The International Lake Ontario–St. Lawrence River Board agreed on February 21 to continue deviating from Plan 2014 and maximize outflows through the spring.
As was the case in January, outflow for the month of February is expected to set a new record. Without the record outflows employed since the beginning of the year, water levels would be even higher than they are currently.
Because the risk of a high water event on Lake Ontario remains elevated, the board agreed to continue maximizing flows through March 31. The Seaways Corporations have announced the date of April 1 for the opening of the 2020 navigation season for the Montreal to Lake Ontario section of the seaway. The April 1 opening allows for outflows to continue in excess of prescribed safe limits for navigation through the end of March.
The board’s outflow strategy for April will be determined at a later date based on conditions upstream and downstream at the time and in consideration of all interests.
Ice cover on the St. Lawrence River has been below normal throughout the winter, and mild weather over the past several weeks continued to provide favorable conditions to release exceptionally high outflows from Lake Ontario.
Nonetheless, with high levels of Lake Ontario and the upper Great Lakes continuing, the risk of high water this spring remains elevated. Therefore, the board will continue releasing high outflows in the coming weeks by maximizing outflows up to the higher tiers of the Plan’s limit intended to balance upstream and downstream high water impacts.
Given the current record high water levels for this time of year on the other Great Lakes, these actions will help reduce the risk of levels on Lake Ontario exceeding 247.7 feet in 2020.
The board has created a new website page focused on the recent high-water events: https://ijc.org/en/loslrb/watershed/2017-and-2019-high-water-events. All high-water related materials are now in one place.
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