Reducing the Risk

A Roadmap to Achieve Greater Flood Resilience in the Lake Champlain Basin and Upper Richelieu River Valley

The historic floods of 2011 that brought tragic losses to many communities also put issues such as water quality, shoreline stabilization, and climate change into sharp focus in this region and beyond. In August 2011, Québec Premier Jean Charest and Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin asked the Lake Champlain Basin Program to convene a conference aimed at exploring the Lake Champlain and upper Richelieu River flooding and a multi-jurisdictional response. The LCBP conducted two workshops for technical and policy experts that were followed by a culminating summit in June of 2012.

The three events comprising the flood conference included:

• Flooding Causes and Impacts Technical Workshop, February 6, 2012, Saint Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec:
  Local, state, provincial officials, legislators, federal partners, NGOs, and university scientists participated in a workgroup discussion of the causes of the flooding and specific impacts and responses, including key questions and data collection.
  Agenda
• Flooding and Risk Reduction: Public Policy Options, May 4, 2012, Plattsburgh, New York: Local, state, provincial officials, legislators, federal partners, NGOs, and university scientists participated in a workgroup discussion of jurisdictional and community responses to the flood events, and the policies or conditions that drove those responses. The group also identified policy and technical response issues that should be addressed to ensure greater resilience to future floods.
  Agenda
• Future Directions in Cooperative Flood Hazard Reduction and Response Conference, June 4-5, 2012, Burlington, Vermont: Local, state, provincial officials, legislators, federal partners, NGOs, and members of the public participated in an active discussion about flood resiliency in the Lake Champlain Basin. This culminating summit reviewed the 2011 flood impacts and examined detailed steps needed to improve flood resiliency in the watershed. Participants explored potential policy recommendations and considered public education and awareness efforts to improve flood resilience in the Lake Champlain and upper Richelieu Basins.
  Agenda with links to presentations

The Flood Resilience conference resulted in a collaborative report, Flood Resilience in the Lake Champlain Basin and Upper Richelieu River, summarizing the impacts of the 2011 floods on ecosystems, infrastructure, human health and agriculture. The report also addresses current management needs and information gaps in the region and identifies potential ways to prepare for the next flood. [English | Français]