FLOODING IN VERMONT: A SYNTHESIS OF IMPACTS AND RESPONSES, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF A PLACE-BASED APPROACH FOR MITIGATION

In the summers of 2023 and 2024, Vermont experienced repeated disastrous and historic flooding consistent with a changing climate, emphasizing both the growing challenge and growing need for developing flood resilient communities. This study aimed to summarize the impacts of climate change on flooding and the likelihood of continuing and worsening flood events, as well as the impacts of flooding and existing methods used to control and mitigate floods and flood damage. The main goals of the study were to synthesize current understanding of these flooding events in the context of climate change and response strategies within Vermont, identify the importance of a place-based approach to mitigation practices, and demonstrate the value of geospatial analysis to guide focus and inform decisions in environmental management. Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark, and Montpelier, the capital of Vermont in the Northeastern United states, were selected as contrasting case studies to demonstrate the practical relevance of this review. Spatial analysis was done in ArcGIS Pro to compare the amounts and locations of impervious surfaces and green spaces in downtown areas with flood risk extents. Copenhagen deals primarily with pluvial flooding from cloudburst events and is the more urbanized of the two cities, with more impervious surfaces in high priority flood zones than green spaces, and therefore focuses on storing or redirecting water with innovative stormwater management practices. Montpelier deals mainly with fluvial flooding from the Winooski River and has a downtown area of highly concentrated impervious surfaces directly along the river surrounded by greener more rural areas, and while the city could see some benefits from increased green stormwater management, the most effective mitigation measures will likely take place further upstream in the floodplain. The contrast between these two case studies illustrates the complexity of environmental issues like flooding, and emphasizes the importance of a place-based understanding for creating flood mitigation practices that are well suited to the landscape in which they occur.