New York state lawmakers to discuss Lake Ontario flooding

ALBANY, N.Y. – New York state lawmakers are looking at the causes of recent flooding along the shorelines of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

The state Senate will hold a hearing Tuesday in the Oswego County town of Mexico on the spring and summer floods. Shoreline flooding damaged homes and businesses from the Niagara River to the St. Lawrence River, eroded shorelines and hurt the region’s tourism economy.

Many upstate officials and lakefront property owners blame the flooding on the International Joint Commission, the U.S.-Canadian panel that controls the outflow of water from Lake Ontario. The commission says heavy rain was to blame.

Republican state Sen. Tom O’Mara, of Chemung County, says the hearing is intended to help residents and officials understand the factors that caused the flood, and ways officials can prevent future problems.