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Save The River® Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper®

Save The River® Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper®

Save The River is a non-profit, member-based environmental organization whose mission is to preserve and protect the ecological integrity of the Upper St. Lawrence River through advocacy, education and research.

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Water Levels

You are here: Home / Water Levels

Water Levels

Water levels rise and fall in seasonal cycles. Spring time yields high water because melting snow moves through the watershed and eventually ends up in the St. Lawrence. Fall time typically has low water because there is no excess water moving through the watershed. 

Water levels also fluctuate on a long-term basis in response to persistent wet or dry conditions that may last for a number of years. Since the 1950s, the St. Lawrence River has had a 20-year cycle where roughly every 20 years, the water levels are higher throughout the year. 

Since this body of water is significant to both New York and Ontario for drinking water, scenic beauty, recreation, and the economy, forming organizations like the International Join Commission make it possible to collaborate on the usage of this important resource. 

The International Joint Commission

Since this body of water is significant to both New York and Ontario for drinking water, scenic beauty, recreation, and the economy, forming organizations like the International Join Commission make it possible to collaborate on the usage of this important resource. 

The high water level events of 2017 and 2019 were caused by years of record precipitation in addition to the precipice of the 20-year high-water cycle. Save The River has been advocating for the International Joint Commission (IJC)  to continue increased outflows at the Moses-Saunders Dam as long as conditions allow. This advocacy is done in an attempt to bring relief to riparians and shoreline business owners who have endured the high water

Additionally, we support the accelerated review of Plan 2014 by the Great Lakes Adaptive Management committee (GLAM) with hopes of fine-tuning the long term management plan that protects the River’s ecosystem and continues to enrich the lives of human residents.

The International Joint Commission (IJC) has provided this website to help answer FAQs about the 2017 & 2019 High Water Events.

Map via IJC website

Additional Water Level Resources

  • Comparison of Regulation Plans Under Extremely Wet Conditions – ILOSRLB
  • NOAA Current River Conditions Buoy – Alexandria Bay – Current weather conditions, water temperatures and more
  • Monthly Water Level Bulletin – Government of Canada
  • History of Water Gauges – NOAA
  • Monitoring the State of the St. Lawrence River – Government of Canada
  • For more information on our advocacy work, click here.

Latest Water Level News

IJC invites public comment on Phase 1 of the Plan 2014 Expedited Review

March 1, 2022 No Comments

IJC invites public comment on Phase 1 of the Plan 2014 Expedited Review for Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River The International Joint Commission (IJC) today released for public

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IJC – Seeks Input on Efforts to Help Recreational Boaters – Act Now!

December 8, 2021 No Comments

The IJC is doing a survey of boat owners to determine the results of their brief deviation to raise water levels to help boat owners haul their boats.  If you

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Final Public Workshop on Resiliency Planning for Shoreline Communities along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River

October 26, 2021 No Comments

Residents, property owners, business owners, and all interested parties are encouraged to join a virtual Public Workshop on Tuesday, November 9th, 6:00-7:30 pm. This is the third and final workshop

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IJC Continues to Assess Water Level Conditions on the St. Lawrence River for Potential Boat Haul Out Assistance

September 1, 2021 No Comments

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,

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Save The Date! The Ups and Downs of Great Lakes Water Levels

August 11, 2021 No Comments

The Ups and Downs of Great Lakes Water Levels – A talk by Dr. Andrew Gronewold, P.E. Join us on Thursday, September 9th, 2021 at the Clayton Opera House for

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Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Current and Forecast Conditions – Virtual Public Presentation

June 24, 2021 No Comments

Here are the latest recordings from virtual public meetings held by the the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board June 15: https://vimeo.com/565605954 June 17: https://vimeo.com/564809591 The board also released the following additional

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Save The River is a 501(c)3 and was designated the Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper in 2004 and is a member of the International Waterkeeper Alliance. The Waterkeeper Alliance is the world’s fastest growing environmental movement, with more than 300+ local Waterkeepers patrolling rivers, lakes and coastal waterways on 6 continents.

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Contact Us

409 Riverside Drive

Clayton, NY 13624

info@savetheriver.org

(315) 686-2010