With all do respect, the water level was above normal late this spring, and though Rochester has not had much rain, their has being a lot of rain south to us to the point of flooding. Most of the water coming into lake Ontario is from all the other great lakes, and those areas have received plenty of snow and rain, though you are correct about not being a simple switch.
However, if the individuals in charge of managing the outflow to control levels for shipping, hydropower, and flooding would do their work responsibly and include tourism, which is a great part of North country economy, we may not have this BS reoccurring problems of flooding or no water to point that I had a terrible time getting my boat back on the trailer which I put in 10 days ago.
What was the excuse last yr that water level was so bad we could not even put in our floating dock in Blind Bay?