CORNWALL – A sudden surge in the water level on the St. Lawrence River Tuesday has damaged one of Cornwall’s waterfront docks.
The west dock at the boat launch behind the RCAF Association Wing 424 on Water Street is off-limits to boaters until further notice. Half of the dock, nearest the shore, is tilting partially out of the water.
Cornwall Parks-Arborist Supervisor Scott Porter said the damaged dock will be open for pedestrians but there will be no boat docking in the interim.
There is an east dock at the same location that is still accessible, Porter said.
A spokesperson for the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board told Cornwall Newswatch the sudden rise in the water level “appears to have been wind-related.”
The wind last night (Tuesday) was unusual, coming from the southeast, and against the current of the St. Lawrence River. Normally, the wind is out of the west.
There has been no change in the outflows from the Moses Saunders Dam, the river board confirmed. It’s been at 10,400 cubic meters per second for some time.