The IJC’s Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board has decided to once again increase the outflow from Lake Ontario, and it confirms the lake is beginning to drop if only slightly.
The board will step up the outflow through the Moses-Saunders dam above the more than 360,000 cubic feet per second they’ve been sending out for the past two weeks. But they haven’t specified how much more. They say it depends on whether rains hold off so they can send more water down the Saint Lawrence River without either flooding downstream communities or putting the St. Lawrence Seaway at risk.
They’re already sending more than the controversial plan 2014 recommendation. The board will meet again on Monday for a further review. We’re watching for the eventual numbers to be announced.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has a Lakeshore Flood Watch beginning late tonight for Wayne, Monroe, Orleans and Niagara Counties. Strong Northeast winds are predicted to send the waves rolling ashore again. The watch runs through late tomorrow afternoon.