The National Freshwater Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to designing, building, operating, and maintaining the National Smart Water Grid. This large scale system is engineered to capture, divert, and transport floodwater from the Mississippi River and the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway System during seasonal flooding events without affecting navigation or existing water supplies. By collecting only surface floodwater during Action Stage conditions or higher, the system provides access to high quality freshwater that can be treated and delivered where it is needed most.

The Foundation has developed conceptual designs such as the Beaulieu Levee that enable efficient diversion and pumping of massive water volumes, with four parallel pumps capable of moving more than 1.1 million gallons per minute. Research shows that this approach can create a sustainable freshwater resource for the Colorado River Basin, West Texas, New Mexico, and other regions facing long term water scarcity. Technical reviews by the Southern Nevada Water Authority and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have affirmed the viability of the concept using existing pipeline industry components.

Beyond supplying freshwater to stressed basins, the National Smart Water Grid provides meaningful flood mitigation benefits to the lower Mississippi River region. The project aims to reduce flood damage, lessen contributions to sea level rise, and create new economic opportunities through major water infrastructure development. The Foundation maintains a written conceptual design and feasibility study and continues to collaborate with federal agencies, water authorities, and engineering partners.