Thank you for supporting
Science for Our Coast!

is now


A message from our Executive Director
For more than 30 years, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation has been a leader in coastal sustainability, water quality and environmental education. 

Thanks to your support, our organization has become a beacon of success for organizations around the country who look to our scientists as experts in environmental preservation.  

As we enter our fourth decade, the organization is ever expanding to serve Louisiana’s Pontchartrain Basin in the face of a coastal crisis. The reputable work of our storied organization has never been as vital as it is right now; more than 2,000 square miles of Louisiana’s coastline have vanished since 1932. 

With an imperative to protect what’s left and help rebuild what we can, we have decided to redefine the organization and its name to better portray our mission. 

We are thrilled to announce we are now :

Pontchartrain Conservancy.
Thank you, as always, for your support.
Executive Director
Pontchartrain Conservancy is Helping Citizens with their Home Sewer System
Pontchartrain Conservancy has been working alongside residents and local leaders throughout the North Shore for over 20 years. Starting as the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, we began a program assisting home owners and local businesses in Tangipahoa to reduce their wastewater, and prevent it from getting into their rivers and streams .
In partnership with St. Tammany Parish we have expanded this project to have two concurrent programs in the Covington area , which have improved the water quality from nearly 600 homes. That totals a combined output of 300,000 Gallons per day of cleaner wastewater.
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is a common parameter for measuring the components of wastewater.
Through our efforts, we have removed over 800 pounds per day of BOD per home, or nearly 500,000 pounds per DAY of BOD.
This work is helping our ditches and streams that drain into Lake Pontchartrain!
water quality sample
As we start now to get back out into the community for our work - it is our goal to double that number and reach a Million pounds per day of BOD removed from our waterways.

Artificial reefs in Lake Pontchartrain provide more productive fish habitat while enhancing recreational fishing. Pontchartrain Conservancy has been involved with the artificial reef program for 20 years and has installed a multitude throughout the Pontchartrain Basin.
Reef Balls are designed to be marine friendly, enhance habitat diversity, and to be colonized by encrusting organisms . Using material specially formulated to encourage settling of organisms and mimic natural reefs, there are holes to allow water flow, and the inside is hollow increasing surface area. They provide habitat for fish and oysters to propagate and to grow into maturity and provide opportunities for recreational fishing in a variety of different salinity.
Photo: Pontchartrain Conservancy coastal scientists, in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, selected four locations that would be most suitable for reef installation. Reef Balls were deployed to the Grand Banks, Lake Borgne, West Karako and Cabbage Reef locations for a total of 132 reef balls, between 30 and 40 reef balls at each location.
These new Artificial Reefs will provide habitat for the juvenile fish and invertebrate organisms which form the base of the food chain of larger vertebrate species, including sport fishes like Speckled Trout and Redfish.
To learn more about our Artificial Reef program and other projects please visit scienceforourcoast.org
Mission Accomplished!
GiveNOLA Day and Spring Sweep
We wanted to offer a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped make GiveNOLA Day and Spring Sweep such a success!
Sponsored by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, GiveNOLA Day is an event to inspire people to give generously to non-profits. We know there are many deserving organizations out there and only so much of your hard-earned dollars to share. But because of your generosity, we not only met our goal, WE SURPASSED IT!
It is because of you that we are able to accomplish all the great work we do.
John
From rebuilding and fortifying fisheries, to helping people reduce their waste and many other amazing projects, YOU are the reason we are able to continue our mission, and we are so grateful!
Spring Sweep is one of our two annual clean up events where we ask volunteers to go out and remove trash and debris that could otherwise block storm drains and cause street flooding, or pollute the lake.
This year - on May 31 - we asked participants to join together through Social Media , practice social distancing, and focus on their neighborhoods and their homes.
From the North Shore to the South Shore and all throughout Southern Louisiana you did it. Thank you to all our volunteers throughout the Pontchartrain Basin for another great Spring Sweep!
Explore more on our updated site!
Helping Communities through Home Sewer Systems Inspections