New York CAC Discusses Lake Levels, Stream Gages
Many USGS gages like this one on the Great Chazy River may be closed in March due to a loss of federal funding. Image via USGS.
On November 29, Staff Scientist Mike Winslow was asked to discuss regulation of Lake Champlain’s level with the New York Citizens’ Advisory Committee (NYCAC). Lake Champlain is the largest unregulated lake in the United States, but there is a persistent misperception that dams in Quebec control the level of the lake. While there are two dams on the Richelieu River in Quebec, both are downstream from the bedrock sill that actually controls the lake. In the 1970s, the International Joint Commission (IJC) studied the feasibility and desirability of building a structure to regulate the lake. LCC was very active in opposing such regulation. Eventually, the IJC agreed with LCC and the regulation project never happened. There are calls for that decision to be reconsidered.
The NYCAC also heard from Ward Freeman of the US Geological Survey about the potential closing of stream gages in the Lake Champlain Basin (see this month’s Lake Look). Stream gages provide a fundamental early flood warning system that saves lives and protects roads, bridges, and personal property from flooding. LCC and the NYCAC have called on congressional leaders to support continued operation of steam gages.
