Study Report: Wetlands and Forests for Flood Resiliency
7 PM at the Westminster Institute, 3435 US-5, in the village of Westminster.
For info: westminstervtconservation@gmail.com
All welcome. Refreshments served!
Ecologist Jeff Littleton will share details from the study, and the public is invited to ask questions and
contribute to a discussion about flood resiliency in Westminster.
The Westminster Town Plan encourages the town to evaluate areas that should be protected in order to reduce flood damage to homes, businesses, roads and natural areas.
These areas include "floodplains, river corridors, lands adjacent to streams, wetlands, and upland forests." To this end, the Westminster Conservation Commission received a small grant through the Vermont Fish and Wildlife department to help identify wetlands that are critical for water storage, as well as upland forests that may play a role in flood mitigation by tempering heavy rainfall, absorbing water, lowering the water table, stabilizing soil, and preventing run-off and erosion.
The Commission is pleased to announce an upcoming gathering to present the results of the study. Westminster is home to about 690 acres of wetlands; many of these provide important water storage during flooding events, but some do not have high flood storage capacity for a variety of reasons. At the same time, more than a quarter of the town is graced with steep slopes, vulnerable to erosion. Wetlands with lower flood storage capacity are at greater risk of losing their flood control potential should forested areas on surrounding steep slopes be removed or significantly reduced.
Understanding the value and roles of the various wetlands and forested uplands in a community can help residents and policy-makers think through the best options for protecting the most significant and most vulnerable of these areas.
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