– Engineering the Big Picture: Austin Doucet on Water Resources & Regional Planning

Episode 3 – Engineering the Big Picture

Engineering the Big Picture: Austin Doucet on Water Resources & Regional Planning

Water doesn’t know political boundaries; our models have to reflect that reality. Austin Doucet shares how Region 4 fits into the statewide water-management puzzle and why planning across parish lines is essential.

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Episode Summary

In this episode of FUELED, Kathryn Fenstermaker talks with Austin Doucet, civil engineer intern and Program Manager for Region 4 of the Louisiana Watershed Initiative (LWI). Austin shares how drafting classes, internships, and mentorship guided him to civil engineering and a focus on water resources.

He oversees the development of hydrologic and hydraulic models across six watersheds, coordinates multiple subconsultants, and ensures that each model integrates seamlessly into a statewide water-management system. Austin emphasizes that water flows across political boundaries, and planning must account for the bigger picture—everything from roadway elevations to flood insurance depends on it.

The conversation covers career discovery, leadership lessons, modeling consistency, and the satisfaction of seeing a region’s efforts contribute to a statewide initiative.

“Internships are the fastest way to learn what you like—working hands-on turned me into a water resources engineer.”

“Water doesn’t know political boundaries; our models have to reflect that reality.”

Meet the Leader Behind the Vision

Austin Doucet is a civil engineer intern who manages Region 4 of the Louisiana Watershed Initiative. He leads data collection, modeling, and coordination with subconsultants and state agencies. Austin is passionate about water resources and mentoring future engineers in hydrology, hydraulics, and integrated watershed planning.

“Being part of a statewide initiative makes me proud as a Louisiana citizen; it’s exciting to see how our region fits into the big puzzle.”

Managing Louisiana’s Water: Austin Doucet on Hydrologic & Hydraulic Modeling

Join Kathryn Fenstermaker as she talks with Austin Doucet, Region 4 Program Manager for the Louisiana Watershed Initiative. Austin shares his journey from drafting classes and internships to leading hydrologic and hydraulic modeling for six watersheds, explaining how Louisiana’s water management relies on coordination, consistency, and teamwork. He highlights lessons in leadership, planning, and collaboration while showing how hands-on engineering helps protect communities and support sustainable development. Subscribe to FUELED and share this episode to learn how water resources engineering shapes Louisiana’s future.

Episode Highlights

Discovering civil engineering through drafting classes and hands-on internships.
Developing a passion for water resources via mentorship and early exposure to hydrologic and hydraulic modeling.
Managing the scope, schedule, and budget for Region 4’s stormwater master plan and coordinating multiple subconsultants.
Explaining how rainfall-runoff (hydrologic) and channel-flow (hydraulic) models work together and the importance of statewide modeling standards.
Leadership lessons: plan first, communicate often, and respect that water crosses parish boundaries.

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Established in 1950, C. H. Fenstermaker & Associates, L.L.C. is a highly diversified, multi-disciplinary consulting firm. With a commitment to help our clients succeed, we specialize in surveying and mapping, engineering and environmental consulting.

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