News Releases

The International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board (Board) is seeking your input. The Board would like to collect information specifically related to the reduced outflows from Lake Ontario October 7 through October 10, 2022 to support boat haul out and learn more about where people access the...

The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board will temporarily reduce outflows from Lake Ontario at the Moses Saunders Dam from noon on Friday, October 7th through noon on Monday, October 10th to reach a target water level of about 73.10 meters (239.83 ft.) on Lake St. Lawrence at Long...

Due to Lake Ontario water levels decreasing and falling below the Criterion H14 threshold this week, the International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board now has the authority to implement deviations from plan-prescribed flows beginning September 24.

The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board plans to temporarily reduce outflows from Lake Ontario to increase water levels on Lake St. Lawrence the second weekend of October. These efforts will provide marinas and shoreline dock owners an opportunity at the end of the season to remove...

The three Great Lakes Boards will host joint webinars in English and French on August 30 and 31, respectively from 5:30 to 6:30 pm EDT. Information shared will include current and forecast conditions within the Great Lakes basin.

The International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board will host two virtual public meetings, one in English and one in French, to review winter and early spring conditions, and share the most up to date forecast for the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River basin. These meetings are essential to...

Ice has formed in the critical sections of the St. Lawrence River in the Beauharnois Canal and on Lake St. Lawrence. As ice conditions stabilize, outflows from Lake Ontario will be increased in accordance with the rules of the plan.

Currently the regulation plan is prescribing very high outflows, the third highest on record for this time in December, and these plan flows are higher than in December 2020. The regulation plan will continue to prescribe high outflows over the winter.

The International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board (Board) is seeking your input. The Board would like to collect information specifically related to the reduced outflows from Lake Ontario October 8 through October 11 to support boat haul out and learn more about where people access the water...

Lake Ontario outflows will be increased by 200 m3/s (7,100 cfs) above the amount set by Plan 2014, beginning October 16. This will continue for approximately eight weeks to return water levels in Lake Ontario to the level it would be had outflow deviations not been required earlier this year.

The water level on Lake St. Lawrence at Long Sault Dam on Wednesday morning, October 6th was approximately 72.86 meters (239.04 ft.). The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board will temporarily reduce outflows from Lake Ontario from noon on Friday, October 8th through noon on Monday...

The current water level on Lake St. Lawrence at Long Sault Dam is approximately 73 meters (239.50 ft.). The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board will temporarily reduce outflows from Lake Ontario to increase water levels on Lake St. Lawrence the second weekend of October.

There are approximately 700 marina and boat club slips, and hundreds of private docks located along the shores of Lake St. Lawrence. Recreational boaters who navigate the St. Lawrence River, Lake St. Lawrence, and adjacent rivers and lakes have experienced high and low water level conditions that...

(In French only) - Les conseils de régularisation des eaux des Grands Lacs de la Commission mixte internationale (CMI) vous invitent à assister à un webinaire prévu le mercredi 8 septembre de 12 h à 13 h (HAE). La séance se déroulera en français. Le Conseil international de contrôle du lac Supérieur...

The International Joint Commission (IJC) Great Lakes water levels boards invite you to attend a webinar scheduled for Friday, August 27 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm (EDT).

Precipitation in the recent two weeks has had a positive impact and the wetter conditions have increased Lake Ontario water levels by approximately 7 cm (2.8 in). Normally, Lake Ontario water levels typically have begun the seasonal decline by this time of year.

The drought conditions that have impacted the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River watershed this spring have continued to persist into the summer.

The month of May has been drier than average in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River watershed. Based on data from the GLERL Hydromet database and US Army Corps of Engineers data, the most recent 12 months over Lake Ontario have been the driest since 1966. The Canadian and United States drought...

The International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board will host several binational virtual public meetings to discuss the current conditions on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. We have been hearing from concerned property owners, business owners, and recreational users regarding the...

Lower than average precipitation and winter snowpack runoff have resulted in decreased inflows to Lake Ontario. The reduced inflows have resulted in lower water levels on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. In response to these conditions, the Board has decided to reduce outflows from Lake...

The risk of flooding on Lake Ontario and the upper St. Lawrence River has declined from moderate in December 2020 to low. In December, the risk analysis indicated a 28% chance of water levels exceeding a threshold at which damages occur in many shoreline communities. The risk is now down to 8%...

The International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence Board is optimistic that weather conditions the rest of this winter and spring won’t cause a damaging rise in Lake Ontario levels this year. However, it has been acting proactively since 1 January to reduce lake levels this winter just in case the...

The International Joint Commission (IJC) has approved the Board’s request for authority to deviate from Plan 2014, and as conditions permit, outflows from the Moses-Saunders dam on the St. Lawrence River can be increased to exceed Plan 2014 flows. The risk of high water on Lake Ontario in 2021 is...

The Board will temporarily decrease outflows over the second weekend of October to raise Lake St. Lawrence levels significantly and provide a brief, final opportunity for residents of Lake St. Lawrence to remove their boats and other equipment prior to winter. Last week, the Board agreed to let Lake...

A public Great Lakes water levels webinar hosted by the International Joint Commission's Lake Superior Board of Control, Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board and Niagara Board of Control was held July 17. This webinar provided an overview of why the Great Lakes were at their current levels and how...

With summer nearing an end, the Board will adjust its outflow strategy and allow Lake St. Lawrence levels to decline to the normal navigation season minimum following the September long weekend. This decision will allow for slightly more water to be released from Lake Ontario during the fall. The...

Lake Ontario levels peaked early this year at 75.40 m (247.38 ft.) on 5 May, 10 cm (4 inches) below the general flood stage and over a half meter (20 inches) lower than the peak in 2019. Lake levels are expected to continue their seasonal decline through summer, and have fallen 6 cm (2 in.) from the...

Thanks to favorable weather and water supply conditions, in conjunction with recent actions taken by the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board to increase Lake Ontario outflows, the board no longer needs to limit outflows to alleviate flooding risks downstream.

Water levels throughout the Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River system in 2020 are expected to peak well below the record-highs of 2017 and 2019, according to the latest projections from the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board.

Water levels remain high across the Great Lakes basin. The four upper Great Lakes are near- or above record-high levels, while Lake Ontario is still well above average, but also well below record levels. Lake Ontario is now likely to remain below record-highs through the spring.

The first major spring storm pushed through the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River basin this past weekend, bringing high winds and precipitation, raising inflows and accelerating the seasonal rise in water levels.

Spring is a critical period for Lake Ontario outflow regulation, as the International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Board is closely coordinating with the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board during the Ottawa River snowmelt (freshet), to have the highest outflow from Lake Ontario while...

Due to favorable ice conditions and previously implemented deviation strategies, the Lake Ontario outflows surpassed the historical record-high for the month of March, making this the third straight monthly record that has been exceeded during the Board’s ongoing efforts to deviate from Plan 2014...

The International Lake Ontario–St. Lawrence River Board agreed March 11th to amend its Plan 2014 temporary deviation strategies to allow for additional increases to the rate of water removed from Lake Ontario through the spring.

The International Lake Ontario–St. Lawrence River Board agreed on February 21 to continue deviating from Plan 2014 and maximize outflows through the spring.

Lake Ontario is again near record highs for this time of year and the risk of high levels this spring remains elevated. While considerable uncertainty in projections for spring still exists, the International Lake Ontario–St. Lawrence River Board is providing advanced notice so communities can begin...

Mild temperatures and minimal ice cover in the St. Lawrence River made it possible to release record amounts of water from Lake Ontario during January and continuing into February, but inflows to Lake Ontario also set records last month. The continuing trend of extremely high water supplies, which...

In an easy-to-read background paper on High Water in 2019, the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board responds to the call for more accessible information.

Following the closure of the Seaway, and some partial and temporary ice formation in early January, mild temperatures across the Lake Ontario basin have allowed the International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Board to set Lake Ontario outflows at unprecedented levels, higher than has ever...

Outflows will be increased substantially in the coming days as efforts to remove water from Lake Ontario continue. Starting tomorrow, following the end of navigation season, outflows will be increased as much as possible until ice formation resumes on the St. Lawrence River. A flow increase from 8...

Cold weather has caused ice formation to start at critical areas on the St. Lawrence River, requiring Lake Ontario outflows to be temporarily reduced in order to reduce the risk of ice jams. Cold temperatures yesterday and overnight caused water temperatures to plunge along the St. Lawrence River...

While Lake Ontario remains above long-term average, regulated outflows will remain as high as feasible based on river conditions. As a result, residents around Lake St. Lawrence are being warned to expect both extreme high and low water levels this winter, as the Board implements a winter deviation...

The International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board (Board) announced today that, in directing Lake Ontario outflows, it has been given the ability to continue deviating from the flow specified by Plan 2014. The Board has had authority to deviate from Plan 2014 since May 7th, after Lake...

To provide the highest attainable relief to all interests, both upstream and downstream of the Moses-Saunders Dam, outflows remain at record-high rates for this time of year, eclipsing the outflows released at this same time in any other years dating back to 1900. As Lake Ontario continues its...

Due to the declining Lake Ontario level combined with extraordinarily high outflows still being released through Moses-Saunders Dam, the forebay upstream of the dam has seen a significant sustained drop in water levels, making it extremely challenging to haul-out boats that would normally be removed...

Lake Ontario levels reached 75.50 m (247.7 ft) and the record outflows of 10,400 m3/s (367,270 cubic feet per second) were reduced to 10,110 m3/s (357,000 cubic feet per second) at 12:01AM on August 21, 2019.

Water levels on Lake Ontario have begun to decline more rapidly in recent days due to a combination of continued record-high outflows, declining inflows from Lake Erie and generally drier weather across the basin. Lake Ontario’s level remains at record-highs for this time of year, but it has...

Lake Ontario water levels continue to decline slowly as the Board is maintaining record outflows of 10,400 m3/s (367,270 cubic feet per second). At its meeting on July 19th, the Board deliberated several outflow strategies above 10,400 m3/s and considered both the additional decline on Lake Ontario...

Water levels are declining throughout the system as warmer, drier weather and record Lake Ontario outflows of 10,400 m3/s (367,270 cubic feet per second) continue. At its meeting on July 5th, the Board reached consensus to maintain the current outflow, which is 200 m3/s (7,060 cfs) higher than...

Water levels are expected to decline throughout the system this week as drier conditions are forecast and record Lake Ontario outflows of 10,400 m3/s (367,270 cubic feet per second) continue. At its meeting on June 28th, the Board reached consensus to maintain the current outflow and continue...