New York State is monitoring rising water levels on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, which are getting close to flood stage in some low-lying areas.
Even though there’s been little rain in the North Country since last week, all the Great Lakes empty into Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence, and the whole region’s seen a lot of heavy spring rain.
In a press release Tuesday, Governor Kathy Hochul said Lake Ontario has risen above 247 feet. The lowest areas, mostly around Rochester, can flood at 248 feet.
Hochul said the state is being proactive, ready to deploy 25,000 sandbags, pumps, and other equipment, even though she said the current forecast doesn’t call for the widespread flooding seen in 2017 and 2019.
Since those floods, the state has invested up to $300 million to fortify shorelines from western New York to Ogdensburg, with 38 projects already complete or underway in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties, including in Cape Vincent, Clayton, and Alexandria Bay.