Why doesn the Commission use criterion (i) as the upper limit for water level regulation on Lake Ontario?
• Criteria (a) through (k) were developed as a total package that is workable given water supplies within the range of those experienced before the project was built. This set of criteria includes criterion (i), which specifies that the frequency of monthly mean elevations of approximately 75.07 m (246.3 ft) or higher shall be reduced. The target upper limit for Lake Ontario water levels is specified in criterion (h) and is 75.37 m (247.3 ft). Treating the criterion (i) level as an upper limit would be equivalent to narrowing the target range of levels by one foot. This would be a significant change to the Orders of Approval that would make the other criteria more difficult, and perhaps impossible, to achieve.
