrophic natural disaster and they said – never again! This swift action was accompanied by securing a permanent funding source, the gathering of political will, and the reorganization of professional water management districts. In addition, the Dutch have taken a very long-term view of public works projects – planning decades and even centuries into the future; how refreshing -  while allowing for the adaptation that comes with managing a dynamic landscape and resources.  Finally, the governmental structure has been arranged to integrate water management so that policies and laws work together – not at odds with the multiple uses of water, including navigation, fishing, oil and gas development, and recreation.  

            While not every element of the Dutch model will apply to coastal Louisiana or other communities in the United States, what we do know from them is that large and growing communities, as well as small cities and villages, can live safely below sea level.  And that, our friends from the Netherlands have found a way to increase - not decrease – property values in these areas.  This Committee must work to develop a more “Dutch” styled model.  As I said before, the patch and pray model of flood control and water management is simply unacceptable.  Our current flood control system is inflexible and rigid, with stove-piped authorities and jurisdictions – and it places millions of people at risk of catastrophic loss every year. I am here to tell this Committee that if we do not act in a new direction to quickly adopt the same level of commitment to integrated water management in the United States, the consequences will be devastating. For millions of Americans living along our coasts, this is truly a life and death matter.  

            In 1953, the North Sea flood inundated the coastlines of the Netherlands and England killing nearly 2,000 people.  The small levee systems that existed at the time were no match for the combined effect of a major storm and a high spring tide that overwhelmed the country.  In addition to the loss of life and evacuations, floods covered nine percent of Dutch farmland, and sea water inundated 850 square miles of land. An estimated 30,000 animals drowned, and 47,300 buildings were damaged. Total damage was estimated at that time at 895 million Dutch guilders – or today, over $5 billion Euro.  This was not the first devastating flood in the country’s long history as a sea-fearing nation.  Between the year 838 AD and 1953, the Netherlands has experienced 15 catastrophic and deadly flood events.  Thousands of people died during floods spanning nearly 11 centuries.

            Within 20 days of the great flood, the Dutch instituted the first Delta Commission to develop plans that would prevent future flood disasters. The passage of the Delta Law and implementation of the Deltaworks set the Dutch on the path for engineering and constructing one of the most ambitious public works projects in the history of mankind.  The results, which I have seen firsthand, are remarkable. The current system has 1,864 miles of outer sea-dykes and 6,200 miles of inner, canal, and river dikes.  In addition, the system has 300 structures to aide navigation and flood control in main dikes.  Approximately 1,000 square miles of land were reclaimed from the sea. By comparison, Louisiana lost nearly 2,000 square miles of land in the 20th Century.  Between 1995 and 2000, approximately 400 miles of dikes were reinforced. 

            While 60 percent of the Netherlands’ population lives in a delta landscape beneath sea level, the national water management system must protect more than lives and structures. Sixty-five percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is generated from areas beneath sea level. Vast resources of oil and gas are developed offshore in the North Sea.  The Netherlands is located at the crossroads of three of Europe's major rivers: the Rhine, the Meuse and the Schelde – creating a major delta called the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta.  This delta is the entrance from the North Sea to the vast German and Central European Hinterland and home to Rotterdam, the largest port in the world. 

            These are impressive statistics that show the Dutch’s commitment to protecting their people and economy from the volatile North Sea.  But what is more important and impressive is the governmental, cultural and scientific approach to living with water that has allowed the Dutch to thrive in a vulnerable delta landscape.  The Dutch have incorporated flood protection with urban development in a way that is both aesthetically pleasing, but that also spurs economic development and smart growth principals.  This is critical because the Netherlands is a very densely populated country – more so than Japan and far more so than the United States. Its average population density is 958 people per square mile.

            Their system of developing sound policy and world-class technology has also allowed the Dutch to adapt and learn from the unintended consequences of the original Deltaworks plans.  Specifically, efforts have been made to reverse the impacts to natural salt water marshes that were drastically altered by the damming of various rivers in the Dutch delta.  A second Delta Commission has been launched to adapt the original Deltaworks plans to account for future rise sea levels.  Also, the work of the Deltares Institute show the commitment of Dutch industry and academia to come together and establish advanced technology and applied science that can be utilities for a variety of public works projects.

            National water policy in the Netherlands is supported and carried out by 27 “Water Boards.”  What makes these boards unique, and different from the American model, is that their jurisdiction covers a specific watershed, determined by the natural landscape instead of arbitrary political boundaries.  Also noteworthy is that these Dutch Water Boards are responsible for a comprehensive and integrated approach to water management.  Within each watershed – or “polder” - a water board is responsible for: (a) the management and maintenance of water barriers like levees, (b) the management and maintenance of waterways, (c) the maintenance of a proper water level in polders and waterways and (d) the maintenance of surface water quality through wastewater treatment. 

            Established in 1200 AD, these Water Boards were the first democratic institutes established in the Netherlands.  The boards hold separate elections, levy taxes and function independently from other government bodies in the country.  This approach allows for the use of democratic and stakeholder participation to make decisions, but also has the benefit of far more financial independence than similar authorities in the United States.  Most of all, these organizations’ sole focus is water management and policy is driven by decisions that balance all of these elements of water management.

            Learning from the Dutch goes far beyond envy for their impressive infrastructure. Our conclusions go beyond a desire to simply throw massive amounts of money at a problem.  For too long, our nation has neglected water management and failed to put forth a comprehensive federal policy that meets the urgency of our crisis. Our problems our almost innumerable: Flood protection that fails, navigation maintenance that does not keep our ports competitive in global markets, lack of dependable sources of drinking water, no real plans for restoring natural ecosystems and wildlife habitats.  The list goes on and on.  We have a broken system and no real solution to repair it. 

            As the senior Senator for Louisiana, I may not have all the answers for every community in America. But I do know that Louisiana is like a laboratory for the future of integrated water management and the entire nation can learn us.  Applying a new model of water management in Louisiana may provide the future vision that could save places like Miami, San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C.

            Sitting at the mouth of one of the largest and most powerful rivers in the world, Louisiana is home to a massive delta that drains over 40 percent of the North American continent.   Louisiana’s delta and coastal landscape is a working coast just like the Netherlands.  But, this should not come as a great surprise.  River deltas and coastal landscapes are the cradle of civilization and have long been the place for trade, industry, commerce and recreation.  By some accounts, three-quarters of global population lives within the coastal zone and more than half of global gross domestic product is generated within it.

            The similarities between the Mississippi Delta and that of the Dutch delta and other world deltas are startling. They both host a vast array of natural and human resources. In Louisiana, over 2 million of my constituents, or more than 50 percent of the state’s population, live in coastal areas. These hard-working Louisianans help keep the lights on across this nation.  Louisiana is at the heart of the nation’s energy coast, contributing 90 percent of America's offshore energy production, 30 percent of the nation's overall oil and gas supply, and 30 percent of its seafood in the lower 48 states. 

            As this Committee is well aware, millions of lives and critical national resources are at alarming risk. Louisiana contains approximately 40 percent of the nation's wetlands and experiences 90 percent of the coastal wetland loss in the lower 48 states, losing 25 to 35 square miles of wetlands per year. At current land loss rates, an area nearly the size of Rhode Island will be under water by 2050.  When this rate of land loss is coupled with the estimated rise in sea level, the consequences for Louisiana and the nation would be devastating.  New Orleans is not the only vulnerable area that requires structural protection – across the entire coast from east to west – cities like Lake Charles, Houma, and Lafayette are threatened as well.  These cities form the back bone of our nation’s fisheries, port system and offshore oil and gas industry.  

            Fortunately, there is some glimmer of hope.  In 2006, I joined with former Senator Pete Domenici to author landmark bipartisan legislation that would for the first time provide a share of offshore oil and gas revenues to the coastal states who deliver up this resource to the nation. 

The Domenici-Landrieu Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act allows the sharing of 37.5 percent of revenues generated from royalties from the production of oil and gas off the OCS with the four Gulf Coast states that host production infrastructure and allow drilling off their coasts.  Starting in 2017, these revenues could total as much as $1 billion a year for Louisiana.  My state has constitutionally dedicated these revenues to coastal protection and restoration – establishing a long-term source of revenue for the massive undertaking.  The State of Louisiana has also made progress in reforming the organization state government by adopting a comprehensive master plan and establishing the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority to oversee its implementation. 

            Unfortunately, we lack a coherent and comprehensive water policy at the federal level.  Without such a vision, we are without the appropriate federal commitment to address our vulnerability across coastal Louisiana and around the country.

            Louisiana will soon have a portion of the financial resources we need. But we will lack a federal partner with the tools to swiftly implement a meaningful program to protect and restore coastal Louisiana.  We must move now, before it is too late, to refocus and restructure the federal government’s approach to water management and start with coastal Louisiana. 

            To begin with, the structure and policies of the U.S. Army Corps of engineers must be addressed and restructured.  The deeply rooted military nature of the Corps can act as an impediment to the efficient spending of federal resources. It also can stand in the way of innovation and preserving institutional memory. The challenges of coastal Louisiana are far too complex to have a District Commander shipped off to some other command post every two or three years.  We desperately need a longer presence of leadership from the federal government, approaching something closer to six to 10 year’s rotation of duty in Louisiana. 

            Additionally, the unique challenges that we face in south Louisiana demand a dedicated federal presence with far more direct access up the chain of command to Washington, D.C.  As much as a third of the Corps’ budget is dedicated to the waterways and coastal areas in Louisiana.  As this investment increases, a federal partner must be focused and possess the decision-making authority to move swiftly and efficiently.

            Traditional water projects, programs and activities should be integrated with each other, or with the other critical activities that are unique to south Louisiana: waterborne commerce, oil and gas industry, commercial and recreational fisheries, and cultural preservation. Specifically, the maintenance of federal navigable waterways is essential to commerce and the backbone of our economy.  We must continue to dredge our waterways, but we cannot continue to waste the valuable sediment that could serve to replenish our rapidly eroding coastal wetlands.  These wetlands provide a critical buffer against storm surge and one of the most bountiful natural wildlife habitats in the world.  We must provide more funding and more robust authorization for the beneficial use of dredge material immediately.  

            Corps and overall federal planning and implementation must be comprehensive, looking at all of the landscape in a holistic fashion that reflects the unique nature of a coastal delta and Chenier plain. In doing so, we should incorporate the urban landscape into flood control and water management. Today’s discussion about New Orleans’s challenges in establishing a permanent solution of the flood control is a perfect example the U.S. lacking a comprehensive approach.

            We must find a way to avoid the Corps’ persistent delays in constructing critical projects in south Louisiana. These delays prevent us from meeting the urgent challenges in flood control, coastal restoration and navigation.  Developing a dedicated stream of funding and a more reliable method to authorizing projects as a part of an overall program is essential.    Corps projects are frequently over budget, contributing to the delay of delivering projects and the inability of local sponsors to meet the demands of construction and maintenance of critical projects. 

            We must establish stronger partnerships with state and local governments. Projects are often stymied by lack of cooperation at the federal level.  By establishing a more equal partnership in the planning and implementation of water resource, coastal restoration, flood control and navigation projects, state government and the communities of south Louisiana will have the ability to control their own destiny.  Specifically, local authorities should receive more credit for the work they fund and should be allowed to move forward with projects that require little or no federal involvement.  The federal government has been an obstacle for far too long. 

            The complex and unique intersection of navigation, flood control and ecosystem restoration in south Louisiana demands dramatic technical and scientific innovation at the federal and local level.  This innovation should bring the best of science and academia together in a posture ready for swift, cost efficient implementation. More study is not the solution.  One of my highest priorities will be ensuring that coastal Louisiana is the laboratory for scientific and technical innovation for water management activities.  I will be working to establish a world-class water institute that will leverage our existing research and accelerate our understanding of            coastal protection and restoration.

            The Water Development Resources Act of 2007 (WRDA) touched on some of these needs by authorizing the Louisiana Coastal Area program or LCA.  This program authorizes nearly $2 billion in near-term projects to address coastal land loss in Louisiana.  It also provides the first step towards a “programmatic authorization” that will allow the Corps and other federal resources agencies to move swiftly to implement critical projects.  This program must be integrated with the findings that come from the long-overdue “Category 5” Report that was authorized by Congress in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.               

            Establishing a truly integrated water policy is essential to the long-term sustainability of south Louisiana and must include the programmatic authorization of both coastal protection and restoration at the federal Level. 

            In closing, I urge this committee to take a comprehensive look at the federal policy and authorization that will determine the future of coastal America, and specifically Louisiana.  Without radical reform of water policy and federal agencies’ role, we may waste hundreds of millions of dollars and lose thousands more lives.

Listen to the audio:  http://landrieu.senate.gov/media/EPW_testimony.MP3