The International St. Lawrence River Board of Control (Board) reviewed conditions in the Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River system on June 9 and decided to continue to maintain outflows in accordance with those prescribed by Plan 1958-D unless over-discharges are needed to meet critical hydropower needs, to maintain levels above 20.6 m (67.6 ft.) at Pointe-Claire on Lake St. Louis, or to allow incoming vessels to reach the Port of Montreal.  Any such over-discharges will be limited to no more than 600 cubic metres per second (cms) (21,200 cubic feet per second (cfs)) per day and 300 cms (10,600 cfs) per week.  The main considerations in adopting this strategy are as follows:

·         The level of Lake Ontario is near its long-term average.

·         The level of Lake Erie is also near its long-term average, so inflows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario will be near the average amount.

·         The level of Lakes Michigan-Huron is below-average, so water supplies coming from that system will be below average.

·         Conditions were very dry in May, on both the Lake Ontario and Lake Erie basins, but the weather cannot be predicted with much certainty for more than a few days so, as always, there is a great deal of uncertainty regarding upcoming water supplies from the Lake Ontario basin.

·         Plan 1958-D outflows are declining as a result of dry conditions and declining lake levels.

·         There are 4.9 cm (1.9 in.) of water stored on Lake Ontario relative to the Plan 1958-D level.

·         If average water supplies are received over the coming months and Plan outflows are followed, the level of Lake Ontario would remain near the average throughout June.  By the end of October, the level would be about 3 cm (1.2 in.) below average.

·         If conditions remain dry, the Lake level could fall to as much as 7 cm (2.8 in.) below average by the end of June and 19 cm (7.5 in.) below average by the end of October.  However, these levels are well within the range of regulated levels specified by the International Joint Commission’s criteria for the regulation of Lake Ontario.  Similarly, if conditions turn very wet, the Lake level could go as high as 6 cm (2.4 in.) above average by the end of June and 9 cm (3.5 in.) above average by the end of October but, again, these levels are well within the Plan 1958-D criteria.

·         The level in the Port of Montreal is forecast to be below average, but above chart datum, in June.  There is a significant chance that the harbour level will drop below datum later in the year.

·         There is a significant degree of uncertainty regarding outflows from the Ottawa River into the Montreal area over the summer months.

• Risk analysis results indicate little probability that the Lake level will be outside the range of levels specified in the regulation criteria. 

The Board, in conjunction with its staff, will continue to monitor the situation, and will meet again in about four weeks to re-assess the situation, or earlier if there is a significant change in conditions before then. 

This information can also be found on the Board’s web site (see address below), where it is updated as required.

The International Joint Commission was created under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to help prevent and resolve disputes over the use of waters along the Canada-United States boundary.  Its responsibilities include approving certain projects that would change water levels on the other side of the boundary, such as the international hydropower project at Massena, New York and Cornwall, Ontario.  When it approves a project, the Commission’s Orders of Approval may require that flows through the project meet certain conditions to protect interests in both countries.  For more information, visit the Commission’s website at www.ijc.org.

The International St. Lawrence River Board of Control was established by the International Joint Commission, mainly to ensure that outflows from Lake Ontario meet the requirements of the Commission’s Orders of Approval.  For more information, visit the Board’s website at www.islrbc.org.

For Release: June 14, 2005

Contacts:

Reg Golding, Ottawa, Ontario (613) 998-1408 e-mail: GoldingR@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

John Kangas, Chicago, Illinois (312) 353-4333 e-mail: John.W.Kangas@usace.army.mil