2011 Lake Champlain and Richelieu River floods

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2011 Lake Champlain and Richelieu River floods
Champlainmap.svg
DateApril 2011 – End June
Location
New York
Quebec (Montérégie)
Vermont
DeathsNone

The 2011 Lake Champlain and Richelieu River floods were a series of water level increases that began at the end of April 2011 and caused a subsequent overflow of the Richelieu River in Canada and Lake Champlain in the United States. [1] The flooding occurred due to record snowfall in the area followed by its snowmelt and in combination with intense spring rains. [2] Lake Champlain stayed at flood stage for 67 days from April to June, and on May 10, 2011, the lake broke its previous flood level set in 1869 by reaching 102.8 ft. at Rouses Point, New York. [3] [2] [4] The floods affected about 3,000 homes in Montérégie [5] [6] and caused an estimated six million U.S. dollars of damage in seven counties in the northern area of Vermont. [7] [8] The damage was so bad that a state of emergency was declared by Vermont on May 5, 2011. [9] Similar damage was reported in New York State.

In Quebec, the major cities affected by the flooding were Venise-en-Quebec, Noyan, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Henryville, Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix, and Sainte-Anne-de-Sabrevois. [10] Citizens of Quebec were supplied with safe drinking water by the government due to the prolonged period of time in which the city's water supplies were likely contaminated. [2] On May 5, the Canadian Forces were requested to help evacuate residents and build dikes to try to protect areas at risk.

Operation Lotus

Operation Lotus was the name of the military operation that assisted citizens in the Montérégie area in response to a formal request for assistance from the province of Quebec as a result of this natural disaster. [11] [12] The Canadian Forces worked to limit the damage caused by the worst floods to occur in the valley of the Richelieu River and on Lake Champlain over the previous 150 years. [13] Over 650 Canadian soldiers and sailors participated at one time or another in Operation Lotus until it ended on June 17. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Champlain</span> Lake in New York, Vermont and Quebec

Lake Champlain is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the US states of New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Champlain, New York</span> Town in the United States

Champlain is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 5,754 at the 2010 census. The town is located on the western shore of Lake Champlain, near the northern end of Lake Champlain and is on the U.S./Canadian border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu</span> City in Quebec, Canada

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Canadian province of Quebec, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) southeast of Montreal, located roughly halfway between Montreal and the Canada–United States border with the state of Vermont. It is situated on both the west and east banks of the Richelieu River at the northernmost navigable point of Lake Champlain. As of December 2019, the population of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu was 98,036.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richelieu River</span> River in Quebec, Canada; right tributary of the St. Lawrence

The Richelieu River is a river of Quebec, Canada, and a major right-bank tributary of the St. Lawrence River. It rises at Lake Champlain, from which it flows northward through Quebec and empties into the St. Lawrence. It was formerly known by the French as the Iroquois River and the Chambly River, and was named for Cardinal Richelieu, the powerful minister under Louis XIII.

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The Champlain Valley is a region of the United States around Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York extending north slightly into Quebec, Canada. It is part of the St. Lawrence River drainage basin, drained northward by the Richelieu River into the St. Lawrence at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. The Richelieu valley is not generally referred to as part of the Champlain Valley.

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Iberville was a city in the Montérégie region of the Canadian province of Quebec on the east side of the Richelieu River, across from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. It was about 30 miles (50 km) from Montreal, and about the same distance from the United States border at the head of Lake Champlain. In 2002, Iberville merged with neighbouring Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, along with several other neighbouring towns and villages.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lacolle, Quebec</span> Municipality in Quebec, Canada

Lacolle is a municipality in southern Quebec, Canada, located in the administrative area of the Montérégie, on the Canada–United States border. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 2,680. The Lacolle River runs eastward through the middle of the town and empties in Richelieu River. More people cross the border illegally from the United States there than at any other point. Almost nineteen thousand people were detained in 2017. The nearest town across the border is Champlain, New York.

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L'Acadie is a former municipality in the Montérégie region of Quebec, Canada, on the west side of the Richelieu River, across from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. It was about 30 miles (50 km) from Montreal, and about the same distance from the United States border at the head of Lake Champlain. In 2001 L'Acadie merged with neighbouring Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, along with several other neighbouring towns and villages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Champlain Sea</span> Post glacial seaway in eastern North America

The Champlain Sea was a prehistoric inlet of the Atlantic Ocean into the North American continent, created by the retreating ice sheets during the closure of the last glacial period. The inlet once included lands in what are now the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as parts of the American states of New York and Vermont. Today, the remains of the sea include the St. Lawrence Seaway, Lake Champlain, Lake of Two Mountains on the lower Ottawa River, the lower Saguenay River, as well as other lakes, islands and shores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chambly Basin</span> Body of water in Montérégie, Quebec

The Chambly Basin is a shallow, oblong body of water formed by an enlargement of the Richelieu River, extending out from the foot of the rapids on the river between Chambly and Richelieu, in the Quebec region of Montérégie. The towns of Chambly, Richelieu, Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu and Carignan surround the basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rivière des Hurons (Richelieu River tributary)</span> River in Quebec, Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick floods</span> Flood in Canada

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The Rouses Point Subdivision is a railway line in southwestern Quebec. It runs north–south from the northern end of Canadian Subdivision, on the border with New York, to the St-Hyacinthe Subdivision, in the vicinity of Montreal. The oldest part of the line was the original main line of the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad, completed in 1836. Today, the Canadian National Railway owns the line. Amtrak's Adirondack operates over the full length, providing daily service between New York City and Montreal.

References

  1. Medalie, L. and S.A. Olson (2013). High-water Marks from Flooding in Lake Champlain from April through June 2011 and Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011 in Vermont. Reston, Va.: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
  2. 1 2 3 Castle, Stephanie (2013). "Flood Resilience in the Lake Champlain Basin and Upper Richelieu River" (PDF). Lake Champlain Basin Program. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  3. "Google maps rouses point n.y. - Google Search".
  4. "Flooding along the Richelieu River, Quebec". Nasa.gov. May 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  5. Lévesque, Lia; St-Arnaud, Pierre; La Presse canadienne (May 6, 2011), L'armée se déploie en Montérégie » selon Jean Charest (in French), La Tribune (Sherbrooke)
  6. Inondations en Montérégie : l'eau monte encore plus (in French), Radio-Canada, May 5, 2011, retrieved May 9, 2011
  7. Jack Thurston (May 10, 2011). "FEMA teams assess Vermont flooding". NECN.com. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  8. Sue Minter (May 13, 2011). "Lake Champlain flood damage estimates for roads and bridges top $6 million". Communiqué de presse. VTDigger.org. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  9. Bjerklie, David (2014). "Assessment of the Spatial Extent and Height of Flooding in Lake Champlain During May 2011, Using Satellite Remote Sensing and Ground-Based Information" (PDF). USGS. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  10. "Inondations en Montérégie : l'armée à l'œuvre, Charest sur le terrain" (in French). Radio Canada. May 5, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
  11. "Fact Sheet | Operation LOTUS 1-11". May 25, 2011. Archived from the original on December 23, 2013.
  12. "Military aids weary Que. flood victims". CBC News. May 5, 2011.
  13. "Inondations en Montérégie : déploiement de l'armée et visite de Jean Charest" (in French). May 5, 2011.
  14. "The Government Of Canada And The Canadian Forces Assist Those Affected By Flooding In The Province Of Quebec". May 5, 2011. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2011.