The Water Collaborative is a grassroots movement created by leaders in the water management sector. From the beginning, our origins were rooted in collaborative design, transparency and trust building, and diversity and equity. Leadership in the sector have always viewed water management as the best vehicle to address climate change, urban and economic development, and environmental justice simultaneously.

Origins of The Water Collaborative

Awareness of the issues and opportunities relating to water management in the Greater New Orleans area began to build in the early 2010s. Sample activities and initiatives from this time include:

- Regular meetings of the Horizon Initiative’s Water Committee, convened by Grasshopper Mendoza and Steve Picou;

- A series of reports on water management commissioned by the Citizen’s Task Force and completed by Jeff Thomas of Thomas Strategies;

- A group of organizations and activists convened by Bayou Rebirth to strategize responding to the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board’s request-for-proposals for green infrastructure projects;

- Meetings of the key water management specialists and activists convened by the Greater New Orleans Foundation;

- The Louisiana Urban Stormwater Coalition convened by landscape architect Dana Brown of Dana Brown & Associates.