Plan 2014 (High Lake Levels)

Opie

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#41
Morning Scott
Looking at the Fisheries and Oceans chart, I see once again the high level record was broken. Yesterday at 6 pm Lake Ontario reached a new all time height of 75.963 m. Since May 1st, the lake has risen 44.7 cms, since Jan 1st 158 cms.
 

scotto

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#42
Morning Scott
Looking at the Fisheries and Oceans chart, I see once again the high level record was broken. Yesterday at 6 pm Lake Ontario reached a new all time height of 75.963 m. Since May 1st, the lake has risen 44.7 cms, since Jan 1st 158 cms.
I guess that is why I have never seen it that high, 158 cm is just over 5', quite a change.

This picture from above was taken at the beginning of May, you can see the lake level is just above the second step on the ladder.



This picture was taken two weeks later (May 15th) and level is almost at the top section of the ladder, the rungs are one foot apart.



Added another from August 2016, a good indication on how much the lake level has gone up;
 

scotto

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#43
Flooded basements from recent heavy rainfalls - April 20 to May 6, 2017
Was your home hit hard by the recent heavy rainfall from April 20 to May 6, 2017, causing flooding to your basement? The City of Hamilton has extended the Residential Municipal Disaster Relief Assistance Program (RMDRAP) for all residents, that may have incurred damage from April 20 to May 6.
If the basement in your residential property was flooded as a direct result of the storm, you may be eligible for some financial assistance from the City of Hamilton.
How to apply for assistance:
1. Call our Hotline: Telephone 1-866-596-2242. You’ll reach our Program Administrators, Cunningham Lindsey Canada.
2. Don’t Wait! The deadline for submitting a completed application is August 31, 2017.
3. Tell your neighbours: They can start their own application by calling the hotline, if they were affected by the storm as well.
 

scotto

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#44
From 1945 and 1951

Beach Residents Are Alarmed About High Water
To the Editor:
The residents of Hamilton Beach are really alarmed about what the spring of 1946 will bring in the way of high Lake Ontario waters. The conditions at present owing to the high waters of the lake and bay have made life miserable for many residents. Because their cellars are flooded they are unable to light their furnaces, the coke floats around and they well-nigh have to fish for it. In one cellar at Station 10 the water is actually four feet deep and frogs and turtles playfully swim through the stagnant water. This condition exists on the lake-side as well. One family shivered for three days without fire in the furnace as the water was up past the grates. The depth varies from 18 inches to three or four feet according to how near the houses are to the lake or bay. One or two families have moved to the city on account of these deplorable conditions.
The Beach residents claim many reasons for the high waters and flooded gardens and cellars. It is stated that, owing to the diversion of the waters of Long Lac and River Rouge in various power projects, the level of the lake waters has been raised. One sailor on the Beach says that the waters are two feet above normal. It is claimed that in the spring of 1946 the bay and lake will almost flood the entire Beach. This will be caused, it is said, by the damming and backing up of distant waters into Lake Ontario when the Great Waterways project is started.
Back in 1914 the bay waters were very high. At that time plank bridges were erected so that residents could get to boat and ice houses on the shore. Every seven years the lake waters rise. The waters of Lake Ontario rise in three cycles. During the first half of the fourteenth year the high water is at its maximum. As the years move toward the twenty-first the high lake waters should recede and then the cycle starts all over again. In 1914, as most of the houses were summer cottages, the residents did not complain much. The average rainfall for Ontario is from thirty to forty inches a year, but during 1943 was fifty inches and the water that year was unusually high. Being the fourteenth year from 1929 the water should have kept receding, but it has not done so! The water was so high in 1895 that lake and bay met during an east storm.
Another explanation for the high water is that the earth in its revolutions is turning crookedly on its axis and thus precipitating the unusually heavy rainfalls and moisture in this part of the world. It is pointed out that in Asia, Africa and Australia there has been the greatest dry spell in those continents' history. In Australia thousands of sheep died of thirst and starvation because the grasslands had been burned up. Another claim is that the bursting of shells over in Europe has caused the repeated showers and rainfalls. Hence the high Lake Ontario waters.
The fact remains that 1945 has seen an unusually heavy rainfall in this part of the world. Perhaps if a wall was constructed 100 yards out in the lake from Beach road to the Brant Inn, another sandbar would be formed and thus would eliminate the flood menace on Hamilton Beach.
Royston C. Kime

High Waters Of Lake Ontario And Recurring Flood Problems
1951
To the Editor:
Since writing my last letter on the flood problem caused through high Lake Ontario waters I have received information giving the cause of these conditions and the solution. Accordng to this version it is claimed that 90 per cent of storm damage is caused by high water during the time navigation is closed, and when flood season comes Lake Ontario is already at high level. And then the remedy is put forth, if the lake level was lowered three to five feet by opening the sluice gates in the Lachine lock gates at the close of navigation, Lake Ontario could then be used as a reservoir in the early spring. It is then stated that the spring floods alone would bring Lake Ontario up to normal level and by doing so would, in a big way, by absorbing this over flow, prevent the flood damage in lower St. Lawrence Valley.
Thus by lowering the lake five feet it would make the shoreline 100 to 150 feet further out, on which the breakers which are washing away the highways and homes would expend their energy. For it is said bottleneck is at Lachine Rapids
Again, it is claimed that if the outlet of Lake Ontario beginning slightly below Kingston were dredged deeper to allow more water to pour out into the St. Lawrence it we be a far better solution. This we be a big job and would cost a few million dollars.
However, many rumours are going around that Hudson Bay and Lake Superior water diversions have caused such high Lake Ontario waters, that diversions on the Albany River are the real reason, Long Lac and the River Rouge and so forth. These rumours cannot all be right, so Lachine could be the real cause. It will be remembered that I intimated that removing the oak trees on the bayshore and the poplar bushes on the lakeshore and filling in the swamp was a factor in Hamilton Beach flood problem. In the opinion of an Indian who has lived in Ontario all his life cutting down trees along riverbanks and forests near bays and lakes has be one of the real factors causing flood conditions in Northern Ontario However, it is to be hoped that the flood problem can be solved by opening the sluice gates in the Lachine lock gates the Ottawa government will pass enabling legislation that the danger of high Lake 0ntario waters will be eliminated. In closing, if people built all their homes inland there would not be enough room in the cities for the population or any shipping by water and the age of tribal savages would return. For, contrary to "Simple Simon's” letter, most of humanity's ills are man-made.
Royston C. Kime
Hamilton Beach.

Cartoon, Hamilton Spectator.
August 19, 1947
 

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scotto

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#45
Flood warnings for Hamilton from continuing rainfall

Hamilton Spectator
By Carmela Fragomeni and Matthew Van Dongen
May 25, 2017

Heavy rain flooded some city streets and closed sports fields Thursday while storm-whipped Lake Ontario waves spurred the city to block access to the Burlington piers.

Environment Canada warned of possible street flooding in Hamilton as a result of heavy rains that followed 10-20 mm that fell on the city overnight. That special weather statement ended Thursday afternoon, but a steady drizzle continued.

Sections of King Street and Olympia Drive in Dundas saw some flooding, while low-lying residential side streets on the beach strip were once more underwater.

The city continues to use pumper trucks to vacuum up the excess water from those east end streets. That $130,000 effort started in late April following a record-breaking storm and has continued regularly over the last month, mostly because of high lake levels.

Ward 5 Coun. Chad Collins said the city has also decided to block access to the federally owned piers that stretch out into Lake Ontario near the lift bridge because wind-whipped waves are submerging the concrete walkway.

"We've had calls from concerned residents who see people walking there … the waves are literally washing over the piers, particularly when a ship makes it way through."

The piers, a popular place for people to walk and view the lake, are owned by Transport Canada, but the waterfront trail owned by the cities of Burlington and Hamilton connect to the long concrete structures.

Collins said he has contacted Transport Canada about blocking pier access, but in the meantime the city will fence off the portion of city-managed trail leading up to the area.

Large swaths of the waterfront trail along the harbour are drowned and remain off-limits to the public, with repair estimates for erosion between $700,000 and $1 million.

As a result, the Hamilton Waterfront Trust trolley service will only run between Pier 8 and Bayfront Park this weekend — and likely well into June, said agency head Werner Plessl.

Normally, the popular trolley runs all the way to Princess Point.

The trolley will continue to circle around Pier 8 to the HMCS Haida, despite record-high lake levels that have left the water less than a foot from the top of that section of pier. "As long as the water is not overtopping the trail, we're fine to continue," he said.

The city closed all outdoor sports fields Thursday because of soggy conditions, but a decision about the weekend has not been made yet, said Graham.

While city-owned beaches have not been officially closed, "there's not much beach to see" in either the harbour or along Lake Ontario because of high lake levels, Graham noted. "We are generally asking residents to be careful around the water in these conditions."

The Hamilton Conservation Authority has issued a flood watch, saying that with the already elevated water levels in Lake Ontario, plus forecasted winds, are causing an increased risk of shoreline flooding and erosion.

Northeasterly winds of 25 km/h with wind gusts up to 40 km/h are expected.

The Authority is cautioning residents to be aware of possible hazards posed by the rain and winds along the lakeshore.

The significant amount of rain received in April and earlier this month has already created elevated water levels in lakes and waterways — with Lake Ontario at its highest levels since 1918.

The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority said its area is forecasted to receive 25 to 35 mm of rain through to Friday. It warns of increased risk of backshore flooding, shoreline flooding and erosion from storm surge and increased wave action.

Residents living along Lake Ontario are urged to use caution near the lakefront.

cfragomeni@thespec.com

905-526-3392 | @CarmatTheSpec

Carmela Fragomeni is a reporter with the Hamilton Spectator. Email: cfragomeni@thespec.com. Twitter: @CarmatTheSpec.

Matthew Van Dongen is the city hall reporter for the Hamilton Spectator. Email: mvandongen@thespec.com. Twitter: [MENTION=650]matt[/MENTION]atthespec.


http://www.thespec.com/news-story/7333922-flood-warnings-for-hamilton-from-continuing-rainfall/

 

Opie

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#46
Went for a walk last night after dinner down to the shoreline and over to the pier. The erosion of the berm worsens, figure another 4 to 6 feet minimum has been taken behind us. You will see in the photos below the erosion is getting real bad towards the pier, the pathway is getting close to the edge with a large drop down to the water. Also as mentioned in the article above the pier is being washed over again from the lake side down to the bay side.

IMG_20170525_1848435.jpg IMG_20170525_1849016.jpg IMG_20170525_1910035.jpg IMG_20170525_1905396.jpg IMG_20170525_1907296.jpg
 

scotto

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#47
Went for a walk last night after dinner down to the shoreline and over to the pier. The erosion of the berm worsens, figure another 4 to 6 feet minimum has been taken behind us. You will see in the photos below the erosion is getting real bad towards the pier, the pathway is getting close to the edge with a large drop down to the water. Also as mentioned in the article above the pier is being washed over again from the lake side down to the bay side.
Did you see the gulls on the pier waiting for the waves then picking up the stranded fish?

For a comparisons to Opie's photo, this one taken last August;
 

Opie

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#48
Took a couple pictures of the beach from the pier to get a better look of the erosion, just need to use a better camera then my phone's...................................

IMG_20170529_0959577.jpg IMG_20170529_1002216.jpg



 

Opie

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#49
Saw yesterday the city starting to repair the damage to the shoreline in the above photo's. They have started to lay down a course of armour stones down by the waters edge. Should be a beefy breaker wall once finished.
 

Opie

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#50
Good news finally, yesterday it was announced that the " I J C " ( that's the human brain trust that is responsible for this mess ) will hold an emergency meeting on Monday June 5th to look at opening up the Moses-Saunders and Iroquois dams further to help reduce the lake levels. This was last done in the early 90's for 2 weeks to reduce the lake level, only problem is that the St Lawrence becomes un navigable because of the heavy water flow, AND could cause flooding down around Montreal. So stay tuned and lets see how they will fix this mess.
 

Opie

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#51
I was hoping to have posted by now, the minutes from the IJC meeting yesterday but no luck. The IJC does not have anything posted and looking over the various news outlets around the lake, they have nothing either. So lets hope that maybe by tomorrow there will be some public announcement on the direction this will go.
 

scotto

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Feb 15, 2004
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#53
Dear Resident:
On May 10th Hamilton City Council approved my motion to implement the City's 'Compassionate Grant Program' to assist residents impacted by the prolonged rain events and high Lake Ontario water levels. Residents who've experienced basement flooding may be eligible for a compassionate grant of up to $1000. You're encouraged to contact 1-866-596-2242 and an adjuster will create a file for your address. Since 2005, the City has provided over $5.2 million to nearly 8,000 residents affected by local flooding.
Lake Ontario water levels are currently at their highest level since 1918. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has indicated that lake levels are expected to continue to rise over the next several weeks and will likely peak sometime in early June. Staff of ECCC working at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters (CClW) will be hosting a public open house on June 16 and 17 from 10 am - 4 pm at 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington. Information on Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River water levels and other areas of current scientific research being undertaken at CClW will be available. If you're unable to attend the event(s) and would like more information related to rising lake levels, you can contact Gail Faveri, Manager Boundary Waters
Issues Unit, ECCC and Secretary of the International Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence Board at 905-336-6007, or at Gail.Faveri@Canada.ca
City of Hamilton Public Works staff will remain in the Beach Community over the next several weeks to assist with pumping and/or sand bag activities. We continue to monitor the erosion along the lake and harbour area, and will assess the damages once water levels subside. For your information I've attached a recent 'Information Update' presented to Hamilton City Council summarizing the damages documented to date.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you wish to discuss this matter further.
Your Councillor,
Chad Collins
Councillor, Ward 5
Red Hill

City Hall, 71 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8P 4Y5
Tel. 905 546-2716 Res. 905 545-3737 Fax. 905546-2535 E-mail: Chad.Collins@hamilton.ca
 

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Opie

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#55
Noticed driving up and down the Blvd this weekend that there seems to be less people pumping a continuous flow of water from their basements out onto the road and the section of Easport that is flooded also looks to be receding. Let's hope we have finally turned the corner.
 

scotto

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#56
Noticed driving up and down the Blvd this weekend that there seems to be less people pumping a continuous flow of water from their basements out onto the road and the section of Easport that is flooded also looks to be receding. Let's hope we have finally turned the corner.
The are the few that only have to pump when there are high winds out of the east for a few days and the waves get up, mostly on the Blvd. I did notice that the lake level has dropped a few inches in last couple of days though.
 

Opie

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#57
Good news, last night on the news they reported the IJC will allow the dams to open even further for 3 days in hopes to drop the lake level by 1 inch. After the 3 days they will review and comment further. I checked the IJC web site for an official announcement but nothing yet, I did find this little blurb about it

http://www.citynews.ca/2017/06/13/l...y-begins-tuesday-new-york-governor-says-late/

So lets see what happens by the weekend? we may finally start to see the beach again.
 

Opie

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#59
As of this morning, there has not been an official announcement from the IJC regarding the increased outflow and its effect to the Lake Ontario water level. The lake level in my opinion has gone done and looking at the Fisheries and Oceans Canada website for lake levels, you can see it has. Since June 1 ish to today, looks like the lake has dropped about 10 cm / 4 inches. If you look at the lake level when the increased water release began to today, it doesn't " look " like it sped up the water level decrease by any amount.

http://www.tides.gc.ca/eng/station/Month?sid=13150&tz=EST&pres=2&type=1

Looks more like we are averaging about 5 cm decrease each week. Makes me think that what extra water let out of Lake Ontario, same amount was introduced into it from the other lakes ?? Guess we will need to wait and see what the official say about the results.
 

scotto

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#60
Since June 1 ish to today, looks like the lake has dropped about 10 cm / 4 inches. If you look at the lake level when the increased water release began to today, it doesn't " look " like it sped up the water level decrease by any amount.
I am still using the ladder in canal as my gauge and yes, it has dropped at least 4".
I was talking with some of the open house people at CCIW last week and I was told that when Lake Ontario gates are open, if the lake drops one inch, the seaway goes up one meter. I guess that is why they are in no hurry to lower the lake.
 
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