Work Plan

Summary of Work Plan

The Technical Working Group’s work plan outlines the tasks that address both components identified in the IJC’s Directive. See also the Technical Working Group's Plan of Study.

1. The first component involves collecting existing data and generating new data, in preparation for the future establishment of a real-time flood prediction system for the basin.

Several distinct tasks will address and close these data gaps:

  • assessing the quality of surface wind predictions and precipitation analyses
  • developing an experimental 2D hydrodynamic model of Lake Champlain, using existing bathymetric data
  • establishing a coordination mechanism to exchange data of interest
  • recommending a pragmatic approach for the future operational real-time flood forecasting and inundation mapping system for the Lake Champlain and Richelieu River flood plain
  • collecting and processing LiDAR data for Lake Champlain
  • addressing differences in the Canadian and U.S. vertical datum issues
  • collecting new data in preparation of a future real-time flood forecasting and inundation mapping system

2. The second component will see the creation of static flood inundation maps for the shoreline of Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River.

These maps will not replace the official Quebec maps or flood markers identified in land management and development plans in Regional County Municipalities (RCM) and municipal land management regulations and will not replace the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) floodway maps in the U.S.

However, they will show those areas along the Lake Champlain, Richelieu River and Missisquoi Bay that have been identified as being flooded at various Richelieu River discharges corresponding to the selected levels of Lake Champlain.

Producing these static maps will require the following tasks:

  • consolidating and harmonizing data from the United States
  • creating quality-controlled Digital Elevation Models (DEM) from available LiDAR datasets along the Richelieu River and Missisquoy Bay of Lake Champlain
  • setting a 2D hydraulic model of the Richelieu River between Rouses Point and Sorel
  • creating continuous static maps of the Lake Champlain - Richelieu River flood plains for a set of Lake water levels and corresponding river’s discharge.