Press Release: December flooding in the Intervale

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Burlington, VT – Heavy rainfall combined with increased snowmelt at the beginning of the week caused the Winooksi River to jump its banks, inundating the Intervale with flood waters. By Tuesday morning the flooding from the Winooski River reached the designation of a major flood, according to the National Weather Service.

The Intervale Center manages 360 acres of farmland, forest, and recreational trails at the Intervale, located a mile from downtown Burlington and adjacent to the Winooski River. This is the second major flooding event in the Intervale in 2023 alone.

Intervale Road has sustained damage and is closed to the public until further notice. The Intervale Center team, alongside Intervale farmers, are still assessing the damage to fields, crops, trails, and infrastructure as the flood waters recede. Unlike in July, there were fewer crops in production, likely resulting in less damage; however, some crops are over wintered in the fields and tunnels, and both Intervale farms and our Intervale Conservation Nursery team may not know the full extent of the damage until the spring.

The impact of this week’s heavy rain and rising waters reached beyond Burlington, resulting in flooding events across Vermont. As what is likely to be the warmest year on record comes to a close, we are increasingly seeing the impacts of the climate crisis in our own community. This year’s late frost, above average temperatures, and increasingly severe storms have underscored the need to adapt and mitigate to Vermont’s changing climate.  “Our team is committed to supporting Vermont’s food system in the face of the climate crisis, and we will continue to adapt our programming and decision making through this lens,” says Travis Marcotte, Executive Director at the Intervale Center.

After the July flooding, the Intervale Center team mobilized and coordinated hundreds of volunteers, raised emergency funds, adapted our programs, championed climate policies at the state and federal level, and assisted farmers both in the Intervale and across the state. Since our founding, the Intervale Center has made strides toward climate resilience across Vermont’s natural environment and our team continues to move this work forward by planting trees, restoring ecosystems,  stewarding land, providing direct business technical assistance to farmers, and advancing public policies that ensure food security for all in a changing climate. Through partnership and resource sharing, the Intervale Center will continue to steward the land in ways that mitigate environmental impact and serve as a model for climate resilient agriculture and ecosystems statewide and regionally.

For 35 years, the Intervale Center has led a community food revolution that sustains farms, land and people. We work in Vermont to address massive challenges, including food security, farm viability, water quality, and climate change. We have pioneered farm and food innovations in local food development, commercial composting, land access ecosystem restoration, farm business development, food access and food hub development.

Learn more about Intervale Center programs and history.

For media inquiries please contact Maddy Traynor, Communications Manager: (802) 660-0440 ext. 103 or maddy@intervale.org