Lake Champlain – Richelieu River Flood Modeling and Management

Abstract Submission: The Lake Champlain-Richelieu River (LCRR) basin is a large international watershed in southern Québec and northern New York and Vermont. The basin is very vulnerable to flooding, with major floods occurring in 1927, 1976, 1983, 1993, 1998 and 2011. During a major flood in 2011, numerous farms and an estimated 4,000 homes along the Richelieu River in Québec, and along the shoreline of Lake Champlain were damaged. Flood damages were estimated at more than $141 million, with almost 80% of the damages occurring in Canada, and 20% in the United States.
The 2011 flood prompted the governments of Canada and the United States to conduct a study to investigate ways to mitigate the flooding issues. They worked through the International Joint Commission (IJC), which is responsible for approving projects that affect water levels and flows across the border between the U.S. and Canada, and for investigating transboundary issues and recommending solutions. The study considered a wide range of structural and non-structural factors, including emergency response, economics, social and environmental concerns, and utilized various models to design flood reduction measures, improve flood forecasting, enhance floodplain management, and evaluate new flood insurance approaches. Ensuring resiliency of proposed measures in the face of climate change was a key consideration.
This paper will provide a background on the modeling and management of this international watershed, and summarize the key structural and non-structural approaches that can be implemented over time to improve community resilience and reduce risks to life and property.

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