Special meeting in Long Sault, Ont. to discuss effects of low water levels

A special meeting is being held in Long Sault Tuesday to share information and discuss solutions for the low water levels affecting parts of the St. Lawrence River.

"We've invited guests into speak about the ecosystem, the fish habitat and the environment, so this is what the main focus will be," said Ault Island Resident Cliff Steinburg.

Community leaders, conservation authorities and Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry MP Eric Duncan are scheduled to attend, to discuss information and gather data.

"As an example, at Hoople Creek, obviously it has an impact on the fish and so there will be along discussion around that tonight," Steinburg noted. "The St. Lawrence Parks Commission will be coming in to talk about the impact of the bird sanctuary, which is going to be very similar when it comes to the wildlife."

The goal is to continue a regular means of communication with the International Joint Commission (IJC), who controls the water levels in the area.

"We recognize that we can't do anything about this year, so we'd like to try to ensure this doesn’t happen in the future," Steinburg said.

The water level between Iroquois and Cornwall has been half a metre below average for parts of the summer, affecting tourism and producing safety concerns for boaters, with hazards lying just beneath the water.

Low water levels along Ault Island in Lake St. Lawrence. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

Steinburg is part of an advisory group for the IJC, and says collecting this information is vital.

"I'm always being requested by the IJC to give more pictures, more data, and more information because it helps with the decision process," he said. "The big thing, I think for the IJC, they can't physically see or don't have the data to support the impact to this area."

While the meeting is not open to the public, Steinburg says notes will be published on what was discussed.

"The public is very, very, upset and so it's very difficult to hold a meeting with the public and keep it that it's productive," he added.

"I'm hoping that with these past couple meetings and future meetings, that we are going to be able to supply more information and really identify the impact to this area because it's huge," Steinburg said.

Conservation authorities attending include South Nation, Raisin Region and the St. Lawrence River Institute.

While the IJC is not expected to be at the special meeting, Steinburg says all data collected will be passed on to the organization in an October meeting with the public advisory group.

The IJC says a small increase to the water levels is expected on Lake St. Lawrence in the coming weeks, to help residents remove their boats from the river.