Canada and the U.S. are spending millions of dollars to study whetherthe two nations are handling the flow of water from Lake Ontario to theSt. Lawrence River properly. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s LesterGraham reports:
Transcript
Canada and the U.S. are spending millions of dollars to study whether the two
nations are handling the flow of water from Lake Ontario to the St. Lawrence
River properly. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports.
When the International Joint Commission first assessed the flows and water
Levels between Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River 50 years ago, there were
only two concerns. The needs of hydro-electric operators and the needs of
cargo ships. IJC spokesperson Fabien Lengelle says since then people have
built homes along the river. There’s more recreational boating, and
environmentalists are concerned about the effects of the levels.
“We realized that we had five major interest groups that had
diverging opinions as to how we should regulate the system. With this
growing dissatisfaction, we wondered, well, is there a way we can manage the
system so that everybody’s happy around the basin.”
The International Joint Commission has told the US and Canadian governments
it will need about 20-million dollars to conduct the five-year study.
However, the IJC concedes after spending the money it might find no
changes in water levels and flows are needed at all.
For the GLRC, this is Lester Graham.