Adam Hinterthuer's blog

It's spring on Lake Ontario and, for a group of scientists and engineers from the U.S. and Canada, the annual headache can begin. The International St. Lawrence River Board of Control has the unenviable power of regulating Lake Ontario’s water levels. Higher levels make boaters and shipping companies happy, because they literally float their boats. But for lakefront homeowners, high water means watching waves steadily erode their backyards. If the board decides to keep levels lower, homeowners rejoice as the water recedes, but boats are left high and dry and shipping vessels must skim tons of cargo from their holds to float higher in the water.