Flood Inundation Maps & Report Released for Lake Champlain & Richelieu River

In the last post, information was provided about the draft report prepared by a working group of the International Joint Commission (IJC) about flood inundation and forecasting in the Lake Champlain-Richelieu River watershed.  The IJC is a a collaboration between the US and Canada to provide coordination, management and protection of shared watersheds. Here in Vermont, we have representatives that have been appointed to the International Lake Champlain-Richelieu River Technical Working Group.

Today, the final report that came out of the Lake Champlain-Richelieu River Technical Working Group was released.  The report, A real-time flood forecasting and flood inundation mapping system for the Lake Champlain-Richelieu River watershed, was an outcome of a 2013 comprehensive Plan of Study.

From the press release:

"The IJC endorses the TWG observation that enhanced coordination among agencies involved in real-time forecasts is necessary to support the development and maintenance of forecast models and quality-controlled joint water level predictions. The Commission endorses the TWG recommendation that a binational coordination body be mandated and funded to consolidate and synthesize flood forecasting work undertaken domestically into a single binational flood forecast. This body would also be charged with developing and disseminating consistent messaging to emergency responders and the public.

"Consequently, the new IJC report does not evaluate potential flood mitigation measures as this was outside the terms of reference provided by governments.

"The Commission reiterates its strong recommendation that governments implement the full scope of the 2013 Plan of Study (PoS) to evaluate past impacts, flood plain management practices and adaptation strategies, and to assess soft (i.e., low impact and cost) to moderate flood mitigation measures and their impacts."

An outcome of the report was a series of inundation flood maps that show the areas of the Lake Champlain and Richelieu River shorelines that would be inundated when the Lake flood waters are at a certain height. Again, from the press release:

"The inundation maps show flooding potential under different flood scenarios and are not designed for regulatory purposes. A preview of these maps is available on the IJC web site at: http://arcg.is/1MhXui2."

Please take some time to explore the inundation maps, as well as read through the final report which can be found at http://ijc.org/files/publications/Lake-Champlain-IJC-Report-to-Govts-Dec-2015-NEW.pdf 

IJC invites public comment on draft flood forecasting and mapping report for Lake Champlain and Richelieu River

IJC invites public comment on draft flood forecasting and mapping report for Lake Champlain and Richelieu River and previews flood inundation maps

The International Joint Commission (IJC) is requesting comments from the public on a draft report to enhance flood preparedness and warnings for Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River by December 10, 2015.  Specifically the IJC asks if the report’s recommendations are sound and whether the recommendations address real needs for enhanced flood preparedness and warnings for Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River.  The Commission is also inviting the public to preview the associated flood inundation maps.

Following the submission of IJC’s  July 2013 Plan of Study “The Identification of Measures to Mitigate Flooding and the Impacts of Flooding of Lake Champlain and Richelieu River” (POS), the governments of the United States and Canada asked the IJC to address two issues associated with the system wide flooding in 2011:
a. closing the gaps in the data needed for a future real-time flood forecasting and inundation mapping system, and
b. the creation of static flood inundation map products.

The IJC appointed the International Lake Champlain-Richelieu River Technical Working Group (TWG) comprised of technical experts from United States, Canada, Quebec, Vermont, and New York to address the two issues. The IJC is now inviting public comment on the TWG’s draft report Toward an operational real-time flood forecasting and flood inundation mapping system for the Lake Champlain and Richelieu River.

The TWG report includes six recommendations addressing the need to:

1. Implement an operational probabilistic approach for forecasting floods, including modelling of wind set up and wave action;
2. Keep the Henry and Grand Isle water level station to maintain water level calibration and also install wave buoys to assist in wave model calibration;
3. Institute a binational coordination body such as an IJC Board to support agencies involved in real time forecasting;
4. Acquire new bathymetric data for the Richelieu River between Sorel and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu;
5. Create a single consistent Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for the entire Lake Champlain-Richelieu River basin following the completion and quality control of LiDAR and bathymetric data acquisition; and
6. Generate static flood inundation maps for the entire Lake Champlain Richelieu River system.

The current effort has significantly advanced the creation of flood-inundation maps for the Lake Champlain-Richelieu River system. These maps provide an emergency planning tool for authorities and the general public on land that may flood during high water events. Static inundation maps were created for the Vermont side of Lake Champlain and a portion of the New York northeastern shoreline on the US side, and for the Richelieu River from the border to downstream of the Fryers Rapids on the Canadian side. A preview of these maps is available on the IJC web site at: http://arcg.is/1MhXui2 , however, the site is under construction and the text accompanying the maps is in French only at this time. A complete LiDAR Digital Elevation Model available in Canada also allowed for the representation of inundation depths for the 11 flood scenarios.  The inundation maps are not designed for regulatory purposes, but rather to show flooding potential under different conditions.  Furthermore the report does not evaluate potential flood mitigation measures as this was outside of the scope of the reference from governments.

This public comment period is being held from November 16 to December 10, at which time the IJC will consider public comments before submitting its final report to governments.


Contacts:

Nick Heisler  (English)  Ottawa 613-992-8367 Heislern@ottawa.ijc.org

Sarah Lobrichon (French)      Ottawa 613-992-5368 LobrichonS@ottawa.ijc.org

Frank Bevacqua Washington 202-736-9024 Bevacquaf@washington.ijc.org

                                             
Sarah Lobrichon
Policy and Communications Analyst | Analyste des politiques et des communications
International Joint Commission | Commission mixte internationale
234 Laurier Ave. West, 22nd Floor, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 6K6
234, avenue Laurier Ouest, 22e étage, Ottawa (Ontario), Canada K1P 6K6
Telephone | Téléphone 613-992-5368 / Facsimile | Télécopieur 613-993-5583

Imagine two countries sharing hundreds of lakes and rivers along their border without conflict
www.ijc.org
Imaginez deux pays qui partagent des centaines de lacs et de rivières le long de la frontière sans conflit

When Governments Cooperate: State Government Municipal Day - November 13, 2014

  NOVEMBER 13, 2014

8 am - 4:15 pm

Our inaugural Municipal Day in March 2014 proved so popular that we were unable to accommodate all who wished to attend. For that reason, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), in cooperation with the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), and the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD), invites you to participate in a second all-day event that will include poster presentations, workshops, and the opportunity to engage with Agency staff members and municipal colleagues from across the state. 

SPACE IS LIMITED, PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED

The $30 Registration Fee includes morning coffee and a buffet lunch by the New England Culinary Institute.

TO REGISTER:

  

Complete workshop descriptions and registration details can be found here.

Is Your Community Flood Ready?

How will post-disaster funding for communities change in October?  

What does your community need to do?  

Is you community planning in order to avoid flood damage?

Visit the new Flood Ready Vermont website www.floodready.vermont.gov to find out.  

Flood Ready Vermont has the tools and data your community needs to:

• Get up to speed on the Emergency Relief and Assistance Fund (ERAF);
• Identify flood hazards and take action to minimize future damage;
• Update your community plans; and,
• Find out what communities are doing to get flood ready

Use the Flood Ready Atlas to help you identify what is working to keep your community flood resilient and where structures are at risk.  Community Reports quickly compile useful information for your municipal and hazard mitigation plans.  

Flood Ready Vermont www.floodready.vermont.gov is a place where community leaders can share information and ideas to make our communities more flood resilient.  

Funding for the design of the website was provided by the High Meadows Fund, promoting vibrant communities and a healthy natural environment while encouraging long term economic vitality in Vermont; and through a Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant.

Early partners to inspire and help launch the site include the Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRWC) and the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), as ably represented by David Deen, Upper Valley River Steward for CRWC; Angela Mrozinski, Outreach Director for CRWC; Ron Rhodes, North Country River Steward for CRWC; and Anthony Iarrapino, Senior Attorney for CLF.

The website development and design team was led by Daniel Shearer, Tamarack Media Cooperative, and Beka Mandell, Webskillet Cooperative.

Let us know what you think and tell your story about working for flood resilience!

Planning for Increasing Precipitation and Flooding

A recent article was published in the New York Times on 5/12/14 - "Looks Like Rain Again.  And Again."  In the article, the author cites past studies from 2 decades ago or earlier that predicted the changes in our climate that we are now living through, namely increased precipitation during storm events.  Long term climate data has shown that the Northeastern US has seen a dramatic increase in precipitation amounts falling during storm events.  And when there is an increase in the amount of rain or snow falling during a storm, it usually ends up resulting in a greater frequency of flooding in places that have traditionally acted as floodplains.  Another result may be that people may start to see areas that had very rarely flooded in the past flood on a somewhat regular basis.  Some of these thoughts and ideas can be seen in a New York Times blog post "Three Long Views of Life With Rising Seas" that contains 3 interviews focused on how humans may look to deal with impacts from sea level rise.

This isn't the first time that we have seen evidence of increasing precipitation in the Northeastern US.  If anyone reading this has been to one of our presentations to communities, you may have seen a graphic that was taken from a report that was released from the White House Council on Environmental Quality -"Progress Report of the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force: Recommended Actions in Support of a National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (10/2010)".  This report found that there had been a 67% increase in the amount of precipitation that was falling during the heaviest storm events each year.  That means that the biggest storm events that we experience each year is bringing more rain or snow on average.

I think that many Vermont communities have been experiencing this increase in precipitation and flooding first hand.  Some of you may already be aware of the ANR Flood Resilience Sharepoint website.  This website aims to include information that individuals and community officials can use to better prepare for the increased flooding and precipitation that we have been experiencing around the State and in New England.  This Sharepoint site will be replaced this summer by a collaborative website that will be called Flood Ready.  The intent of the Flood Ready website is to expand upon the information that can be found on the ANR Flood Resilience Sharepoint site and present it in a way that can be helpful to a wide range of users.

Have you been noticing changes in your own community?  What steps have you been taking to try to address this issue?

Property-Owner's Guide to Rebuilding for Flood Resilience workshop

Here is an opportunity that we wanted to pass along.  It is a evening and following full day event in November that is targeted to individual property owners who are looking to get ideas and discuss flood resistant reconstruction techniques.  The intent of this workshop is to incorporate many different topics that can help a homeowner rebuilding after a flood, such as energy efficiency, historic preservation, stormwater management and landscape design.  Registration and additional information can be found at the website listed at the bottom of the post.

DON'T MISS the Property-owners' Guide to Rebuilding for Flood Resilience: a DESIGN CHARETTE to Generate Ideas for Adapting Flood Resistant Reconstruction Techniques to Our Climate and Culture

Integrating Practical Ideas for Flood Hazard Mitigation with Landscape Design, Energy Efficiency, Stormwater Management and Historic Preservation

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 7^TH from 6:30PM – 8:30PM

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 8^TH from 8:30AM – 3:00PM, luncheon provided

REGISTER NOW:

 https://rebuilding-for-flood-resilience.eventbrite.com

 

Interview about Post-Flood Recovery with President Clinton & Gov. Chris Christy - Clinton Global Initiative

A few days ago, I had been sent a link to a video from the Clinton Global Initiative of President Clinton's interview with NJ Governor Chris Christie about post-Sandy flood recovery.  Although this discussion is focused on the recovery of New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy, President Clinton and Governor Christie use it as a way to more broadly discuss the topics of flooding, community planning, mitigation, recovery and the structure of flood insurance in the United States.

You may or may not agree with all approaches or ideas that are presented here (should we be spending billions of dollars on sand dune "re-nourishment" projects that will only last for a short number of years?), but I thought the discussion may help to spark some ideas or questions of your own.  It seems like it is quite a rare interview that has two influential high level policy makers (current and former) in an in-depth and frank discussion about mitigation and recovery.

Some of the highlights of their discussion includes:

• Purchase of flood damaged homes and approach taken by the State of NJ;
• How the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) can be re-organized or should flood insurance in the US be completely re-thought;
• Some discussion on the role of the state in the recovery effort;
• Why does Nebraska care about flooding in NJ?; and
• Should another Federal agency be tasked with the role of flood policy, preparedness, planning and mitigation and let FEMA return to an emergency management agency?

You can link to the full 45 minute interview on C-Span's video library here. 

Planning for Flood Resilience - Act 16

On May 6, 2013, Governor Peter Shumlin signed Act 16, an act relating to municipal and regional planning and flood resilience.

A description of Act 16 is posted at the Vermont River Corridor and Floodplain page.

The act requires a flood resilience plan or element for municipal or regional plans effective after July 1, 2014.

§ 4382. THE PLAN FOR A MUNICIPALITY now includes:

(a) A plan for a municipality may be consistent with the goals established in section 4302 of this title and
compatible with approved plans of other municipalities in the region and with the regional plan and shall
include the following:
* * *
(12)
(A) A flood resilience plan that:
(i) identifies flood hazard and fluvial erosion hazard areas, based on river corridor maps provided by the
Secretary of Natural Resources pursuant to 10 V.S.A. § 1428(a) or maps recommended by the Secretary,
and designates those areas to be protected, including floodplains, river corridors, land adjacent to streams,
wetlands, and upland forests, to reduce the risk of flood damage to infrastructure and improved property;
and
(ii) recommends policies and strategies to protect the areas identified and designated under subdivision
(12)(A)(i) of this subsection and to mitigate risks to public safety, critical infrastructure, historic
structures, and municipal investments.
(B) A flood resilience plan may reference an existing local hazard mitigation plan approved under 44
C.F.R. § 201.6.

§ 4348a. ELEMENTS OF A REGIONAL PLAN is modified in a similar way.

The Goals for the Flood Resilience Element are established in § 4302.

§4302. PURPOSE; GOALS
(14) To encourage flood resilient communities.
(A) New development in identified flood hazard, fluvial erosion, and river corridor protection areas
should be avoided. If new development is to be built in such areas, it should not exacerbate flooding and
fluvial erosion.
(B) The protection and restoration of floodplains and upland forested areas that attenuate and moderate
flooding and fluvial erosion should be encouraged.
(C) Flood emergency preparedness and response planning should be encouraged.


Act 16 also addresses Accessory Dwelling Units

In statute Accessory Dwelling Units can now be fully regulated by municipalities consistent with other
development in flood hazard and erosion hazard areas. This enables communities to avoid new
development in hazard areas and to require flood‐proofing and safety standards for proposed
improvements as required for communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program. Act
16 amends the language providing for both bylaws and for ordinances.


Next Steps

The flood resilience plan component will be important to keep in mind as current work nears adoption or as funding is sought or contracted for upcoming plan updates.

The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources is developing a Flood Resilient Communities Program and website to help municipalities access best available data and resources for flood resilience.