Flooding Study to Host Virtual Public Meetings

The International  Lake Champlain-Richelieu River Study Board will hold four virtual public meetings on the last week of September.   The public is invited to hear about the progress of the study, talk with technical experts, ask questions and share views.   Register here: English or French.

Information will be presented on impacts of past flooding, potential flood solutions, and new forecasting models.   The links to four short videos animation of the Lake Champlain-Richelieu River basin will be made available on the Study Board’s website the week of September 21^st, 2020.

Quotes

“We would like to learn your views, positions, concerns, challenges, and possible solutions.  These meetings present a good opportunity for the public to engage in issues that ultimately touch everyone in the basin.  ” Jean-Francois Cantin, Canadian study co-chair.

“We value your feedback in this study and invite you to share your thoughts on potential solutions. We are seriously seeking and incorporating perspectives from the public and community leaders in both the US and Canada.  The study continues to explore a range of flood mitigation solutions to reduce flood levels and build resiliency.   Your voice is important in this process”. Deborah Lee, US study co-chair.

Quick Links

• View the Causes and Impacts report or the booklet to learn more about the study
• See the new fact sheet on the Chambly Canal
• Subscribe to news and updates from the study

Four Virtual Public meetings will be held in English and French.   Registration is mandatory at www.lcrre2020.eventbrite.com (English) or www.lcrrf2020.eventbrite.com (French).  A week in advance, people who have registered will receive both a link to the online TEAMS meeting they have selected and a toll-free phone-in number, which they may select to use as an optional way to access the meeting.

Webinars on Tuesday, September 29, 2020
 10:00 to 11:30 am (in French) 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm (in French)
 Register here
 

Webinars on Wednesday, September 30, 2020
 10:00 to 11:30 am (in English) 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm (in English)
 Register here
 

Background

The Study Board was appointed by the International Joint Commission in 2017 to respond to a request of the US and Canadian governments to undertake the work outlined in the 2013 Plan of Study Option B, to more fully explore the causes, impacts, risks, and solutions to mitigate flooding in the Lake Champlain-Richelieu River basin. A final report is expected in 2022.

The study’s main objectives are to:

• Recommend measures that would mitigate flooding and its impacts across the basin.
• Develop and recommend the implementation of a binational, real-time flood forecasting and flood inundation mapping system.
• Determine public, community and stakeholder desirability of the proposed measures.

In a separate project, the International Joint Commission has also examined nutrient loading and its impacts in Lake Champlain, Mississquoi Bay and Lake Memphremagog. To learn more about that reference study, visit ijc.org/en/lclm.

For more information, contact:

Kevin Bunch              202-227-0519                                    BunchK@Washington.IJC.org

Christina Chiasson    613-293-1031                                    ChiassonC@Ottawa.IJC.org