| LakeOntarioRiparianAlliance |
Grassroots Public Advocacy For The Protection, Restoration And Conservation Of Great Lakes Beaches And Riparian Property |
Some Background On Lora...
The Lake Ontario Riparian Alliance (LORA) was formed in 1993 to protect and preserve the value of waterfront property. Our strategy of involving neighborhood associations, state, local and federal officials along with other interested organizations has enabled us to take a pro-active position in protecting the Lake Ontario shoreline.
Since there is no local, state or federal program to protect shoreline property from excessive erosion we have attempted , through our association, to provide several much needed services to shoreline property owners. Between 1993 and 2000, over 120 shoreline property owners have received assistance from LORA that has saved them tens of thousands of dollars. (See Some Project Pictures)
These services include....
| Article 15 Permit Assistance (USACE) | Protection Structure Design Assistance | Material Selection Assistance |
| Article 34 Permit Assistance (NYS-DEC) | Vegetation and Re-Vegetation Assistance | Contractor Selection Assistance |
| Local, State And Federal Lobbying | Recovery Of Property Lost Due To Storms | Project Supervision |
Why LORA is now back!
Since about 1999, most Lake Ontario South Shore property
owners have enjoyed fairly consistent regulation of water levels. This
consistent regulation has meant that erosion of lakefront property has been easy
to control and has occurred at a manageable rate.
Now the International Joint Commission has decided to change the way the level of Lake Ontario is controlled and we believe that the new regulation plans could mean serious property damage to those of us who live along the south shore of Lake Ontario.
The IJC, against the advise and concerns of many state and local officials and thousands of property owners has decided NOT to continue with Plan 1958D and will start to regulate the level of Lake Ontario with one of three new plans. In each one of the new plans, the IJC's own scientific analysis and statistics show that Riparians will be damaged considerably.
Since one of the plans being considered allows for water levels in the range of 249ft and all of the new plans allow for much higher than historical levels, even if you already have a sound shoreline protection structure, the new plans being considered may mean that the original design height of your protection structure may prove to be inadequate.
Add to this the difficulty in obtaining the necessary USACE and NY-DEC permits that allow you to take action to protect yourself and you'll see that the outlook for shoreline owners is not bright.