Partners in Preparedness:

1
Partners in Preparedness Montpelier Ice Jam
2007 Greg Hanson WFO Burlington VT
3/15/2007 USGS Langdon Street Bridge Gage
Operational, Posted to BTV AHPS
3/13/2007 Lead 5 ft Wide 300 ft Long From
treated wastewater
3/25/2007 Ice Out 509 pm EST No flooding
3/14/2007 Flood Watch For Ice Jam Flooding
3/14/2007 Lead expands to 50 ft Wide 500-600 ft
Long
2/5/2007 2nd t Coordination Meeting
3/16/2007 Ice breakup/ Flood threat passes
1/26/2007 1st Coordination Meeting
2/27/2007 3rd Coordination Meeting
3/7/2007 Daily Conference Calls Begin
3/8/2007 Dusting, Treated Wastewater piping begins
1/20/2007 Ice Jam develops

• NWS BTV Actions
• Freezeup jam potential first mentioned in HWO
  01/17/2007
• Daily Conference Calls
• National Weather Service
• USACE Cold Regions Research and Environmental
  Laboratory
• USGS
• National Guard
• Congressional delegation
• FEMA/VEM/Local responders
• Flash Flood Warning Template
• Coordinated with VT Emergency Management
• Montpelier Police
• WFO BTV Intranet Wiki page with information and
  instructions
• Media interviews

• Roles
• WFO BTV Weather Support, Forecasts, Warning
  dissemination
• NERFC River flow forecasts, backwater forecasts
• CRREL Expert assessment and advice
• Ice thickness and movement
• Temporary river gages
• Ice Jam evaluation
• USGS
• Ice thickness
• streamflow measurements
• Rapid deployment gage on Winooski Tributary
• City of Montpelier
• Dusting
• Treated wastewater routed upstream
• Public notification
• Daily updates via web, local news
• Vermont Emergency Management
• Coordinate all aspects of response
• VT National Guard

• Characteristics
• Multi Agency Response to Ice Jam Flood Threat
• National Weather Service
• USACE Cold Regions Research and Environmental
  Laboratory
• USGS
• National Guard
• FEMA/VEM/Local responders
• Experience with 1992 Ice Jam Flood Contributed to
  heightened response
• Ice Jam Characteristics
• 1 mile long
• Solid ice cover 12 to 14 inches thick
• Frazil ice packed under ice cover extends 3 to 5
  feet down to stream bed
• River channel meandering through frazil

City of Montpelier Community Briefing Tool
WFO BTV Wiki Page
Map of Montpelier Ice Jam
CRREL Temporary Gage Display
National Weather Service - since the weather was
the key variable, their information was
essential. Any planning we did was based on the
weather info they gave us. And they were
extremely accurate. in on every call at all
hours of the day and night.. - Bill Fraser,
Montpelier City Manager