After its weekly conference call, the International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board will keep the outflow from Lake Ontario at its current level, just over 360,000 cubic feet per second, for at least another week. That’s the equivalent of more than four Olympic swimming pools every second, but the regulators say the level has come down by only one inch since May 29th.
The board says in a statement that’s the most water it can release from Lake Ontario without causing more floods downstream or posing a risk to shipping on the St. Lawrence Seaway. They’ve been releasing that amount steadily since May 23rd, but the high water levels on Lake Ontario continue. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the level will continue to decline through June, but more rainfall could halt the decline or even cause a short term rise.
Lake Ontario is now at about 248 feet, nine-and-a-half inches. That’s 31-and-a-half inches above the long-term average for this time of year. Rainfall for April was the second-highest and May was the highest ever recorded.
The board agreed to look at increasing outflow from Lake Ontario even more when conditions down the St. Lawrence allow. But it says the flooding risk along the Lake Ontario shoreline will persist for weeks to come. They’ll review the situation again on June 12th.