New York State will sue the International Joint Commission over Lake Ontario flood damage that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and other critics blame on the binational agency's water level management policy.

"They have failed to manage the lake level — period. End of story. It was their job. They failed," Cuomo said as he made the announcement Wednesday during an appearance at a lakeshore restaurant in Irondequoit.

“We will not shoulder the burden of the destruction that is a direct result of the IJC’s gross mismanagement of Lake Ontario water levels, and the IJC needs to compensate New York for the severe damage to the homes and businesses along the shoreline. That’s what this lawsuit is all about," Cuomo said in a news release.

The IJC considers itself exempt from lawsuits over its actions, based on a 1945 federal law and a 1948 executive order by then-President Harry Truman.

"The lawsuit is a hard case," Cuomo said, according to a transcript of his Irondequoit appearance released by his office.