The agency that oversees water flows on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River wants to keep levels higher for boaters near the Waddington and Massena areas.
The major storm that blew through Cornwall on Christmas Eve brought a lot of snow and gale force winds. In less than 24 hours, the wind blew south east at 18 mph with gusts to 30 mph and then clocked around to south west at 32 mph with gusts to 44 mph. As a result the level on Lake St Lawrence near Long Sault fluctuated wildly – first down 1.5 ft and then back up 4.9 ft.
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Members of a group affiliated with the International Joint Commission are taking a proactive move to curtail potential flooding next year along the major waterways in Northern New York.
The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board, which reports to the IJC, announced it will increase outflows from the Robert Moses-Robert H. Saunders Power Dam near Massena. While water levels on Lake Ontario have remained at their seasonal long-term average, they have been higher from Lake Erie and the upper Great Lakes. This water will eventually flow into Lake Ontario, raising its average level over time.
This could lead to flooding along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, such as what occurred in 2017 and 2019. So with the approval of the IJC, the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board will lower the water level by increasing outflows beginning Jan. 1.
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The International Joint Commission will do something lakeside residents have been asking about for years.
The IJC says it will deviate from Plan 2014, which will allow for increased outflows from Lake Ontario via the St. Lawrence River.
“The risk of high water on Lake Ontario in 2021 is moderate due to persistent high-water levels on Lake Erie and the upper Great Lakes. This will cause inflows to Lake Ontario from Lake Erie to remain high over the coming winter months. The main driver of a high-water event in the Lake Ontario basin will depend on seasonal factors such as precipitation and snowpack runoff,” the IJC wrote in a statement after the decision.