Atkins awarded $20M USD IDIQ contract for flood mitigation in Louisiana

LOUISIANA, La., USA: Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, was awarded a $20 million USD, five-year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide hydraulic and hydrologic engineering and mapping services for the Louisiana Watershed Initiative (LWI) for the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development (DOTD). The company will provide services for Region 1, which includes 12 parishes in the northwest corner of the state.

“We are proud to serve Louisiana DOTD, offering guidance through the watershed modeling process with community outreach, hydraulic and hydrologic modeling and floodplain mapping,” said Brad Dennard, Atkins Department of Transportation Business Unit Director. “Using our award-winning, FEMA-compliant technology tools such as Rapid Floodplain Delineator (RFD) and the Flood Map Desktop (FMD) software, we will provide schedule and cost efficiencies in the efforts to reduce flood hazards and protect Louisiana residents from future flood events.”

Two historic rain events occurred in Louisiana in March and August of 2016. Rising floodwaters reached more than 145,000 homes throughout the state, leaving behind an estimated $10 billion in damage. Recognizing the need for a new approach to floodplain management and risk-reduction planning at all levels of government, the state’s governor charged several state agencies with coordinating their efforts to reduce flood risk throughout Louisiana. From the development of hydraulic and hydrologic models to watershed coalitions in coordination with parish, state and federal entities, the state, with Atkins’ assistance, is shifting from mitigating flood risk within jurisdictional boundaries to an approach that more directly considers the flow of water and its natural boundaries.

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