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Dear Friend of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, Our summer meetings begin soon! The locations are set and we look forward to seeing you. It is important for you to share yourviews with us this summer so that your ideas can be worked intoour decision-making process. Ultimately, your concerns will bereflected in the recommendations that the Study Board will make to the International Joint Commission in 2005. Our meeting schedule, along with the locations and times, is listed on the back page for you to tear out and post. Each meetingroom will be open from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for a poster session. Our presentation will begin at 7 p.m.; followed by a question and answer session. Please mark your calendar with the date of themeeting nearest you. Feel free to contact the communications representative from your country to receive additional copies ofthis schedule for posting in your area. We hope to see you this summer!Sincerely,

Volume 9, July 2004

*The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Study was set in motion in December 2000 by the International Joint Commission to assessand evaluate the Commission's Order of Approval used to regulate outflows from Lake Ontario through the St. Lawrence River. The Study is evaluating the impacts of changing water levels on shoreline communities, domestic and industrial water uses, commercial navigation, hydropowerproduction, the environment, and recreational boating and tourism. The Study will also take into account the forecasted effects of climate change. The Public Interest Advisory Group is a volunteer group appointed by the International Joint Commission to ensure effective communicationbetween the public and the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Study Team. This newsletter is published by the Public Interest Advisory Group to help keep you informed about the Study.

ContentsOpening Letter . . . . . . . . . . .1

St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental SciencesConference . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Recreational Boater Survey Results . . . . . . . . . . .5

Performance IndicatorSuggestions and Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

PIAG Speakers Bureau . . . .10

Summer Meeting Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Study Announcements . . . .12Dan Barletta, D.D.S. U.S. LeadPublic Interest Advisory Group

Marcel LussierCanadian LeadPublic Interest Advisory Group

EnvironmentalWetland HabitatsScientists from Environment Canada, St. Lawrence Centre, presented paperson two models that they created to predict impacts of water-level changeson wetland plants and submerged plants.For the first model, they sampled sites of wet meadows, shallow marshes, floating leaves and underwater plants.With this model, they were able to determine that high-level years favoredshallow marsh and underwater planthabitats, while low-level years causedhigh marshes to emerge. These changesalter quantity and quality of food for theanimals living in the marshes.For the second model, they looked atfactors such as water temperature, color,turbidity, and light penetration on wet-land habitats. They were able to showthat from 1960-2002, Lake St. Pierre hadalternated between a lake and a marsh,making it highly sensitive to water-levelregulation and to low levels expectedunder climate change scenarios.Christiane Hudon, Pierre Gagnon, Jean-Pierre Amyot, Guy Létourneau,Martin Jean, Céline Plante, Daniel Rioux,Chantal Vis and Martin Deschênes, St.Lawrence Centre, Environment Canada Jean Morin, working on both the Hydrology and Hydraulics TWG and theEnvironmental TWG, presented a paper,along with other scientists, on modelingwetland vegetation of the St. LawrenceRiver floodplain.

Wetland BirdsWetlands associated with Lake Ontarioand the St. Lawrence River shorelineplay a vital role in the life cycle of complex plant, fish and wildlife commu-nities. Many of these wildlife species are birds that depend on wetland habitatdiversity for breeding and migration.The most important ecological processin maintaining this diversity of wetlandhabitats and the communities they sup-port are seasonal and annual variationsin water levels and flows. Variations inlevels and flows due to regulation or climate change can result in changes inthe wetland habitats. In turn, this couldhave significant repercussions on many

bird populations fre-quenting freshwater wetlands along LakeOntario and the St. Lawrence River, particularly during thebreeding season.Wetland breeding birdabundance, richness and reproductive successevaluation criteria arebeing developed as environmental perform-ance indicators due totheir direct and quantitative associationwith wetland plant community abundance,diversity, and water levels. More specifically,the Environment TWGhas developed models that will provideestimates of habitat suitability and repro-ductive success for a selected list of wetland bird species. The bird modelsthat incorporate annual estimates of wet-land plant community abundance, meanwater levels and magnitude of water-level changes during the spring breedingseason, will allow the EnvironmentalTWG to assess potential changes in wetland breeding bird communities.

The bird models and performance indicators make up one part of the computer model being developed by the Environmental TWG. The group will use the model to compare differentregulation plans and develop environ-mental water-level regulation criteria for consideration in the Study.Jean-Luc DesGranges, Bruno Drolet,Caroline Savage, Canadian Wildlife Service,Quebec Region; Joel Ingram, CanadianWildlife Service, Ontario Region; JeanMorin, Meteorological Service of Canada;Daniel Borcard, Département de sciencesbiologiques, Université de Montréal.

Domestic, Industrial, andMunicipal Water Uses A team at École Polytechnique deMontréal, working for the Domestic,Industrial and Municipal Water UsesTechnical Work Group (TWG), evaluated the impacts of water levels on water treatment plants (both wastewater and drinking water utilities)in the Lower St. Lawrence River, from the Ontario border down to Trois-Rivières.The team visited and surveyed thirtydrinking water treatment plants in thestudy zone. This survey highlighted thepotentially vulnerable situation of several plants in the Quebec portion ofthe St. Lawrence River. In light of this,

St. Lawrence River Institute of EnvironmentalSciences Conference Compiled by Arleen Kreusch and Michelle Tracy, Study Staff, from abstracts provided for the Conference

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Black terns use wetlands for their nesting grounds.

Photo - John Mitchell

The great blue heron, a wetland bird.

Photo - Dana L. Darrow

On May 18, 19, and 20, 2004, the St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences in Cornwall, Ontario, hosted the 11thAnnual International Conference titled "Managing our Waters: Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River Ecosystem." Over twenty of the topics discussed at this conference were regarding the science behind our Study. Some of these topics are highlighted in this article.

the team analyzed the information inorder to determine:

• the critical water levels for theproper operation of drinking watertreatment plants;

• the potential sources of a decreasein water quality related to waterlevels; and

• the potential adverse impacts ofwater levels on wastewater treatment plants.

Low water levels can cause more problems for drinking water treatmentplants than high water levels. The capacity of a water intake depends notonly on the depth of water above theintake, but also on the shape and size of the intake (pipe diameter, length,etc.). The team defined the critical levelof operation for a plant as the level atwhich it can no longer supply the maxi-mum allowable capacity it was designedfor. The team compared water levels foreach plant in order to identify the mostvulnerable utilities.

The calculations of critical levels highlighted that several plants are vulnerable to lower water levels in thestudy area. For a water level of 20.35meters (66.77 feet) in Pointe-Claire, four treatment plants would reach their critical level and could run into problems. Among the four most affectedplants are the Montreal Atwater andDesBaillets plants. These plants represent more than 64 percent of thepopulation of the lower St. LawrenceRiver study area. The consequences of reaching the critical water levels differ among the plants and span from a total loss of service to a partial loss of production. Among the other impacts of lower waterlevels are increased pumping costs. Forthe entire study area, a decline of one

meter in water levels (from the averagelevel) was estimated to increase pumping costs by approximately$160,000 per year. The team approached the water qualityissues related to water levels by evaluat-ing the increase in treatment costs andby evaluating the costs of upgradingwater treatment plants in order toaddress more frequent and severe tasteand odor problems (which wereobserved under low level conditions).First, the Ottawa River was proven tohave an impact on water quality at theMontreal intake, especially in spring-time. The opening of the emergencyintake (necessary under low water conditions) was also shown to influencewater quality through the demonstrationof increased chemical costs. For theAtwater treatment plant, the teamdemonstrated that the additional chlorinedosage required to treat lower qualitywaters induced an increase in annualtreatment cost of $73,000 (Canadian).The total annual cost of upgrading the

14 treatmentplants not presently equippedto treat taste andodor depends onthe technologyselected. Overall,the total annualcosts would befavorable to theuse of ozone overpowder activatedcarbon ($3.7 ver-sus $4.1 millionCanadian) but thecosts remain veryimportant.High water levelscan cause more

problems for wastewater treatmentplants, as such conditions can limit their discharge capacity. The team performeda survey, but the information suggeststhat this situation does not represent amajor issue, as only two utilities provided the team with a critical highwater level. Annie Carrière, Research AssociatePolytechnique de Montréal, Montréal, QC

Information ManagementInformation Management StrategyAn information management system isneeded to help people find informationquickly and provide tools for assessingthe quality of the information. In thisway, good information managementhelps people assess economic and ecological impacts of water control

through the system. The Study's information management strategy hasthree key components:

• data finding tools;• data storage and maintenance; and• web mapping capabilities

(see summary below).As a starting point, the project team isfocusing on geospatial "framework data"layers, often used in geographic infor-mation systems.1 These layers includeshoreline, political units, transportationfeatures, watersheds, charts of flows andlevels, conservation management areas,satellite pictures and elevation data. This system is scalable with respect tonew participants, data types, geogra-phies, and data uses. The InformationManagement strategy also aims to document and make widely available all procedures, policies and lessonslearned by the Study. Roger Gauthier, U. S. Army Corps ofEngineers, Detroit District; Great LakesCommission; and U. S. Co-Lead,Information Management Technical Work Group

Web MappingOur Study has become a focus of state,provincial and federal agencies and otherorganizations interested in integratedwatershed management. As a result, theInformation Management TWG is constructing a comprehensive web portal that will contain all availableinformation related to habitat restoration, floodplain management, navigation,water levels, shoreline erosion and sedimentation, and future land use onthe basin. This portal will focus on four main components:

• a document management system containing reports, documents, and other data products;

• web mapping, simulation andvisualization tools;

• a user interface; and• a processing system that allows

users to transfer informationamong all the components.

The document management system willrely upon the development of a database,which will be continually updated. Thefunctionality will give the user increasedsearch capabilities, such as querying bykeyword, geographic coordinates, orsubject theme. New technologies allowinformation to be stored, maintained andupdated at a series of networked locales,with distributed web services providingnear-instantaneous access. The Study

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Berthierville

Bécancour

Ste-Anne- de-Bellevue

Lachine

Beauharnois

ChâteaguayMontreal Candiac

La Prairie

St-Lambert

Varennes

Longueuil SPPI

Longueuil

Verchères

Contrecoeur

Grande-Ile

Akwesasne

Les CoteauxValleyfield

Ile-Perrot

Pointe-Claire Dorval

Pointe-des Cascades

Coteau-du Lac

St-Zotique

Lavaltrie

Water use sites on the lower St. Lawrence River.

Annie Carrière

1A computer system that shows data in a visualway for geographic locations.

regulation criteria. The chart below is awater-level-impact curve for LakeOntario. The values represent combineddamages to U. S. and Canadian recre-ational boaters and related tourism for arange of water levels. Loss of boater daysand dollar-damage impacts to boaters dueto water-level variations are examples ofthe Group's performance indicators. TheGroup used these indicators to developproposed criteria for minimum and maximum levels preferred by recreationalboaters during the boating season foreach geographic area.Jean-François Bibeault, St. LawrenceCentre, Environment Canada; NancyConnelly, Cornell University; and DavidWhite, New York Sea Grant

Hydroelectric Power

Hydroelectric Power Technical WorkGroup members provided generaldescriptions of the Beauharnois-LesCèdres Complex and the Moses-Saunders Power Generation System on the St. Lawrence River, including their main operation constraints and specific operation methods, such as icecontrol. They also discussed the mainimpacts of the regulation plan on power generation.S. Robert, Hydro-Québec and C. Levean,New York Power Authority

Commercial NavigationThe Commercial NavigationTechnical Work Group developed a computer model toevaluate the economic impactsof water levels and flows oncommercial shipping under proposed water-level regulationplans. This model takes variousperformance indicators and converts them into formulae thatcalculate the costs and impactsof various water-level schemes.Luc Lefebvre, Chief, OperationalServices; Canadian Co-Lead,Commercial Navigation TechnicalWork Group

web portal is vital to storing the volumeof data and information generated fromthe Study and will provide the ability formapped features to be instantaneouslylinked across national, state and provincial divides. Kevin Yam, Great Lakes Commission

Hydrology and HydraulicsModeling of the St. Lawrence RiverThe Boundary Water Issues Division ofEnvironment Canada, working for theHydrologic and Hydraulic TechnicalWork Group, developed a model of theSt. Lawrence River system from LakeOntario at Kingston/Cape Vincent areasto the dam at Cornwall/Massena. Tobuild the model, bathymetry (datadescribing the water depth) was obtainedfrom the Department of Fishery andOcean's Canadian Hydrographic Service(CHS). Water level and flow measurements from the Water Survey of Canada, the U. S. Army Corps ofEngineers, and CHS were used to calibrate the model. This model, which determines detailed levels, velocities, and flows in the upper St. Lawrence River from Kingston to Cornwall Ontario, will help the technical work groups evaluate suggested regulation plans.Aaron F. Thompson, Boundary WaterIssues Division, MSC-Ontario, Environment Canada

Coastal Processes

The Coastal Processes Technical WorkGroup is looking at erosion and floodingprocesses all around the Lake and River,including along the St. Lawrence downstream from the Moses-SaundersPower Dam. The lower portion of the St. Lawrence is characterized by erodible marine clay banks interspersedwith sheltered wetlands. The study ofthe evolution of the clay shores of theRiver, along with the computer modelingtools are providing the Coastal ProcessesTWG with new insights into the process-es that affect and control the erosion ofcombined marine clays. Data from theshore is helping the TWG to understandflood damages in economic terms. Field

observations and models showing shipwaves have helped the TWG develop anerosion model to predict the response ofriver banks to the combined effects ofriver flow, wind waves, and ship waves. M. H. Davies and N. J. MacDonald, PacificInternational Engineering Corporation

Recreational Boating and TourismThe Recreational Boating and TourismTechnical Work Group discussed thestage damage curves developed for each geographic area showing the relationship between water levels andimpacts to recreational boating andtourism. The Group discussed the procedures they used to develop thesecurves and presented their suggested

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This instrument was used to measure wavescaused by ship wakes.

Photo - Pacific International Engineering

Notice the wave action created by the ship wake on the shoreline.

Photo - Pacific International Engineering

Minimum (245 feet or 74.68 meters) and maximum (247 feet or 75.29 meters) recommended levels in the draft criteria

developed by the Recreational Boating and Tourism Group.

Can you see the tripod in the foreground?

Photo - Pacific International Engineering

Members of the Study Team toured the R. H.Saunders Dam during the St. Lawrence RiverEcosystems conference in Cornwall, Ontario.

Photo - Arleen Kreusch

U. S. ResultsNancy Connelly, CornellUniversity

From a list of boaters registered in New York Statein 2002, 94,747 indicated that they used their boats primarily in a county border-ing Lake Ontario or the St. Lawrence River. The survey group sent letters to10,382 of those boat ownersindicating that they would becontacted for an additionaltelephone screening. Of the3,553 boaters interviewed onthe telephone that said theyboated on Lake Ontario or theSt. Lawrence River in 2002,3,412 were sent mail-in questionnaires; 2,388 of thosequestionnaires were completed and returned. From the telephone information gathered,the group estimated the number of boatson the Lake or River in 2002 was45,800. Of these, 41 percent of boats(18,900 boats) accessed the Lake orRiver from boat launch ramps. Slightlyover one third (36 percent or 16,400boats) used private docks; the remaining23 percent (10,500 boats) gained accessvia marinas or yacht clubs. Boaters using Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River boated an estimated1.3 million days or an average of 28.4days per boat on these waters in 2002.Boaters spent an average of $137 (U.S.)per day in New York State counties bordering Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River in 2002. They spentan additional $18.50 per day in areas outside the New York State borderingcounties. Boaters spent an estimated$178 million in New York State border-ing counties in 2002. They spent an additional $24 million in areas outsidethe bordering counties.

Canadian ResultsJ. F. Bibeault, St. Lawrence Centre,Environment Canada

The Recreational Boating and TourismTechnical Work Group wanted to perform a survey in Canada similar toUnited States survey; however, the federal boat license database was not

updated and sufficiently valid for surveying. For this reason, another two-staged approach was followed. First, a general population survey wasconducted in order to identify potentialrespondents for a more extended mailsurvey. After excluding those who didn'tboat in 2002, or those who used anotherwatershed, the proportion of boat ownersby geographic area was established asfollows: 3.2 percent for Lake Ontario(42,300), 9.9 percent for the Upper River(19,400) and 0.9 percent for the LowerRiver (9,400). A random sample ofhouseholds was selected and called fromthe boat owners considered. In order to have more cost-effective andvalid information, the Group selected asub-group of respondents, representingall the geographic areas of the Study,from the Canadian Power and SailSquadron. Most of the detailed datacomes from this particular mailing survey, for which the response rate was30 percent (2,604 questionnaires sent).Respondents indicated that the LowerRiver was their main access point (55.7 percent), followed by the UpperRiver (27.8 percent) and the Lake (27.4 percent). Approximately 9 percentdid have access through a New YorkState access point and another 0.2 percent indicated an access point outside the areas considered.The general and detailed (mail) surveysdid not permit separation of the mainaccess point boat owners were using. Infact, most of them were using marina and

yacht club access points.Boat-launch-ramp users wereestimated based on total boatowners in the area, less thosewho can use marinas andprivate docks located in theareas. A specific check wasmade for the Upper Rivernear Gananoque. The pro-portion of boat-launch-rampusers was estimated at 47percent for the Lower River,74.4 percent for the UpperRiver and 62.7 percent forLake Ontario. In general, 76 percent ofboat owners in the Lakearea, 88 percent in the UpperRiver and 93 percent in theLower River have boats thatare less than 25 feet long. On

average, the group estimated 47 boatingdays, totaling, on a yearly basis,2,836,050 days for all three geographicareas considered. Between 55 and 60 percent of boat owners do short trips (one- or two-daytrips). The others do 10 to 20 day or 20to 30 day trips. For them, July andAugust are the typical peak boatingmonths, followed by June, September,May and October. The Group established daily expenses in Canadian dollars at $101/day (Lake)and $125/day (Lower River). Added tothese numbers is the boat owners' willingness to pay (WTP) in order tomaintain their activity. The adjustedWTP is between $153 and $188/daydepending on the area considered. Inaddition to daily expenses and WTP, boat owners do spend an additional$3,330/year on such things as insurance,and boat improvement and repairs. Water level-impact relationships werecalculated based on the information thesurveys provided. The RecreationalBoating and Tourism Technical WorkGroup is well on its way to having a useful watershed database that will beentered into the Shared Vision Model andused to compare and evaluate regulationplans for the Study Board.

Recreational Boater Survey Results

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The Recreational Boating and Tourism Technical Work Group gathered information from marina owners and operators in Canadaand the United States during the first and second years of the Study. During the second and third years of the Study, information was also gathered from recreational boaters. The methods used and the results gathered from the recreational boater surveys are summarized below.

Low water levels restrict access to docking facilities.

Photo - Arleen Kreusch

Coastal ProcessesThe Coastal Processes Technical WorkGroup received 17 suggestions. Many of the performance indicators you submitted to the group expressed concern regarding loss of land. Theimpacts of water-level regulation plans on shore property owners are the focus of several performance indicators. Where possible, we are developing performance indicatorsin economic terms. Most riparians constructshore protection ratherthan risk the loss of theirland or buildings due to erosion. We have developed two perform-ance indicators that recognize the economicloss due to erosion andthe typical response of constructing shore protection. One performance indicatorconsiders the impact thatdifferent rates of erosionwill have on the need forproperty owners to buildshore protection. Thisindicator is based on thepremise that a faster rateof erosion will necessitate the constructionof shore protection sooner than if the erosion rate is slower. The cost of shoreprotection for unprotected threatenedproperties is included in this erosion performance indicator. Another performance indicator considersthe potential need of property owners to modify existing shore protection ifhigher water levels make it possible forbigger waves to reach the shore. This indicator considers the impact that higherwater levels have on wave damage toshore protection and on the designrequirements of shore protection. For theperformance indicator dealing with

existing shoreline protection structures,we considered the cost of upgrading existing protection, if required, as a result of higher lake levels due to a new regulation plan. The flood and erosionevaluation techniques developed for this Study recognize the importance of wind-generated forces as well as water level fluctuations and incorporatethese factors.

You also submitted performance indica-tors that showed a concern for loss ofbeaches. Water levels are one of manyfactors in the rate of erosion and the presence of beaches. We recognize thatwater levels affect beach width and riparian access to the shore, but this isvery difficult to quantify in economicterms on an individual basis. However, wedeveloped a beach access performanceindicator for public beaches based on usersurveys in 2003 at two popular LakeOntario swimming beaches. The results ofthis work show a link between each widthand park attendance.

Commercial NavigationYou submitted one concern about the possible link between shipping inMontreal and lower Lake levels. TheCommercial Navigation Technical WorkGroup explained that vessels coming fromoverseas to Montreal are loaded based onforecasted water levels (usually a two-week forecast). Three to four times a year,a vessel will arrive loaded such that waterlevels do not permit safe transit of the vessel, even though it had loaded accord-ing to the forecasted level. In such a case,the International St. Lawrence RiverBoard of Control's Operational AdvisoryGroup is requested to provide additionalwater for a 24 to 36 hour window toaccommodate the vessel. These deviationsare tracked, and this information is available from the International St.Lawrence River Board of Control.

Domestic, Industrial, andMunicipal Water UsesSome of the performance indicator suggestions that we received from youwere outside the mandate of the Study.Although we can appreciate your concerns about urban runoff and the addi-tion of petrochemicals to the ecosystemby storm water flows, the purpose of theStudy is to evaluate the impacts of water-level regulation plans. Contaminatedstorm water runoff is caused by land usepractices and not affected by lake levels.We expect the quality of urban runoff toremain the same regardless of whichwater-level regulation plan is in effect. EnvironmentalThis group received the largest amount ofsuggestions (27) with a variety of con-cerns. Where possible, the EnvironmentalTechnical Work Group will try to linktheir performance indicators to the geographic regions of the Study. Theyhave broken down their responses into the following categories: waterfowl andmigratory birds, wetland habitats, fish,macro-invertebrates, herpetiles, waterquality and invasive exotic species.

Performance Indicator Suggestions and ResponsesArleen Kreusch and Michelle Tracy, Study Staff, based on responses from the Technical Work Groups

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The blue flags were used as water level indicators during the beach user survey performed by the Coastal Processes Group.

Photo - Baird & Associates

Our Study aims to look at how Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River function as a continuum. Overall, the greatest asset of theStudy is the fact that scientists, managers and user groups are looking at the system collectively. This represents a step in a holisticapproach that should lead to better management of the system. As part of this approach, the Study Board is developing performance indicators to evaluate the economic, social and environmentalhealth of the system. Performance indicators will help the managers make decisions about different water regulation plans. In the summer and fall of 2003, we actively sought input regarding our draft performance indicators through a survey that was distributed at the PIAG's summer meetings, through a mail-back piece in Ripple Effects, Volume 6, and through the Study website at www.losl.org. Thank you to those of you who submitted suggestions for performance indicators: overall we received 76 suggestions! This articleprovides you with a brief description of the suggestions we received and the responses from the Technical Work Groups.

Waterfowl and Migratory BirdsLake Ontario and St. Lawrence River wet-land bird abundance and diversity aregreatly influenced by Lake and Riverhydrology. As a result, we gave priority tobird use of the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River near shore environment. We are developing wetlandbreeding bird abundance and diversityindicators as environmental performanceindicators due to their direct link withwetland emergent plant community abundance and diversity (another environmental performance indicator). Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Riveralso support large numbers of migratorybirds during the spring and fall. Whilemigratory birds are influenced by wetland plants and seasonal water-levelfluctuations, several other variables suchas zebra mussels, changes in water clarity, agriculture waste, and ice-freeperiods also affect them. This is especially the case for the diving duckguilds of migratory waterfowl. The interactions and influences of the manyenvironmental and human-related variables on migratory waterfowl abundance and diversity currently prevent us from developing specificmigratory bird performance indicators. We have developed two performance indicators in order to assure that waterfowl will have access to sufficientstaging grounds and breeding sites within the lower St. Lawrence River. Thefirst performance indicator on migrationwill favor water levels that maintain minimum flooded plains within the LakeSt. Pierre area, one of the most importantflooded plains of the whole lower St. Lawrence River, and one of the mostheavily used staging grounds during thespring migration (up to 600,000 birds atthe peak of the migration). During the fall migration, numbers ofwaterfowl decrease significantly to about50,000 birds, mostly composed of divingducks (scaups and goldeneyes). Birds then mostly gather on Lakes St. Pierre and St. Louis. During years when waterlevels are low, the non-managed flooded marshes and farmlands are almost completely deserted. Because of theimportance of Lake St. Pierre floodedplains during the spring migration, wewill strongly recommend to maintain high water levels during the most intensive period of the migration (midApril until the first week of May), to preserve the integrity of the area and be sure that birds will have access to quality feeding sites. The second performance indicator willfavor water-level regulation plans that prevent nest flooding during the nesting

season. Significant increases in water levels [more than 20 cm (7.87 inches)]during the critical periods of the nestingseason (mid May until the beginning ofJuly) could have detrimental effects on the breeding population of dabblers, substantially decreasing their productivity. Wetland HabitatsFluctuating water levels play a role in themaintenance of habitats and biodiversity.This has been a core concept in the workings of the Environmental TechnicalWork Group. Most of the animal-life indicators revolve around the potentialresponses of different types of wetlands(barrier beaches, open embayments, protected embayments, and drowned river mouths) to the water-level scenariosbeing considered.

Wetlands in many regions, including LakeOntario, are subject to highly variablewater levels within a growing season andlonger-term 'wet-dry' hydrologic cycles ofseveral years. Although 'varying stability'is critical to the maintenance of all wetland habitats, including Lake Ontariocoastal wetlands, this should not precludeus using species or communities that prefer more stable water conditions as performance indicators. Northern Pike make a viable indicatorbecause they require habitats with fluctuating water levels for spawning.They are also a key predator and fisheryresource. Muskrats are an important indicator as well, because water-levelmanagement dramatically affects their life cycles. Muskrats are also important,as they affect wetland plant populations:cattails are one of their main food sources,and there is a remarkable abundance ofcattails growing on Lake Ontario andUpper River shorelines.

FishThe long-term changes in the fish community of the St. Lawrence River are currently used as a performance indicator. The analysis is based on records of fish abundance and diversitymade at the experimental trap fisheryoperated by the Aquarium of Quebec. The continuous time series of data (since 1975), which includes informationon 40 fish species, has allowed the development of relationships betweenlong-term water-level fluctuations and fishabundance for the lower part of the River.Other long-term data series for specificspecies exist for the upper St. LawrenceRiver and some Lake Ontario sectors andthese will be examined; however, we donot have the proper fish community datato assess the fish biodiversity response inLake Ontario. As part of the Plan of Study, the relation-ship between water-level fluctuations andmigratory behavior of a variety of fishspecies has been examined and analyzedfor the fish community of the lower St. Lawrence River. We found that severalfish species (more than 25) includingwalleye, lake whitefish, perch, catfish, and sauger among others showed large-scale migratory behavior within the St. Lawrence River. We also foundthat the seasonal timing of this migratory behavior depended on fluctuations in water levels. We plan to use some of these relationships as performance indicators. We are calculating habitat supply, includ-ing wetland area, for several guilds of fishthat would include some migratoryspecies for different life stages (includingfry) of each of the representative guilds inLake Ontario and the Upper St. LawrenceRiver. It is not possible for us to look attotal densities of all the fish community.We are looking at all near-shore habitatand not just wetlands. We are incorporat-ing the survival of eggs and stranding intofour fish population models for the Lakeand upper River.

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Least bitterns are an indicator of habitat diversity.

Photo Christiane Hudon

Macro-Invertebrates: (crayfish, mussels, aquatic snails, aquatic worms,and the larvae of aquatic insects) Fluctuations in water flows and levels canaffect macro-invertebrates. Given thegreat diversity of species in that group (aswell as in other major biological groups,such as insects and algae), theEnvironment TWG developed a habitatapproach favoring the protection of keyhabitats being most sensitive to waterlevel fluctuations. We are looking at keyhabitats of wetland plants, fish, amphib-ians and reptiles. By developing habitatprotection criteria for plants and animalsat the bottom and the top of the foodchain, we will ensure that those in themiddle (such as macro-invertebrates) willalso be protected.Herpetiles: (frogs, tree frogs, snapping turtles)

It is possible to find 16 species of reptilesand 21 species of amphibians in the lowerSt. Lawrence River. Most of these arecharacterized by small numbers, andmany species are rare. The major causes of the decline of herpetiles are habitat artificialization and fragmentation, disturbance, contamination and diseases.Unfortunately, we have very little infor-mation on population trends or diversityof herpetiles in the St. Lawrence River.The only existing monitoring program isfor frog species' calls. All observations are recorded using abundance codes as follows:

• no frogs or toads seen or heard;• frog(s) or toad(s) seen but

not heard;• individuals can be counted, calls

not overlapping;• some individuals can be counted,

other calls overlapping; and• full chorus, calls continuous

and overlapping, individuals not distinguishable.

This survey occurred from April to June2004. A master's degree student will analyze the data over the next year.Water QualityWe are aware of your concerns aboutwater quality - particularly about algaeproblems - but a specific study has not yetbeen conducted to look at relationshipsbetween water quality and water level regulation. In addition, we believe that the relationship between algae prolifera-tion and water level regulation is secondary relative to other influences such as agricultural nutrient pollution andclimate change. In the lower St. Lawrence

River, years of low-level conditions arecoinciding with warmer, clearer, less turbid, less colored waters, all factors thatfavor underwater plant growth. Theseinteractions have been described in a performance indicator that allows us todetermine the biomass of underwaterplants in response to different water-levelconditions. We are also looking at temper-ature in Lake Ontario and the upper St. Lawrence. Exotic Invasive SpeciesThe introduction of exotic species represents an important stress to theintegrity of any aquatic ecosystem.Invasive species are considered a growingthreat to the future of Great Lakesresources. Two current performance indicators include exotic invasive speciesin the St. Lawrence River: reed-grass andzebra mussels, which are both consideredmajor invaders of the River and which are very sensitive to water level and flowalterations. In these two cases a low waterregime would favor the spread and establishment of these two exotic species.While we also recognize the impact ofinvasive species on the fish community, itis not within the scope of the Study for us

to assess the impacts of invasive fishspecies, because their interactions withwater-level regulation are unknown. Wealso prefer considering the effects onimportant wetland and near-shore habitats that aremore directly related to water level management. An adaptive managementapproach would assist us in monitoringchanges in the ecosystem following achange in water level management policy.Enhanced monitoring may shed light onthe effects of invasive species on the system and the role of water levels.

8

Dense algae growth can create problems for recreational boaters.

Photo Christiane HudonLeopard frog on European frog bit

(an invasive alien species).

Photo Christiane Hudon

www.losl.org

Thank you again for all of your performance

indicator suggestions!

The input from all of you helpedthe Study make

a better assessment of thevarious intereststhat are prevalent

around LakeOntario and the

St. Lawrence River.

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Recreational Boating andTourismWe have thoroughly examined the recreational boating needs of the generalboating community. All boaters utilizingLake Ontario or the St. Lawrence Riverhave been represented in the analysis. The15 performance indicator suggestionsreceived for this group expressed concernregarding the length of the boating season,the socio-economic benefits of boating,keel depths and the cost of repairing boatsdue to varying water levels. We evaluatedrecreational boating impacts based onboaters' daily expenditures and their willingness to pay beyond those expendi-tures along with the indirect impact on thelocal economy. The effect of Lake levels on haul-out is ofparticular concern to you and is a primaryfocus of lake level criteria determination.Based on the input we received from thisgroup's marina surveys and its recreationalboater surveys, we have submitted criteriafor the range of acceptable levels from mid-April through mid-October alongwith performance indicators, in the formof water-level damage curves, to the PlanFormulation and Evaluation Group to beused in their evaluation.

Hydroelectric PowerBoth of the suggestions we received forthis group talked about replacementpower. The Hydroelectric Power Groupprovided this response: "The source ofany replacement power in the U.S. andCanadian electric grids is a function of many factors, including cost, fuel characteristics, environmental compliancerequirements, etc. Hydropower generatedon the St. Lawrence system is highly reliable, and has base-load characteristics.The fossil fuel of choice for new development in many areas is natural gas,because of its environmental performance.New nuclear generation is not being pursued anywhere in the region. Ontario,Quebec, and New York are all investigat-ing measures to provide incentives for the addition of new renewable generationsources (such as wind and solar) withintheir jurisdictions. These resources,however, do not have the reliability and cost performance characteristics of hydropower." One of the suggestions we received mentioned the value of peaking and ponding. Peaking capability of OntarioPower Generation and New York PowerAuthority facilities has been authorized by the IJC since 1960. Quebec Hydrodoes not peak. Peaking capability wasan important component of the responseto the August 2003 blackout. Additionally,peaking provides the ability to producemore power during the high demandhours of the day and to reduce productionduring the low demand hours.

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PIAG Speakers BureauThe Public Interest Advisory Group membership would like to meet with you. Arepresentative in your area can give a presentation about the Study to your group, no matter the size. Please contact the communications staff listed at the end of thisnewsletter to request a presentation.

United States CanadaDan Barletta, D.D.S. - Rochester, NY Marcel Lussier - Montréal, QCPaul Finnegan - Albany, NY Larry Field - Toronto, ONThomas McAuslan - Oswego, NY Michel Gagné - Montréal, QCTony McKenna - West Amherst, NY John Hall - Burlington, ONJon Montan - Canton, NY Marc Hudon - Trois-Rivières, QCHenry Stewart - Rochester, NY Elaine Kennedy - Cornwall, ONMax Streibel - Rochester, NY Anjuna Langevin - Rimouski, QCPaul Thiebeau - Clayton, NY Sandra Lawn - Prescott, ONScott Tripoli - Mannsville, NY Paul Webb - Brockville, ONStephanie Weiss - Clayton, NY Al Will - Hamilton, ON

Stephanie Weiss, Public Interest Advisory Group, Clayton, New York

Photo - Arleen Kreusch

Henry Stewart, Public Interest AdvisoryGroup, Rochester, New York

Photo - Arleen Kreusch

John Hall, Public Interest Advisory Group, Burlington, Ontario.

Photo - Arleen Kreusch

Summer Meeting Schedule

Wednesday, August 18, 7 p.m.Beacon Harbourside Best Western2793 Jordan BoulevardJordan, Ontario L0R 1S0Thursday, August 19, 7 p.m.The National Yacht Club1 Stadium RoadToronto, Ontario M5V 3H4Wednesday, September 1, 7 p.m.Ramada Inn on the Bay11 Bay Bridge RoadBelleville, Ontario K8P 3P6Thursday, September 2, 7 p.m.Best Western Country Squire Resort715 King Street EastGananoque, Ontario K7G 1H4

Wednesday, September 15, 7 p.m.Ramada Inn805 Brookdale AvenueCornwall, Ontario K6J 4P3Thursday, September 16, 7 p.m.The Royal St.Lawrence Yacht Club1350 Bord-du-lacDorval, Quebec H9S 2E3Friday, September 17, 7 p.m.Hôtel des Gouverneurs975 Hart StreetTrois-Rivières, Quebec G9A 4S3

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Wednesday, August 18, 7 p.m.Quality Inn10 West Orvis StreetMassena, NY 13662 Thursday, August 19, 7 p.m.River Edge Resort Hotel17 Holland StreetAlexandria Bay, NY 13607Wednesday, September 1, 7 p.m.Henderson Community Hall8939 State Route 178Henderson, NY 13650Thursday, September 2, 7 p.m.Hewitt Union BallroomSUNY Oswego CampusState Route 104Oswego, NY 13126Wednesday, September 15, 7 p.m.Cutter's Restaurant6483 Catchpole Shore RoadNorth Rose, NY 14516Thursday, September 16, 7 p.m.Greece Town Hall1 Vince Tofany BoulevardGreece, NY 14216Friday, September 17, 7 p.m.Olcott Fire Hall1691 Lockport-Olcott RoadOlcott, NY 14126

Contacting UsIf you are interested in sharing your concerns about water levels in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, would like to receive more information about the Study, or would like to participate in one of our meetings, please contact the communication representative in your country.

U.S.Arleen KreuschPublic Affairs Specialist1776 Niagara StreetBuffalo, NY 14207-3199Tel: (716) 879-4438Fax: (716) 879-4486arleen.k.kreusch@lrb01.usace.army.mil

CanadaRoseline MouanaPublic Information Officer234 Laurier Avenue West • 22nd FloorOttawa, ON K1P 6K6Tel: (613) 992-5727Fax: (613) 995-9644mouanar@ottawa.ijc.org

Visit the Study website at: www.losl.org

Thursday, August 12, 7 p.m.Akwesasne Mohawk SchoolSchool RoadCornwall Island

Please mark the date of the meeting nearest you on your calendar and post this notice in your area! Therewill be a poster session open house beginning at 6 p.m. before each meeting. Our presentation will beginat 7 p.m.; followed by a question and answer session.

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Printed on recycled, Chlorine-free paper with soy-based inks

International Joint CommissionU.S. Secretariat Study Office1776 Niagara StreetBuffalo, NY 14207

Summer Meeting Schedule Inside

Environment Canada GivesStudy PriorityThis spring, Environment Canada,Quebec Region, identified the Study as aregional priority in the context of clean,safe and reliable water supplies. TheMinistry focused on the research of theEnvironment TWG and recognized thatthe Region is hard at work finalizingenvironmental criteria.Team ArrivalsRoseline Mouana is welcomed as thenew Public Information Officer of theCanadian Secretariat. She holds aBachelor of Fine Arts with a Major in ArtDirection and Design from ConcordiaUniversity as well as a Multimedia/WebCertificate from the Department of NewMedia Corporate Training at AlgonquinCollege. In the context of her freelance

Featured in our Next IssueSummaries of our summer meetings.Performance indicator responses from the Hydrology andHydraulics TWG, Canadian Recreational Boating and TourismTWG, and the Study Board

career, she has acquired noteworthy expe-rience in graphic design, advertising and translation for an international clientele,including public and media relations forthe Department of Canadian Heritage. Shehas worked in Costa Rica for CasaAlianza (Covenant House Latin America)and at the National Capital Commissionas a Web Consultant. Her broadcastingexperience ranges from radio show hostand researcher to the recording of stationidentification and public serviceannouncements. She is fluent in Frenchand English and has a working knowledgeof Spanish.Connie Hamilton is welcomed as thenew Canadian Co-lead for the InformationManagement Technical Work Group. She brings experience from a technicalbackground in web technology and understands the challenges in delivering

information in collaboration with partners,such as the USEPA. As well, Connie wasan early pioneer involved in knowledgemanagement initiatives for EnvironmentCanada. Connie will be involved with theStudy, helping to assemble and coordinatethe document management application forthe Technical Working Group on behalf ofEnvironment Canada.

Welcome!

Team DeparturesWe sincerely wish to thank MichelleTracy for all of the time and hard workshe provided to the Study.

Thank you!

Study News