Mirror perception on Lake Ontario outflow regulation
Marc Hudon | May 2021
We can still hear or read people from the upper Lake Ontario-St. Conversely, many people downstream think that the regulation of the flow of Lake Ontario is carried out without taking them into consideration in order to favor the upstream part”.
We can still hear or read people from the upper Lake Ontario-St. Conversely, many people downstream think that the regulation of the flow of Lake Ontario is carried out without taking them into consideration in order to favor the upstream part”.
However, nothing is so far from reality!
Members of the International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Boarddo everything in their power to balance the impacts of the lesser volume of water from this inland sea from the Moses-Saunders hydroelectric dam located between Cornwall ON and Massena NY., for geographic sectors and direct and indirect users multiples of this immense hydrographic system. To do so, the Board complies with the International Joint Commission (IJC) Order of Approval and Directives and generally follows the rules of the 2014 Plan announced in December 2016 by the International Joint Commission, replacing Plan 1958D. The uses in question for both the downstream and upstream portions include hydroelectric production, municipal and private water intakes, commercial navigation, pleasure boating and the environment.
But contrary to popular thought of many, regulation is not the primary factor influencing water levels; "Mother nature" constantly reminds us of the preponderant role that she occupies, whether on a continental scale, for example with regard to the polar vortex which influences regional or local weather conditions (above the Great Lakes) of Lake Ontario. and the Ottawa River basin with sometimes persistent rains, strong winds from different directions depending on the sector, dangerous currents and what to say in winter about the addition to these same factors of the role of the ice cover which is not never the same from year to year, varies greatly during the season and can impact the speed of free flow of water.
These factors are currently being combined with rising water levels in all of the upstream Great Lakes. Whereas ten years ago, the people of the upstream cried out their despair in the face of the low water level on their shore, thus harming the use of their boats, now the trend, contrary to Extremely high water levels appear to be back for quite a while with the high risk of damage to shoreline properties. All this water cannot completely evaporate and disappear; it must largely descend via Lake Ontario and then transit through the St. Lawrence River towards the ocean. But even this passage is not done so simply, the volume of water that can flow and the speed of the currents in the upstream part of the St.
And what about the immense basin of the Ottawa River which does not fall under the jurisdiction of the International Council, whose waters in the major downstream part are not regulated and which flow into the Lac des Deux-Montagnes near Montreal. Each year, its spring flood has the potential to be as high as that of Lake Ontario. At these critical times, the Board will decide whether to reduce the flow of Lake Ontario considering the water level of Lake Saint-Louis and that of Lake Ontario and other factors such as water inflows from upstream via Lake Erie weather conditions prevailing at that time to provide all possible assistance to help reduce the risk of flooding.
When we realize that a simple decrease at any time of 1 cm in the water level of Lake Ontario causes a decrease of 15 cm in Lake Saint-Laurent located immediately upstream of the dam with, conversely, an increase of 11 cm further in downstream of Lake Saint-Louis near Montreal and an increase of 12 cm at the height of Montreal and that to this we add influencing factors such as those mentioned above, we understand that in this vast context, the task of the Council is all the more important to do everything possible to minimize the risk of impact both upstream and downstream. However, it should not be forgotten that regulation has only a limited role and cannot prevent high water levels in sustained periods of heavy rain;
In this article, we only touch on some of the conditions to be considered for the regulation on which depends the well-being of all people and activities connected to this magnificent binational ecosystem; Perceiving it to be to the detriment of anyone does not do justice to the Council's constant efforts to ensure that it is equal to everyone considering the factors to be addressed, regardless of geographic location.
Marc Hudon is an advisor for industries on community relations and environmental compliance with over 25 years experience of ensuring communities and stakeholders are informed and can participate in decision-making regarding water governance and usage issues in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River region.