CHAUMONT — High water levels up and down Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, rising at one of the highest rates in a century, have led communities to prepare sandbags and the state to declare a state of emergency for multiple counties.
In Chaumont, fire crews were hard at work Tuesday filling sandbags, an effort that began at 7 a.m. Monday after they received calls from concerned residents.
“Right now, we are not concentrating on seawall. We are focusing on saving structures,” said Carl F. Seery, assistant fire chief for the Chaumont Fire Department. “We are not building you a seawall.”
Assistant Fire Chief Heather R. Jackson said village firefighters filled more than 2,500 sandbags Tuesday with help from firefighters from Three Mile Bay, Depauville, Clayton, Brownville, Dexter, Glen Park, Natural Bridge and LaFargeville. The company also received about 1,000 sandbags filled by inmates at the Cape Vincent Correctional Facility.
“This is just amazing to see all of these people come in and help,” Ms. Jackson said. “This is where brothers and sisters come together.”
The issues with high water levels were felt across the region.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo made an emergency declaration Tuesday for eight counties, including Jefferson, Oswego and St. Lawrence counties, a move the governor’s office said will provide more resources to state agencies to counteract the effects of the high water levels. Jefferson County will receive 50,000 sandbags and Oswego County will receive 30,000 sandbags.
The state is also formally appealing to the International Joint Commission to release additional water through the Moses-Saunders Dam to lower Lake Ontario water levels.
“With waters on the Lake Ontario coastline rising to the highest levels in 20 years, we are remaining vigilant and will continue to do everything in our power to assist communities with flooding preparation and response measures,” he said, in a statement.
The state has also launched a Lake Ontario Flood Assistance Hotline to provide the latest information to residents affected in their community at 866-244-3839. The state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Water is offering technical assistance to property owners, and can be reached at 518-402-8185 or coastals@dec.ny.gov.
rapid rise
IJC officials said wet conditions in April sent water levels rising in Lake Ontario at the third-highest rate since 1918.
Overall, the lake rose 17.3 inches in April, just 2.4 inches less than the April record set in 2014.
The lake’s average level in April was 247.77 feet, the sixth highest average since 1918, and the highest since 1993.
“Precipitation was well-above average across the Lake Ontario — St. Lawrence River basin last month, with some areas receiving more than twice their normal April amounts,” the commission said in a news release.
The high lake levels and stormy weather all played a part in the National Weather Service’s flood watch that through this afternoon.
The commission said they are working under Plan 2014 regulations to balance high water levels on both sides of the lake and St. Lawrence River.
They also said conditions this year would be nearly identical under the past regulation plan.
“Though it has been nearly 25 years since water levels have been this high (since 1993), higher levels on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River have occurred several times in the past and will occur again in the future,” they said. “These high water levels are a result of exceptionally wet conditions and high water supplies, and would have occurred under any regulation plan.”
Going into May, water levels are expected to remain high. The commission said the lake is currently 21.7 inches above its long-term average levels for this time of year.
Additionally, the St. Lawrence River at Lake St. Louis is 29.1 inches above average, and Montreal Harbour is 47.2 inches above average.
Times staff writer Miranda Materazzo contributed to this report.