Aubertine Calls On The Ijc To Make Changes

Senator: B+ is the best option for the North Country’s environment and economy

ALBANY—State Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine (D-Cape Vincent) repeated his call for the International Joint Commission to accept an environmentally friendly and economically beneficial plan to the North Country to regulate water levels on the St. Lawrence River.

"There need to be policies to protect one of the largest freshwater bodies on the planet," Sen. Aubertine said after the 2008 Focus Session with the New York Coalition of Great Lakes Legislators in the state capitol Monday, during which the IJC gave a 40-minute presentation. "In my estimation, not enough is being done. This river is not merely a canal to the Great Lakes. Its ecosystem must be protected."

The Senator once again endorsed the plan known as B+, which was developed as part of a five year $20 million study, as the best course of action. He noted that the plan has been supported in the scientific community as well as by the public. The IJC’s decision to ignore outside input and form "Plan 2007" is widely thought to be just a continuation of policies that have already damaged the river and could end up causing even more damage.

"The IJC continues to push what is really just the status quo," Sen. Aubertine said. "We’re concerned about the environmental impact of not just high water and low water, but the benefits of restoring the river as close as we can to its natural state. The environment and the economics do go hand in hand for the North Country. What’s good for the river is good for our economy."

According to Save the River, in the 50 years since the Moses-Saunders hydropower dam was completed, the lake and river ecosystems have suffered consistent losses to their biodiversity due to unnatural and damaging water levels regulation. The current plan, which Plan 2007 would barely change, artificially constrains water levels which has damaged more than 50 percent of the region’s coastal wetlands and significantly impacted many fish and nesting water birds.

"In one fell swoop, the IJC can significantly impact the environment of the St. Lawrence River," said Jennifer Caddick, executive director of Save the River. "Selecting Plan B+ would almost immediately bring back thousands of acres of wetlands. That would restore critical habitats for fish and wildlife."

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has also endorsed B+, stating that it is a lake level and flow management protocol that more nearly mimics the natural flux that existed in Lake Ontario prior to the creation of the Moses-Saunders hydroelectric dam near Massena. The DEC said Plan B+ manages to obtain roughly 90 percent the ecological benefits associated with a return to fully natural conditions, while limiting adverse shoreline impacts associated with natural lake level flux by about 90 percent.

"We’ve gone from last year having to yank boats out of the water in the end of July and here we are in the second week of May and there’s only four inches of your dock showing. The water is too deep. We’re going from extreme to extreme," Sen. Aubertine said. "The current approach just isn’t working. It’s not good for the river or the people who enjoy it."

The Senator said the IJC discussed a new structure for the control board, which monitors and adjusts the river’s water levels. He said he hopes the control board will have ability to take into account the 50 years of history in regulating the water levels and be pro-active, rather than purely reactionary. Sen. Aubertine also asked the commission’s representatives when a new plan will be in place and was told that public hearings must be completed this summer, but a decision might come this fall.

The Senator said he hopes the public will continue to speak out and make their objections known to the IJC in the public hearings and other events this summer. An informational meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Quality Inn, 10 West Orvis St., Massena. A public hearing will be held in the same location on June 19, followed by one at the Bonnie Castle Resort in Alexandria Bay on June 25 and another at the American Foundry in Oswego on June 26.