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Officials say water on Lake Ontario will continue to rise

Posted at 6:12 PM, Apr 28, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-29 05:43:05-04

(WKBW) — Some fear the summer of 2019, along the Lake Ontario coast line, may look a lot like the summer of 2017. Anyone who lived along the lake that year saw how the long lasting high water caused big problems with flooding and erosion.

The water level on Lake Ontario is controlled by the International Joint Commission (IJC), a group of Canadians and Americans. It controls the flow from the Moses-Saunders Power Dam, near Cornwall Ontario.

Right now, there is flooding near Montreal, near the confluence of the St. Lawerence and the Ottawa Rivers. Due to this flooding, outflows from the Moses-Saunders Power Dam are low. That means less water is flowing towards Montreal and water levels in Lake Ontario are rising.

On Friday, the IJC released a statement, it expects the water level on the lake to continue to rise.

Water levels on the lake right now are lower compared to this time in 2017.

With the water rising, the State of New York is taking precautionary steps. To prepare for any flooding, Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered nearly a quarter-million sandbags be sent to Lake Ontario communities. Two crews, one in Hilton, the other in Sodus, have already begun filling sandbags.

Governor Cuomo stated he was taking these steps “out of an abundance of caution.”

Officials are urging residents in low-lying areas of Wilson and Olcott to be vigilant and report any problems with rising water.