Eroding shorelines, deteriorating docks and flooded basements, three things that many people living along the shores of the St. Lawrence River have endured for decades.
Many residents of eastern Ontario say over the past three years it’s gotten worse, and they say they know why.
“For over 50 years we rarely saw flooding, but since 2017, and this new plan, the flooding has been devastating to businesses and infrastructure,” said Scott McCrimmon, the part-owner of Hucks Marine and Resort.
Months before the 2017 floods, the International Joint Commission introduced Plan 2014, replacing Plan 1958-D. Since the introduction of the plan, the region has experienced two severe flood years, which has sparked outrage from not only residents but mayors across eastern Ontario.
“We are calling for the immediate repeal of Plan 2014,” said Belleville Mayor Mitch Panciuk during a joint press conference in Quinte West with mayors from around the region.
Prince Edward County Mayor Steve Ferguson said his municipality has a vast shoreline and that the floods have devastated residents since the introduction of the plan.
“It’s (Plan 2014) not working, and I support revoking it,” said Ferguson.
This message was echoed by Corrina Smith-Gatcke, mayor of Leeds and the Thousand Islands, Brian Ostrander, mayor of Brighton, Jim Harrison, mayor of Quinte West, among other mayors and reeves.
Global News spoke with upper New York state hydrologist, Bernie Gigas, about the rising water levels, and he explained that the levels are controlled at a Dam near Cornwall, Ont.
“The outflows are regulated by the Moses Saunders Dam through the St. Lawrence Seaway and then down by Montreal and then finally up by Quebec City and then into the Atlantic,” said Gigas via Skype in Rochester, N.Y.
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According to Gigas, the regulation plan has measures to protect Montreal, meaning that the outflows from the Moses Saunders Dam are reduced, which has resulted in an additional 1.5 feet of water in Lake Ontario.
“The plan seeks to balance flooding upstream and downstream, but the reality of Plan 2014 is right now with the high Ottawa river crest of 2017/2019, it does not do a very good (job) of balancing the peak of the flood,” said Gigas.
Global News spoke with the International Joint Commission’s Canadian chair, Pierre Beland, who was quick to dismiss claims that Plan 2014 favours Montreal, and stressed that it’s not as easy just increasing outflows to relive eastern Ontario.
“We have to be careful not to flood people downstream while trying to pump the water from someone’s basement on Lake Ontario, and actually dump it into someone’s basement in Montreal,” said Beland.
He continued to say that the common misconception about the flooding is that it’s due to the dam not increasing outflows, but there are several natural factors that the IJC can’t control.
“It is simply a coincidence that at the same time that the new plan came into effect we had such high water supplies and then again in 2019,” said Beland.
According to Beland, the increased water supply was caused by record rainfall and precipitation. He continued to say that the IJC has brought Lake Ontario down 75 centimetres since June 15 and that the dam is still flowing above what is mandated by Plan 2014.
“There is no plan or reason to revise Plan 2014. However, we are on a day to day basis looking at how Plan 2014 is performing relative to what it was supposed to do,” said Beland.
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When Beland was asked if the IJC is preparing for another record water level year he said, “we (IJC) know that the plan can handle the lake under normal conditions and even conditions that are above normal but under extreme conditions no plan can handle that, and we are trying to convince people that we are doing the best we can.”
Beland says the IJC is preparing workshops for municipalities interested in learning more about the IJC’s involvement and how the water levels are balanced.
Although, for McCrimmon, and several other residents working and living along the St. Lawrence River, they are uncertain what spring 2020 will bring.
“Property values are plummeting in the area; money is being spent in the offseason to replace destroyed infrastructure. All I ask from the IJC is that we don’t end up back here in 2020,” said McCrimmon.
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