Water levels: Expedited review of Plan 2014 begins

IJC

Mar 26, 2020

Accompanying the high water levels on the Great Lakes in 2017 and 2019 and with the threat of flooding still unclear for 2020, the International Joint Commission (IJC) has been on the receiving end of a lot of questions. Earlier this month the IJC issued the statement below.

March 03, 2020

The International Joint Commission (IJC) recently received $1.5 million in funding from the United States, with an additional $1.5 million in matching funds from Canada, to investigate possible improvements that could be made to Lake Ontario outflow regulation activities.

Extremely wet conditions over the last several years have driven record-high water levels and river flows in the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River system.  This 18- to 24-month investigation will focus on gathering information to help inform the critical decisions needed to best manage these extreme conditions, and on providing information that may lead to long-term improvements to the regulation plan.

This effort will be managed by the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Adaptive Management (GLAM) Committee, a sub-committee to the IJC’s International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board, International Niagara Board of Control, and the International Lake Superior Board of Control. The GLAM Committee provides all of the Great Lakes control Boards, including the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board, with the scientific data and analysis required to review the performance of regulation plans so that the Boards can evaluate potential changes to those plans.  The GLAM Committee has already started executing tasks in support of this expedited review to help the Board with key decisions for this spring.

“The IJC is committed to making this an open and transparent review and is in the process of creating a special advisory group to support the GLAM Committee through this process,” according to Jane Corwin, US Co-Chair of the IJC.  This advisory group will be made up of people representing a wide range of interests throughout the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River system.  “The advisory group will create an invaluable, direct connection between the review and those impacted by water levels and flows throughout the system,” said Pierre Béland, Canadian Co-Chair of the IJC.

No regulation plan will be able to prevent the extremely high water levels and flows experienced during these periods of record-setting water supplies. However, the IJC remains fully committed to finding the best solutions possible for managing levels and flows, especially during these periods of extreme conditions.

Related Articles

Video Gallery

Starcraft SV 16 OB

By Craig Ritchie

Photos by Starcraft Marine

Building great boats has always come down to a mix of art and science, and that’s particularly true when it comes to meeting the biggest challenge of all—creating an appealing yet affordable family runabout. Buyers want a boat that is affordable but not stripped to the bare bones.

Enter Starcraft and its delightful SV 16 OB, an all-new-for-2025 family deck boat that elegantly balances comfort, amenities and affordability.

Read More

Destinations

The Erie Canal – An Extraordinary Waterway

By Mark Stevens

Photos by Sharon Matthews-Stevens

As I shift our chartered canal boat into neutral, I’m soothed by the soundtrack of bird calls, the occasional plaintive horn of a distant train and the hum of our engine.

I reach for the VHF to radio the lockmaster in charge of Erie Canal’s Lock 32 dead ahead. Our boat spins gently in the current like a maple key in a mud puddle.

“This is Onondaga,” I say. “Headed westbound and requesting passage.”

Read More

Lifestyle