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International study board presents recommendations on mitigating Lake Champlain and Richelieu River flooding

Lake Champlain flooding  in 2011 at Burlington's King Street Ferry Dock
WAMC Photo
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WAMC
Lake Champlain flooding in 2011 at Burlington's King Street Ferry Dock

A U.S.-Canada study group charged with studying and making recommendations to mitigate flooding in the northern Lake Champlain basin and the river that it flows into has held a series of virtual meetings recently. WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley has this update.

The International Joint Commission was created by the two countries to approve projects and investigate issues affecting boundary waters across the international border.

Following flooding in 2011 of Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River the commission was asked to study causes, impacts, risks and determine possible solutions to flooding in the watershed basin.

The International Lake Champlain-Richelieu River Study Board held four meetings recently to present key findings of the multi-year study and take input on recommendations.

U.S. Board co-chair Deborah Lee is the director of NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. She explained the board is nearing the completion of the study and preparing to submit a final report to the IJC.

“The study board’s work is focused on understanding the causes and impacts of past floods, investigating flood plain best management practices, developing flood adaptation strategies, evaluating a binational flood forecasting system, investigating potential flood management and mitigation measures and evaluating the social and political perception to the proposed measures," said Lee. "This last element is new. Instead of waiting until after the study’s completed we’re currently assessing the acceptability of the measures we are proposing.”

The study’s research included assessing how to reduce high water levels and flooding impacts through moderate structural solutions; reducing vulnerability to high water; enhancing flood response and improving flood plain management.

Canadian co-chair Jean-François Cantin explained, through an interpreter, that the governments asked for an assessment of moderate structural solutions to flooding.

“Meaning that the board will not be looking at large structures such as dams to control water levels. The solutions identified would lower water levels during floods resulting in reduced damages in both the U.S. and Canada. The two potential options that the study is considering have the added benefit of raising water levels during low flow periods as well.”

During questions the board was asked about how atmospheric conditions create weather patterns that could contribute to potential flooding. Deborah Lee said there are a number of factors that could affect moisture in the basin.

“Lake Champlain does experience many atmospheric phenomena such as the remnants of tropical systems, stalled thunderstorm fronts, snowfall, a snowpack that can have a rapid melt, increasing precipitation due to a warming climate where the atmosphere is just holding more moisture. So when a cold front comes across that moisture you have heavier and more intense rain. And then there is also the jet stream. So there are many different collisions of atmospheric events that can cause intense precipitation.”

The study board is taking public comments until March 4th.

Recommendations will be submitted to the International Joint Commission at the end of March.

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