Service Area: Lower Ninth Ward
SPACE/PLACE-BASED PROJECTS
Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle and Platform
Location
The Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle forms the northern border of the Lower Ninth Ward along Florida Avenue from Jourdan Avenue to Jackson Barracks.
History
It was once a thriving cypress swamp that provided natural resources, such as crabbing, fishing, and hunting, to the Lower Ninth Ward community. The dredging of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) in the 1950s allowed salt water from the gulf to leach in and kill the swamp forest.
That was detrimental to the area and compromised the natural line of defense that protected the city from storm surges and high winds. As a result, the force and destruction of hurricanes intensified.
L9CSED partnered with Colorado University and Lower Ninth Ward residents to construct the Platform after Hurricane Katrina. This access point was created to connect the residents to the wetland and as an observation point for coastal and environmental sustainability research/work.
Gardens and Micro Parks
Gardens and micro parks play a vital role in supporting urban biodiversity and encouraging outdoor activity and exercise. We maintain several green spaces throughout the Lower Ninth Ward community, restoring blighted parcels of land into valuable community assets.
Locations
Ledger:
• CSED Headquarters, 5227 Chartres Street
• Citrus Orchard, 4815 Dauphine Street
• Shady Spot, Fats Domino Avenue at North Prieur Street
• Outdoor Learning Space, 2640 Lamanche Street
• Bayou Bienvenue Platform, 2677 Fats Domino Avenue
Public Glass Recycling Program
We partnered with Glass Half Full in March 2022 to launch a public glass recycling program, serving the Lower Ninth Ward community by transforming waste into a beneficial resource for the area it was collected from.
Prep Your Glass for Its Next Life:
• Rinse (Your Glass Containers)
• Remove (Any Caps, Corks, and Labels)
• Sort (By Color, If/When Possible, i.e., Clear, Green, or Brown)
Bin Locations
Residents can choose among nine bin locations within the Lower Ninth Ward community to deposit (acceptable) glass refuse.
Link to map: CSED Recycling Bin Locations
Current Process
Glass Half Full performs bin collections twice a month. It is then transported to the Glass Half Full processing center, located in the Ninth Ward at 3935 Louisa Street, where they ground the glass into sand and multiple gauges of cullet.
Uses
The recycled materials are used for coastal restoration and green infrastructure projects, including, but not limited to, the construction of catch basin filters.
Storm Drain Filters
Stormwater management is an important aspect of life in a city with areas that are up to 7 feet below sea level, as well as a crumbling, and often overburdened drainage system – prone to clogging due to debris build up.
There are currently approximately 3000 catch basins in the Lower 9th Ward – 1032 of which have no maintenance history.
The current goal is to manufacture and dispatch 500 storm drain filters throughout the Lower 9th Ward – creating a network of stormwater interventions and building community resilience in the face of the ever-growing threat of flash flooding.
L9 Storm Drain Locations
Link to Map: CSED Maps
Community Initiative
Lower 9th Ward resident and community champion, Constance developed the prototype for a filter to place in front of catch basins that would effectively block debris from entering and ultimately clogging drainage access points.
The plan is to empower a core team of multi-generational community members, from high schoolers to seniors, to be engaged in the entire life cycle of filter production, deployment, and maintenance.
2023
The current goal is to manufacture and dispatch 500 storm drain filters throughout the Lower Ninth Ward, creating a network of stormwater interventions and building community resilience in the face of an ever-growing threat of flash flooding.
Partners and Stakeholders:
• Martin Luther King Jr. High School
• Research Team from the Tulane University, School of Science and Engineering, led by Dr. Katie Russell, to Test and Develop the Most Effective Design
• ricRACK Nola to Provide Sewing Lessons for Filter Construction
• Glass Half Full/ReCoast to Provide Filler Material
• Villa St. Maurice
• Lower Ninth Ward Economic Development District (L9EDD) to Provide Funding