Environmentalists are at it again

For five decades a dam on the St. Lawrence River in Northern NY has controlled the water levels of Lake Ontario. The US and Canada, through the International Joint Commission (IJC), have worked together to determine the proper lake levels.

For property owners along the the lake everything has been going fine, knowing they could rest easy without constant worry of flooding. Things could change next year if the Citizens Campaign for the Environment and The Onondaga Audubon Society have their way.

These groups are lobbying the IJC to change the way they regulate the water levels. They want to increase the variation in lake levels with lower levels as well as higher levels. The higher lake levels will endanger property owners in the area who argue that their sea walls will be eroded and their properties will be in danger of major flooding.

According to the Syracuse Post Standard Gerry Smith of the Onondaga Audubon society actually said that most of the people effected are "baby boomers and up" and that they will only be around for one of the five expected floods per century that will occur if he and his cohorts have their way. In other words, Mr. Smith thinks it's perfectly acceptable for people living along Lake Ontario to have a major flood every twenty years or so.

Most people agree that the Great Lakes are one of our greatest assets and we must do whatever we can to protect them and keep them clean. Responsible land owners should not be punished for the mere fact that they own property on the waterfront. This is one more example of environmental groups putting their crusade above humanity.