Welcome to LAWater, a new portal website developed by the Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute (LWRRI) at Louisiana State University (LSU). LWRRI, the state’s water institute, saw a need to bring together the diverse web resources dealing with water resources in Louisiana. At one location, we hope to capture the range of content available on federal, state and community web sites for use by water professionals, researchers, students and other stakeholders. We will also be developing new content where we see gaps in available data. In addition, LAWater will be directly linked with LWRRI’s digital water library project which is providing electronic copies of all of the published Bulletins from the Institute, dating back to 1966.

LAWater is divided into 4 general areas, each addressing a specific area of interest for Louisiana’s water resources. These are:

• Water Quality
• Water Quantity/Supply
• Flooding and Hazards
• Coastal Restoration, with a particular focus on freshwater diversions

One focus of LAWater will be centralizing the real-time resources available on the web. These include USGS stream gauge data for discharge, DEQ’s statewide ambient water quality data, LSU’s WAVCIS system and other resources. In addition, LAWater will provide lead stories on each page, directing you to timely information or articles impacting Louisiana’s water resources. We want LAWater to be a service to the public and water professionals across the state. If there is an item you would like to see linked or a data gap filled, please let us know at nkorevec@lwrri.lsu.edu.