By CRAIG FREILICH

St. Lawrence County Emergency Services and Brookfield Renewable Energy are monitoring water levels on the Raquette River which residents say are higher than they have been since the flooding in 2011.

County Emergency Services Director Michael Lecuyer says his office is “monitoring the situation daily with Brookfield's participation” in light of the rising levels after several recent downpours.

Brookfield has some control over the flow along the river as operator of several hydroelectric power dams along the river.

“Carry Falls reservoir has been at maximum so they had to release some flow” from Carry Falls into Stark Falls reservoir. “Brookfield is doing all they can do to minimize the risk of localized flooding,” he said.

“There has been significant rainfall accumulation in the last week,” Lecuyere said, which has raised levels in the river higher than normal for this time of year.

“These levels are normal in April and May,” he said, when snowmelt continues down from the mountains, but the recent rain has raised the level right up to the top of the normal bank in Potsdam and has raised concerns in residents there and in Colton, who say they have not seen the river as high as it is since the flooding in April and May 2011 from Colton to Raymondville.

That spring, a state of emergency was declared in Potsdam as river levels rose to flood homes and businesses. Homes and businesses in Colton, Norwood and Norfolk and other spots along the river were threatened. Brookfield was forced to make some emergency releases of water backing up behind the dams when rain was forecast that could have exacerbated the emergency.

Water levels along the Raquette that spring set records for flows and height recorded by U.S. Geological Survey gauges at several points along the river. Current levels do not appear to be approaching those records this spring.