Gov. John Bel Edwards yesterday joined officials from Louisiana State University (LSU), the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF) and local and federal elected officials to celebrate the five-year anniversary of the LSU Center for River Studies (CRS).
“I am beyond proud of the collaborative efforts of some of our best and brightest students and the team at CPRA that have led to the important and transformative work that has been done by CRS for the last five years,” said Gov. Edwards .
The CRS is home to the 10,000-square-foot Lower Mississippi River Physical Model, an invaluable tool that is managed by CPRA staff and operated by LSU. Its primary goal is to help planners, scientists, and engineers obtain a better understanding of sediment management in the lowermost Mississippi River.
“In the last five years, CPRA has translated research produced by the CRS into actionable science and engineering that has improved the lives of South Louisianans,” said CPRA Chairman Chip Kline . “Two major projects – the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion and the River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp – recently received authorizations from the Army Corps. Both of these projects have been studied extensively using the model.”
During the celebration event, Gov. Edwards and Kline placed commemorative gold pins into the Center’s Progress on the Ground map to mark the sites of the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion and the River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp, celebrating the victories of moving these two pivotal projects forward.