Syracuse.com - Lake Ontario water levels controlled by huge dam spanning St. Lawrence River

[HuntingNY-News]

"If the dam had not been in place, the lake's natural fluctuation would have been eight feet during the past few decades," an official said

How is the water level of Lake Ontario and the upper St. Lawrence River controlled?

Historically, Lake Ontario water levels change in 30-year cycles, with fluctuations as much of nearly seven feet, according to Frank Bevacqua, a spokesman for the International Joint Commission, a panel with representatives from both counties that resolve conflicts over the use of shared waters.

That changed with the construction in the 1950s of the Moses-Saunders Power Dam on the St. Lawrence River, which straddles the border between the United States and Canada at Massena in New York and Cornwall in Ontario. Constructed lasted between 1954 and 1958. The dam is part of a larger project called the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Aside from providing significant amounts of hydro-power for power/utility companies on both sides of the river, the dam regulates the St. Lawrence River. It allows for easy passage through the river of large ships as a result of raising the water level behind it though and a series of locks downstream. Stretches of low water and rapids prevented that from happening previously.

Hearing complaints early on about the ever-changing lake water levels and how it played havoc with development around the lake, the IJC in 1956 approved a formula, using the dam to carry it out, with target highs and lows within a 4 foot range.

Mother Nature failed to cooperate. Over the past few decades, the lake level has varied as much as 6.2 feet, resulting in a growing dissatisfaction by shoreline residents and the recreational boating industry in the Upper St. Lawrence River. The result was a cry from property owners and environmentalists alike that something had to be done.

"If the dam had not been in place, the lake's natural fluctuation would have been eight feet during the past few decades," Bevacqua said.

See the main story on this issue.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog