COVID-19: Important message from the International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Board

In recent years, all stakeholders have been deeply challenged to cope with the extraordinary high water level conditions, which is why we are all hoping for drier conditions this spring.  Unfortunately, another threat has appeared: a very harmful virus, COVID-19, has made its way around the globe and into the basin.

As you have read or heard, this human health threat must be contained to protect each individual, especially the weak and the elderly, from exposure to the virus. Many of you were likely doing work or planning work to protect your property or to assist others in their attempt to be more resilient in the upcoming months.  It is absolutely essential that you follow the directives from the proper authorities to protect yourself when you deem it necessary to go out of your home; do not put your health at risk. Please take good care of yourself in these very difficult times and we will pull through this difficult period supporting each other.

When it comes to water regulation of the Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River, the Board is putting in place extraordinary measures to continue to maximize the outflow of water from Lake Ontario to the extent possible in consideration of everyone throughout the system.  The Board continues to regulate the outflow and communicate its outflow strategy and its impacts to all interests in the system while the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic unfolds.

While the pandemic situation continues to change rapidly, the top priority remains the health and safety of our staff. Following the advice of public health authorities, Board members and staff have restricted travel and meetings, and are working remotely. You may still communicate with the Board’s Secretaries using the ‘Contact’ form on the website.

Daily operations of the Regulation Representatives are unaffected by the COVID-19 precautionary measures given that monitoring, regulation and communication with the Operations Advisory Group is always done using digital data exchange and telecommunications. The dam operators have undertaken precautionary measures at their local facilities to ensure ongoing safe operations under the pandemic crisis. The Regulation Representatives of each country continue to monitor basin conditions closely and will be able to provide technical assessments of various outflow strategy decisions to water levels and flows throughout the system.

If you have any concerns or questions, don’t hesitate to communicate with us using the Contact page of our website: https://ijc.org/en/contact/contact_the_international_lake_o