Regulators Say Lake Levels Will Rise as it Fights St. Lawrence Flooding

The International Lake Ontario St. Lawrence River Board says Lake Ontario water levels will continue to rise this spring while it tries to deal with a major flood event in the lower St. Lawrence River.

The regulating board says it’s trying to balance high levels upstream on Lake Ontario and the upper St. Lawrence with those downstream where Lake St. Louis and the lower St. Lawrence are flooding. Levels in in some areas there have already topped the 2017 peaks. While it does that, the board says water levels on Lake Ontario will rise more than is typical for this time of year.

How much they’ll rise depends on the weather conditions in both the Lake Ontario and Ottawa River basins. The Ottawa River feeds into the lower St Lawrence. The Ottawa is predicted to reach unprecedented outflows, forcing regulators to cut the amount of water they release from Lake Ontario

Another factor is the amount of water flowing in from Lake Erie, which is above average.


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