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Red River Basin Disaster Information Network Public Comment on the Final Report The Next Flood: Getting Prepared Commission Chairman Leonard Legault assisted by Edward Bailey and Lisa Bourget, IJC Staff moderated by Amy Sebring, EIIP/RRBDIN [Note: the transcript of the proceedings has been edited and reformatted for readability.] [Introduction by the Moderator] Welcome to a very special event in the EIIP Virtual Forum, an opportunity for public comment on the recently published final report of the International Joint Commission's (IJC) International Red River Basin Task Force. It has been our pleasure for this past year to meet and work with many individuals in the Red River Basin region on the RRB Disaster Information Network, sponsored in part by the IJC Task Force. I will be serving as Moderator today. First we will have a presentation about some of the highlights from the IJC Task Force's report, then we will take your comments and questions. This is an experiment of sorts, doing this on-line, and with your cooperation, we hope it will be successful in providing an additional opportunity for interaction; however, you will have other options for providing comments more fully if you wish, which will be mentioned shortly. In the meantime, some instructions to assist you: during the presentation, we will be showing a few of "slides." When a blue Web address appears in the chat, just click on the link and the page will display in your browser window. After the first one, it may not automatically come to the top, so you may need to bring your browser window forward to view it. Then you will need to bring your chat window back to the top to continue viewing the presentation. Please hold your comments until we are finished with the presentation, at which time we will provide further instructions. We ask that you do not send private messages to the IJC participants or the Moderator, as it makes it difficult to follow the discussion. If you need assistance, you may send a private message to my associate, Avagene Moore. You can do that by double clicking on her name in the Users list. We are honored to have with us today the Chairmen of the IJC -- Thomas Baldini from the U.S. Section and Leonard Legault from the Canadian section. If you would like to see what they look like, and some additional background, see http://www.ijc.org/comm/bio.html. Assisting them with input are IJC staff members Lisa Bourget and Ted Bailey. Welcome to all of you and we will begin with the presentation. [Presentation by Chairman Baldini] Thanks, Amy. What I'd like to do today is present an overview of the process that led the International Joint Commission (IJC) to where we are today, highlight the conclusions and recommendations from our International Red River Basin Task Force's final report to the IJC, and outline what happens next. First, the process. After the 1997 "Flood of the Century" on the Red River, the U.S. and Canadian governments asked the IJC to investigate the causes and effects of flooding in the Red River basin. [Slide 1] The governments recognized that measures to address future flooding must reflect the transboundary nature of the Red River basin, and asked the IJC to focus on cross-border cooperation in its work. [Slide 2] The IJC's December 1997 interim report to the two federal governments provided 40 recommendations for short-term measures that could be taken to better prepare for future floods. It also included a draft plan of study to highlight issues that needed more attention, on which the Commission obtained public comment. Now, I'll provide highlights from Task Force's final report. The full report is available on the IJC's website (http://www.ijc.org/ijcweb-e.html), or send us an e-mail requesting a printed copy (Commission@washington.ijc.org or Commission@ottawa.ijc.org). [Slide 3] One important conclusion from the Task Force's work is that floods as great as 1997, or even greater, can be expected in the future. In fact, the 1826 flood measured in Winnipeg was even larger than the 1997 flood. Regarding flow management, the Task Force stated that storing large quantities of floodwaters (in reservoirs, wetlands, and smaller distributed areas) should be viewed as unlikely and only a partial solution to the problem of providing flood protection from a large flood in the basin. Small projects with multi-objective features hold promise as part of an overall flood damage reduction strategy for the basin, particularly for smaller floods, that warrants further analysis. The Task Force also concluded that while wetland storage may be a valued component of the prairie ecosystem and can modify the effects of local floods and drought, it plays an insignificant hydrologic role in reducing peaks of infrequent large floods on the Red River. Regarding communities at risk, there has been good progress to provide structural protection, including at Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, and in numerous other initiatives on both sides of the border. The Task Force recommended that U.S. communities' flood reduction projects meet Federal Emergency Management Agency standards or participate in the Non-Federal Flood Control Works Inspection Program. Winnipeg received special attention, as it is the basin's largest population center and narrowly averted disaster in 1997. The City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba supplemented Task Force funding to examine Winnipeg's flood risks. The Task Force recommended that the design flood for Winnipeg's flood protection works should at a minimum be the 1826 flood, and that work be undertaken to evaluate options for providing a higher level of protection than currently exists. The Task Force made 13 recommendations addressing resiliency, or the ability to "bounce back" if flood impacts cannot be avoided, including such things as the proper definition of the floodplain, building codes, public awareness of risk, the enforcement of regulations, the removal of structures from flood-prone areas, establishing a mitigation strategy in Canada, and increasing participation in the U.S. flood insurance program. The Task Force provided technical support to local groups in the lower Pembina River basin to assist them in finding a solution to long-standing conflicts over flooding. The report contains recommendations for continuing this important effort. [Slide 4] The Task Force investigated the impact of the flood on Lake Winnipeg water quality and found elevated levels of pollution. It recommended continued monitoring of toxaphene and a ban on the storage of toxic substances in the floodplain. At the other end of the basin, the Task Force examined the possibility of hydraulic connection and biota transfer between the Mississippi and Hudson Bay drainage basins at Lake Traverse. The Task Force developed technical tools for assisting with flood management and information sharing, including more sophisticated computer models, and recommended their maintenance and improvement. It also partnered on efforts to provide additional detailed topographic information in the basin, to identify and link flood and related data for the Red River basin into a distributed database, to develop tools for accessing that distributed data over the web, and to provide linkages among those who want the data and those who maintain the data. This work is only partially complete and will require further efforts to bring it to fruition. The Task Force recommended a basin-wide institution to advocate for and report on flood-related issues. It recommended a two-tier arrangement to effectively encompass the total array of interests and views in the basin. The first tier would be attuned to the complexities of dealing with international issues and governments, while the second tier would be involved to the highest degree with people of the basin. This completes the highlights from the Task Force's report. I'd like to conclude by outlining next steps. [Slide 5] The main point is that we need to hear from you prior to preparing our report to the U.S. and Canadian governments. While the Task Force's report to the IJC will be an important part of the IJC's report to the governments, we also want your comments. We have scheduled three public hearings in the basin, each beginning at 7:00 p.m. The first is in Winnipeg at the Fort Garry Hotel on May 15; the second is in Emerson at the Emerson Community Center on May 16; and the third is in Fargo at the Fargo Civic Memorial Auditorium on May 17. We welcome written comments by May 26, 2000 - feel free to send us a letter or an e-mail. We also look forward to your comments now, as part of this online session. Please let others who may have an interest in Red River flooding know how important it is for us hear from them. Finally, we trust that in addition to the Commission's upcoming response to the U.S. and Canadian governments, the achievements of the Task Force - the technical underpinnings and advances - will provide a useful legacy to those in the basin for furthering improved flood preparedness and resiliency. [Moderator Instructions] We will now begin the comment period, but please wait for a few instructions: Please send in a question mark (?) at any time to indicate you wish to speak, then compose your comment, but HOLD it until you are recognized by the Moderator. Then click on Send to submit it when you are recognized. For those who are comfortable with using copy and paste, you may also compose your comments using a text editor such as Notepad found on most Windows systems from Start, Programs, Accessories. Enable Word Wrap from Edit on the Notepad window and lay out your remarks in short paragraphs, as there is a line length limitation in the chat window. Then, when you are recognized you may copy and paste your comments in one paragraph at a time. Highlight and copy your paragraph, then click into the message area and use Control + V to paste, or you may right click into the message area and select Paste from a pop up menu. Again, please keep your remarks brief and concise. If you would like to identify your city or affiliation, please do so. Also, please indicate you are finished with either a "thank you" or (done). We will come back to you for one follow up if there is a response to your comment or question. We are ready to begin with your comments now. [Audience Questions/Comments] Question: Response: Amy Sebring: (see prototype at http://www.rrbdin1.org) Tom Baldini: We are currently working to see what legacy arrangements would be appropriate to take care of the database. Question: Response: Blake Carlson: I have looked there but was unable to find them. Tom Baldini: Send us an e-mail message and we'll get this straightened out. Question: Response: Question: Response: David LeMarquand: The Task Force used computer simulation models, specifically the Corps UNET model. Several simulations were run and tested various options. Slobodan Simonovic: Beside UNET, MIKE11 model was used for the Canadian section. Simulations were run for different storage options and results are in the Final Report. Also, storage impacts of wetlands has been tested through separate studies conducted for three watersheds in the basin. Blake Carlson: Do you know if this work is presented in the Red River One-Dimensional Unsteady Flow Model Reports? Slobodan Simonovic: Yes. Results are available in the One D Model report. David LeMarquand: The modeling was one dimensional. The Canadian consultant's report is available on the Task Force Website. Comment: Response: Question: Response: David LeMarquand: The question is whether the reduction in flow would change any of the action for flood management for various communities along the river. Our view is that it wouldn't. Slobodan Simonovic: I do not have numbers with me here. Our finding is that the available reduction can not exceed a couple of %. However, we should be aware that the regional storage impact can be much larger. Tom Baldini: Are the numbers available in back-up reports? Slobodan Simonovic: Yes all the numbers are in the report. Question: Response: Amy Sebring: Will this be something that would need to be prepared as part of the process for submitting to the governments? Tom Baldini: It will certainly be something we will have to consider. The Commission will discuss it. Comment: Response: Chairman Legault: We hope that will not be the case. [Closing] Amy Sebring: One last opportunity for further comment before we wrap up? Tom Baldini: Thanks again for giving us the chance to work with this new technology. We really appreciate everyone's participation. Chairman Legault: We would like to thank you all for your participation and hope to see you in Winnipeg, Emerson or Fargo next week. Amy Sebring: Thank you very much to all the participants. Again you may write to Commission@washington.ijc.org or Commission@ottawa.ijc.org to request a written copy of the report, or to submit further comments by May 26. Before we conclude, I would like to take this opportunity to invite any interested persons to become a member of the Red River Basin Disaster Information Network. It is free and there is no advertising. Just go to http://www.emforum.org/redriver/ and click on the Membership link. This will be a good way to find out about further developments as this process goes forward. Also a good opportunity to get more familiar with this technology. Again, thank you for your participation. Our session is concluded, however, if you would like to stay for informal chatting, you are welcome to do so. Chairman Legault: Thanks Amy. Tom Baldini: Thank you, Amy. Amy Sebring: Thanks to both Chairmen, Lisa Bourget and Ted Bailey for being with us today. |
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