The International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board Plans to Assist Boat Haul Out on Lake St. Lawrence the Second Weekend in October
The current water levels on Lake St. Lawrence are at approximately 72.73 meters. The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board plans to temporarily reduce outflows from Lake Ontario to increase water levels on Lake St. Lawrence the second weekend of October. These efforts will provide marinas and shoreline dock owners an opportunity at the end of the season to remove recreational boats more easily. The Board expects to temporarily reduce outflows through the Moses-Saunders Dam for a 72-hour period from noon on Friday, October 7th through noon on Monday, October 10th to raise water levels on Lake St. Lawrence. Based on the current forecast, Lake Ontario outflows will be temporarily reduced to reach a target water level of about 73.10 meters on Lake St. Lawrence during the holiday weekend in October. This operation will not meaningfully affect water levels on Lake Ontario.
“The goal of the Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River regulation plan, known as Plan 2014, is not to keep water levels at a determined level; the levels throughout the Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River system will fluctuate based on weather conditions”, said General Peeples, United States Co-Chair of the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board. The Board will continue to monitor weather forecasts, water supply conditions, and refine this strategy as necessary in the coming weeks. The proposed flow reduction is permitted by Plan 2014 and considered a minor deviation. After the flow reduction is complete, water levels will decrease on Lake St. Lawrence, and it will be difficult to remove boats after the holiday weekend.
“The levels upstream of the Moses-Saunders Dam in Lake St. Lawrence are influenced by the flow rate through the dam, with high flow rates resulting in lower levels and low flow rates resulting in higher levels” said Mr. David Harper, Canadian Co-Chair of the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board. Water levels are also influenced when strong winds blow the water in a surge effect anywhere along the river.
Information on hydrologic conditions, water levels and outflows, including graphics and photos, are available on the Board’s website https://www.ijc.org/en/loslrb and posted to the Board’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/InternationalLakeOntarioStLawrenceRiverBoard.
Contacts:
Bryce Carmichael: (513) 418-8562
Geneviève Asselin: (418) 564-0323
Or by email :
ILOSLRB-USSection@usace.army.mil
ec.cilofsl-iloslrb.ec@canada.ca
The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board ensures that outflows from Lake Ontario meet the requirements of the International Joint Commission's Orders of Approval. Under any regulation plan, the ability to regulate the outflow from Lake Ontario does not mean that full control of lake levels is possible. This is because the major factors affecting water supply to the Great Lakes, precipitation, evaporation, and runoff cannot be controlled, and are difficult to accurately predict.