Integrating water infrastructure investment and workforce development in New Orleans
Published: Jul 28, 2025
Focused on capacity for building greater resilience by coalescing around a shared vision for infrastructure investment and workforce development in the water management sector, this paper highlights past efforts to lessen the region’s vulnerability to extreme weather, as well as provides insights on strengthening it further.
Introduction
Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the federal levees, New Orleans is still picking up the pieces in many ways from a disaster that thrust it into a historic environmental and economic predicament. That was and remains especially the case for its aging and vulnerable water infrastructure, which continues to demand proactive investment alongside committed leadership.
If grappling with the magnitude of these physical infrastructure needs is not enough, New Orleans also is confronting a sizable workforce challenge that limits its short- and long-term ability to carry out needed improvements. A wide range of public and private leaders—including government agencies, utilities, employers, workforce training providers, labor groups, and community-based organizations—share a collective challenge and opportunity to bolster New Orleans’ resilience.
Continue reading the full report [Download PDF]
Citations and sources can be found in the PDF copy of the report.
