James M. Jeffords: “Today, I rise to inform my colleagues that Vermont has experienced yet another series of natural disasters. During the…”

“Today, I rise to inform my colleagues that Vermont has experienced yet another series of natural disasters. During the past few weeks the state of Vermont has received tremendous amounts of rain, causing severe flooding throughout the state. In fact, eleven of our fourteen counties were declared disaster areas after several days of heavy rain flooded streams and rivers. Hardest hit was the pristine Mad River in central Vermont. The river's stream banks were overwhelmed. Heavy sediment washed down the river depleting water quality. However, in sections of the river where methods to protect the stream banks through bioengineering and vegetation planting were established, the banks held steady during the floods preventing soils and sediments from entering the water system. Assistance is needed in the Mad River Valley of Vermont. The quality of the water in the Mad River is of great importance to the communities in the valley. Because of the recent flooding there is a need for the Environmental Protection Agency to provide assistance for maintaining that water quality.”