State Sen. Patty Ritchie and assembly members Will Barclay and Bob Oaks are calling upon the International Joint Commission (IJC) to continue to release the highest possible amount of outflow, as property owners along the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario continue to recover from this year’s record flood waters.

Letters sent by Ritchie, Barclay and Oaks to the IJC come as a result of the commission’s recent decision to lower the outflow of water along swollen waterways, according to Ritchie’s office.

Officials with the IJC say one of the contributing reasons for lowering the outflow is to maintain safe conditions for commercial shipping and recreational boating downstream, her office said.

During recent workshops sponsored by Ritchie and Barclay that were aimed at helping homeowners apply for funding to assist in the recovery process, numerous residents have raised concerns about the IJC and their response to combating the current water level. Millions of dollars in damage has been sustained by property owners, business and local communities as a result of this historic flooding, Ritchie’s office said.

“I have seen firsthand the damage still occurring from Lake Ontario’s historic high waters. High winds and summer storms on the lake continue to send waves wreaking havoc on shoreline homes, properties and businesses,” Ritchie said in a letter to the IJC. “The IJC and the International Board of Control need to recognize that during this unprecedented crisis, our priority must be with the thousands of shoreline property owners who have suffered and continue to suffer from these damaging high water levels.”

“The IJC’s decision to reduce outflow from Lake Ontario will only cause further harm to lakeshore communities,” Barclay said in a prepared statement. “Since the beginning of April, property owners, businesses and municipalities along the lake have incurred millions in damages. Communities and residents are trying their best to recover and to decrease outflows at a time when lake levels are still historically high is extremely frustrating.

“I’ve joined Senator Ritchie and Assemblyman Bob Oaks asking the IJC to reevaluate their recent decision to reduce outflows and requested they hold public sessions in our districts to discuss the overall impact of this year’s water levels in shoreline communities. We feel that such a meeting could provide valuable information for future mitigation and response so that our communities do not suffer this widespread devastation in the future.”