High water, waves limit Glenora Ferry service
Administrator | May 28, 2019 | Comments 1
Glenora Ferry with a cement truck aboard acting as a ballast due to high water. John Ferguson photo from 2017
High water combined with wind and wave conditions have reduced Glenora Ferry services.
The Ministry of Transportation has stated it is unable to offer two ferry service, even in ballasted conditions.
The Quinte Loyalist will continue to operate on a daily 30-minute schedule, 18000 tonne weight limit in effect.
Filed Under: News from Everywhere Else
Since we have now experienced flooding in two of the past three years, we may be moving past the realm of coincidence into a new “normal”. In my opinion, the International Lake Ontario – Saint Lawrence River Board, which controls water levels within the Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River Basin, needs a new plan for dealing with future Spring melt/run-off.
Based on snowpack and expected run-off, and long-range rain forecasts, in future if there is even a hint that rising water levels could be an issue, the Board should be lowering lake/basin levels in a controlled manner months in advance in anticipation of this, not after the fact. It’s easier to control outflow to return water levels to “normal” heights if there turns out not to be a problem.
Two years’ experience has shown that the current “plan” to deal with high water after the fact is a failure that has led to hugely expensive cleanup and damage mitigation costs. Along with the other municipalities in the affected area (on both sides of the border), Council should be approaching the ILO-SLRB to ask for a revised plan to deal with this issue in 2020 onward. Planning should be starting now.