The 2011 flood event in the Richelieu River basin: Causes, assessment and damages

The 2011 Richelieu River (Quebec, Canada) spring flood was unprecedented in terms of destruction of property and negative impacts on agricultural as well as fish habitat within its watershed, costing an estimated CAD $90 million. The combined effect of various meteorological conditions that took place during the winter and the following spring season contributed to both the occurrence of a peak flow with a return period of 90 years and long flood duration. Due to the strong damaging effects of spring floods on both human and natural systems, the need for proper assessment of flood risks with a particular emphasis on the underlying key meteorological causes is pressing. The current study quantifies these flood risks as well as the main hydro-meteorological causes and consequences of the 2011 record spring flood of the Richelieu River using a two-component statistical and deterministic approach.