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The following article is from an archived newsletter. See our Shared Waters newsletter.

Lake Champlain-Richelieu River Study Coming to a Close

Photo of Christina Chiasson
Chrissy Chiasson
IJC

As the International Lake Champlain-Richelieu River Study Board prepares to conclude its multiyear examination of causes, impacts, risks and solutions related to flooding in the Lake Champlain-Richelieu River basin, the board is looking forward to sharing the findings, recommendations and tools that have culminated from its work.

The study board was assembled by the IJC in 2016, with five Canadian and five US members. The board was supported by a number of technical working groups and a Public Advisory Group. 

lcrr board members

Left to right, top to bottom: board members Ann Ruzow-Holland, Daniel Leblanc, Deborah Lee (co-chair), Jean-François Cantin (co-chair), Eric Day, Kris Stepenuck, Madeleine Papineau, Michel Jean, Pete LaFlamme, Richard Turcotte 

The study board’s final report and recommendations will be submitted to the IJC this summer. The Commission will review the report and recommendations, and conduct public hearings before submitting a final report to governments in late 2022. Following that, it will be up to the respective government organizations to review the findings and recommendations stemming from the study.

The study board also plans to make many of the tools, models and data developed throughout the study available to users in the basin in coming months. A few examples include:

  • A new real-time experimental wave model produced as part of the study to provide first responders, planners and property owners with data on wave heights and movement across Lake Champlain. This data can be used to inform future operational flood forecasts on the Lake Champlain-Richelieu River system, and also will support recreational forecasts, search and rescue efforts, and the development of flood maps. Although not yet fully operational, the tool is available online.

  • A suite of hydrological and other models of water inflow estimates to the lake and river;
     
  • The study’s ISEE (Integrated Socio-Economic and Environmental) technical model, which estimates impacts of water levels from floods of various sizes across a range of performance indicators, including quantifying damage to homes and other structures, and assessing vulnerability of communities and environmental impacts, etc., under various mitigation scenarios.

This study also made a special effort to integrate the social, political and economic impacts in a way never before attempted in an IJC flood study.

A social, political and economic technical working group was formed to assess how various groups in the basin reacted to the study’s work and recommend how best to address the concerns raised. Several outreach meetings, workshops and public meetings were conducted to continually gather feedback from interested parties.  The study board deeply appreciated the input received from Indigenous Peoples, the public, stakeholders and interest groups throughout the many meetings and consultations that took place during the study.

The board also appreciates all those who attended the February 2022 public meetings and participated in the study’s consultation period on a series of draft recommendations and key study findings. The feedback received during this period helped the board continue to refine the recommendations that it will soon deliver to the Commission.

Much of the study board’s work centered around four key themes: using structural measures to reduce water levels during floods; impeding flows from upstream to reduce high water levels; enhancing flood response capacity; and improving floodplain management.

Many of the board’s sub-reports and fact sheets on each of these themes are available online at ijc.org/en/lcrr/library/publications. A series of videos and technical webinars also are available that delve into the different areas of the study: ijc.org/en/lcrr/videos.

As the study winds to a close in the coming months, stay up to date by visiting www.ijc.org/lcrr, where the board will continue to post new reports, videos and fact sheets leading up to the delivery of its final report to the Commission in June 2022.

Photo of Christina Chiasson
Chrissy Chiasson
IJC

Christina Chiasson is a policy analyst for the Canadian Section of the IJC in Ottawa, Ontario.

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