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Releasing more water from Lake Ontario could make things worse in Montreal

Due to heavy rains, Lake Ontario is overflowing its banks. Some New Yorkers want to lower the lake level by releasing water from a dam downstream. But the International Joint Commission, which controls the dam, says that will bring more flooding to Montreal. And the city is already reeling.

According to Jacob Bruxer at the IJC, Quebec is in for an historic weekend. The region has already been dealing with high water levels and flash flooding due to heavy rains over the last week and now it's projected to get worse.

In Montreal, residents of some neighborhoods are sandbagging their properties; in others, evacuating.

Near the St. Lawrence River, marinas have had to remove boats and secure their gas pumps.

And on the other end of the Island, near the Ottawa River, the fire department is moving people and resources back and forth using rowboats. Some neighborhoods are already as much as two feet underwater.

Experts say there is little anyone can do, including the IJC, to alleviate the flooding, except wait and hope for dry weather.

Veronica Volk is a Reporter/Producer for WXXI News. She comes from WFUV Public Radio, where she began her broadcasting career as a reporter covering the Bronx, and the greater New York City area. She later became the Senior Producer of WFUV’s weekly public affairs show, Cityscape. Originally from Ocean County, New Jersey, Veronica got her B.A. in Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University, concentrating on Media, Culture, and Society.