A coalition of land owners, elected officials, environmental groups and others are launching a campaign calling on the governments of the U.S. and Canada to move ahead with the latest plan, called Plan 2014, to regular water levels on Lake Ontario.
Proponents say Plan 2014 would restore Lake Ontario to more natural levels by controlling dams along the St. Lawrence River.
Some owners of shoreline property are unhappy with the new plan because they are worried it would cause more damage to properties along the lake. So the environmental organization The Nature Conservancy gathered in Rochester this week with lakeshore property owners who support the latest plan.
Jim Howe, the executive director of the Nature Conservancy of Central and Western New York says the latest plan would help restore balance to the lake levels.
“What no one is talking about is the damage to the river and the lakes, environment and economy that’s happening every day, and every day we don’t enact this plan is more damage to the lake and the river,” said Howe.
Earlier this year, top county officials from Monroe and Wayne Counties expressed opposition to the plan which they feel could leave lakeshore communities vulnerable to flooding or erosion.
The coalition that is backing the new lake level plan has also established a website explaining its position.
