Phase 2 factsheets:
Phase 1 factsheets are available here.
Phase 2 Overview Factsheet
The second phase of the expedited review, now underway, will comprise a broad examination of Plan 2014’s performance, especially its response to extreme high and low water levels and to variability brought on by the changing climate. This will include reviewing the rules within the regulation plan that govern outflows as well as the trigger levels that authorize the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board to consider deviations from those rules. The goal of the review is to find ways that could moderate extreme water levels and reduce impacts on the various uses and interests throughout the Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River system. The review could identify possible minor or major revisions to Plan 2014 rules and deviation authorities as recommended improvements by the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board for consideration by the IJC and governments. The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Adaptive Management (GLAM) Committee is conducting the expedited review. The GLAM Committee, appointed by the IJC, is made up of government scientists and engineers and knowledgeable specialists from outside organizations. The Committee’s purpose is to conduct on-going evaluations of water-management regulations, including those for managing flows out of Lake Superior and the water flowing out of Lake Ontario into the St. Lawrence River.
Read the entire Phase 2 Overview factsheet here.
Phase 2 Strategy Factsheet
The GLAM Committee is developing a Phase 2 strategy to guide the collection of critical information needed for the Board to evaluate the performance of Plan 2014 in response to extreme high and low water levels and the variability exacerbated by climate change and make a recommendation to the IJC on whether revisions to Plan 2014 are warranted. These evaluations are based on the same objectives established during the creation of Plan 2014 which included objectives to restore ecosystem health while limiting other impacts. The Board and the GLAM Committee are committed to collaborate with area interests and Indigenous peoples to attain the best outcome.
Several different working teams have been established to assist the GLAM Committee in the development and testing of possible modifications to the regulation plan. For example, a hydroclimate teams is modeling how climate change may impact future water supplies into Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River so that modifications to the outflow regulation plan can be tested under a variety of conditions. Other teams are improving models used to simulate water movement through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River and capture impacts of regulation plan changes under a range of possible future supply conditions.
Read the entire Phase 2 Strategy factsheet here.