Control board raises river levels to help boaters haul their vessels for season

JOHNSON NEWSPAPERS

MASSENA — The International St. Lawrence River Board of Control has raised water levels this weekend to help boaters in Lake St. Lawrence get their vessels out for the season.

Dalton P. Foster, technical adviser and past president of the International Water Levels Coalition, and the Ault Island Association submitted requests to the board asking the agency to cut back outflows at the Moses-Saunders Dam.

"Many have their boats stranded right now on their lifts or in shallow water next to their docks," Mr. Dalton said.

In an announcement from the board, a spokesman said the agency has decided on release outflows below those specified by the regulation plan this weekend.

"This will help recreation boaters on Lake St. Lawrence with their haulouts. During this two-day period, water levels on Lake St. Lawrence are expected to be about (6 inches) higher than they would be if the board did not take this action," the board announcement says. "Boaters on Lake St. Lawrence are advised that the river levels this weekend will likely be at their highest point for this autumn."

The spokesman said the outflow reduction is expected to increase Lake Ontario levels by about one-tenth of an inch.

After this weekend's outflow reduction, the board said, outflows will return to levels set in the regulation plan.

Officials said water levels in Lake Ontario are "very near" the long-term average. Water levels in the international section of the St. Lawrence River fell below average at the end of August, the board's release said.

The International St. Lawrence River Board of Control was established by the International Joint Commission in 1952. For more information, go to www.islrbc.org.