Tulane River and Coastal Center

[TU77CAL82]

Tulane University unveils $5.5 million riverfront institute to focus on coastal erosion, wetlands preservation

http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/ ... 5d27a.html

The aptly named ByWater Institute, a 5,800-square-foot facility between the Port of New Orleans headquarters and Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World, will house a team jointly employed by or affiliated with Tulane and its partner, the Baton Rouge-based Water Institute of the Gulf.

The institute will oversee the Tulane River & Coastal Center, where researchers will analyze soil sediments from the Mississippi River just outside its doors.

The new building can house almost 200 staff members and researchers and is the first phase of Tulane’s larger Riverfront Initiative, meant to serve as a launchpad for research and investment into tackling environmental problems.

In later phases, Tulane will rebuild the Robin Street Wharf close to its new facility, Blum said. Ideally, that will be done within a year. The university also wants to expand the ByWater facility to perhaps double or triple its present size, he said.

The ByWater name is confusing, since it's not located in Bywater.

[PeteRasche]

Locals know it's a nod to the neighborhood name, but to anyone not from New Orleans, it's not confusing, it's just "BY the WATER".

[Roller]

This can be a very good thing for Tulane, South Louisiana, and even the Nation as a whole.

I only hope that they don't go overboard with environmental zeal and fall into the trap of using pseudo-science to justify impractical approaches at the expense of reasonable solutions that implement intelligent choices.

[TUPF]

I only hope that they don't go overboard with environmental zeal and fall into the trap of using pseudo-science to justify impractical approaches at the expense of reasonable solutions that implement intelligent choices.

If this translates into: stop erosion...I'm in.

[Roller]

I only hope that they don't go overboard with environmental zeal and fall into the trap of using pseudo-science to justify impractical approaches at the expense of reasonable solutions that implement intelligent choices.

If this translates into: stop erosion...I'm in.

It should be MUCH more than stopping erosion. They need to recognize the complex nature of the system with which they are dealing. There are ways to stop erosion,but if you eliminate the fractal nature of the erosion/accretion processes, breeding habitat for shrimp and fish will be sacrificed. You have to also take into account the needs for flood control, navigation, fisheries, water quality, marsh health, and many other, sometimes competing, considerations. Failure to pay enough attention to any one element of the problem merely exacerbates it.

A good book on the subject was written (about 20 years ago) by a friend of mine, Bill Streever: "Saving Louisiana? The Battle for Coastal Wetlands"
. It's fairly short (only about 200 pages), but he discusses many of the causes, effects, and potential remedies. He's also quite zealous about pursuing reasonable solutions.

[sr]

About time - just think about the volume of water that flows by campus in each 24hr. day...