Local environmentalists are calling for the restoration of wetlands after storms dumped more than 8 inches of rain on areas of Vermont this week, causing catastrophic flooding and renewing calls for the state’s communities to be protected in an environmentally acceptable manner.
This year, a bill was proposed in the Legislature that calls for more wetlands protections, enhancements, and growth in order to increase the total amount of wetlands land. By absorbing more rainwater and lowering the likelihood of flooding downstream, wetlands can be a key component in flood management. They can safeguard neighboring settlements by storing water during periods of heavy rain. Experts on climate resilience view wetlands as essential green infrastructure.
Since many years ago, proponents of climate change have pushed state legislators to give safeguarding and restoring the state’s wetlands more serious consideration. Since the Industrial Revolution, 35% of the wetlands in Vermont have disappeared. In order to safeguard the resilience and sustainability of Vermont’s farms, woods, and natural resources, the state established an ambitious climate action plan in 2021 that calls for investments. Since then, lawmakers have refrained from passing legislation that would implement many of the adaption proposals.
According to their funding objectives, “they are not acting seriously,” claimed Jon Groveman, director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council’s policy and water program. Instead of focusing solely on protecting what is already there, Groveman and other environmental activists are advocating for legislation that will increase and expand the state’s wetlands.
According to Groveman, developers who don’t want constraints on where they can build have been the main opponents of the initiative.
According to a 2016 University of Vermont study, Middlebury was spared up to $1.8 million in flood damage from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 because of wetlands and floodplains.
When it comes to development and economic expansion, there is “always tension,” according to Groveman. But I believe it’s obvious that no one should build in these wetlands areas. We will incur significant costs for flood damage if storms become more frequent. Wetlands and the area along rivers and streams need to be better protected.
Many communities in Vermont are attempting to reconstruct as much of their lives and means of subsistence as they can in the wake of the floods.
Owners of Foote Brook Farm in Johnson, Joie and Tony Lehouillier, reported losing 80% of their crops as well as the majority of their farm machinery. When the Lamoille River banks overflowed overnight Sunday, their bottom fields were inundated.
When we went to bed on Monday night knowing we’d lose our lettuce and onions, Joie Lehouillier said, “But when we woke up, everything on our lower fields was gone.”
100 farmers have reportedly suffered comparable destruction, according to the Northeast Organic Farming Association. Although the evaluation phase is still in its early stages, the association estimated that the damages would likely exceed $10 million and lead to food insecurity for hundreds of people throughout the state. In addition to the destruction, heavy metals, sewage, and other toxins were brought by floodwaters onto the field, preventing farmers from planting new crops until soil tests revealed safe nutrient and organic matter levels.
We have already experienced two or three floods similar to the one that occurred last week, so Joie Lehouillier stated, “We have to think about how we farm in this changing environment.”
The wetlands plan will be discussed by the Legislature when it meets again in January. If approved and become law, the state would also have to update and maintain its wetlands inventory maps on a yearly basis.