\n\tResearchers will characterize floodplains based on their potential functioning to develop, through a partnership with state and local partners, an evidence-based approach for phosphorus crediting of floodplain restoration and conservation, contributing to the goal of improving Lake Champlain water quality and promoting investment in green infrastructure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tIn response to the growing threat of floods and poor water quality in Lake Champlain, the State of Vermont and its partners are working to shift away from heavy-handed floodplain management (e.g., dredging or berm maintenance) towards a greater reliance on the improved capacity of dynamic, naturalized river corridors and floodplains.\u00a0The State of Vermont, in partnership with consultants and researchers at the University of Vermont (UVM), is currently in the process of establishing the Functioning Floodplain Initiative (FFI). When released in\u00a0winter 2022, the FFI web application will consist of a set of tools to map and track the status of floodplains and assist in nature-based project planning (https:\/\/dec.vermont.gov\/rivers\/ffi<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tTo prioritize interventions, these tools will quantify the degree to which proposed projects will restore or preserve the hydrologic connectivity that maintains water quality, flood resiliency, and natural habitats, along with social and economic feasibility factors.\u00a0Projects will enter a design and implementation phase, which this proposed research will support and then\u00a0refine prioritization of floodplain reconnection projects, by characterizing the continuum of floodplain types and their variable functioning.<\/p>\n \n\tAn additional FFI project planning module will be developed to provide estimates of floodplain phosphorus deposition rates for each unit of analysis.\u00a0Incorporating spatial and temporal variability into project planning and design will improve the State\u2019s estimates of phosphorus load reductions achieved through floodplain reconnection to meet federally mandated clean water goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-2381","project","type-project","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/seagrant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/2381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/seagrant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/seagrant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/project"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/seagrant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}