CORNWALL, Ontario – The International Joint Commission (IJC) announced that it would reduce water levels flowing through the Moses-Saunders Dam in Cornwall after Labour Day.
The IJC is a Canadian-United States board that manages the bodies of water shared by the two countries.
“With summer nearing an end, the Board will adjust its outflow strategy and allow Lake St. Lawrence levels to decline to the normal navigation season minimum following the September long weekend. This decision will allow for slightly more water to be released from Lake Ontario during the fall,” reads a statement from the IJC.
In recent years, water levels west of the dam have been extremely low, creating hardships for civilian boaters who wish to dock their craft for the winter season.
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The IJC acknowledged that low water levels in Lake St. Lawrence is an ongoing problem.
“The lower and declining levels on Lake Ontario combined with the high outflows through the Moses-Saunders Power Dam are resulting in very low levels on Lake St. Lawrence that are anticipated to continue,” the IJC statement reads. “This was the fourth straight summer of well-below-average levels of Lake St. Lawrence, which as the forebay to the dam, responds much more rapidly and significantly to increases in outflows than the much larger Lake Ontario upstream.”
Water levels in Lake St. Lawrence currently stand at 73.0 m or 239.50 ft.
