IJC to collect data and prepare flood maps for Lake Champlain and Richelieu River

The International Joint Commission (IJC) today announced that it has been asked to carry out two tasks related to its 2013 Plan of Study on flooding in the Lake Champlain Richelieu River basin.*

In letters from the Governments of the United States and Canada, the IJC is being asked to collect and harmonize data on the topography, bathymetry, aquatic vegetation, soil texture and other features of the watershed. This task is described in the 2013 Plan of Study. In addition, the IJC has been asked to create static flood-inundation maps showing the areas, where data are available, that would be affected at different water levels on Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River. A final report from the IJC on this work is due in September 2015. 

The International Joint Commission was established under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to help the United States and Canada prevent and resolve disputes over the use of the waters the two countries share. Its responsibilities include investigating and reporting on issues of concern when asked by the governments of the two countries. For more information, visit the Commission's website at www.ijc.org. 

Contacts:

Nick Heisler                         Ottawa                           heislern@ottawa.ijc.org                          613-992-8367
Sarah Lobrichon                  French language              lobrichons@ottawa.ijc.org                       613-992-5368
Frank Bevacqua                  Washington                     bevacquaf@washington.ijc.org                202-736-9024
 

* corrected - 2014/12/04