c-niagara2.JPG (78054 bytes)General Information

Niagara Falls is located in east central North America, along the Niagara River between western New York and southeastern Ontario. Niagara Falls consists of two cataracts: the Horseshoe Falls (54 m high), on the Canadian side of the river, and the American Falls (55 m high), on the United States side. Goat Island separates the two waterfalls.

The curved crestline of the crescent-shaped Horseshoe Falls carries about 95% of the Niagara River's water over its 640 m long crest. The straighter crest of the American Falls measures 328 m and carries only 5% of the water. A small section of the falls between Goat Island and small Luna Island is also known as Bridal Veil or small Luna Falls.

Every second, about 5,520 cubic metres of water pours in torrents over the cliffs of the falls of Niagara. As the water plunges from the edge of the falls, it fills the air with a cloud of mist, which often displays many rainbows. The plunging water also sends out a never-ending roar as it strikes the bottom. For this reason, the Iroquois Indians called the cataract Niagara, meaning "thunder of waters."

At present the Horseshoe Falls is receding at an average yearly rate of about 1.5 m, and the American Falls is being cut away at an annual pace of about 15 cm. In 1954, a significant part of the American Falls broke off, creating a large talus (rock slope) at the base of the cataract. In order to study ways of preventing further rockfalls and to remove some of the talus, the American Falls was successfully "shut off" for several months in 1969 by a dam that was constructed between the U.S. mainland and Goat Island.

Geological Formation

Niagara Falls was formed about 12,000 years ago, when glaciers retreated north, allowing water from Lake Erie to flow over the Niagara Escarpment, a ridge that extends in an arc across the northern Great Lakes region, from Wisconsin to New York. Since that time, erosion has slowly pushed the waterfall about 11 km upstream, forming the Niagara Gorge.

Tourism

Niagara Falls is a great tourist attraction, luring millions of visitors each year. The falls may be viewed from parks located on either side of the river, from observation towers, from boats, from Goat Island, and from the Rainbow Bridge, located a short distance downstream. The plunging water has worn the lower rocks away so that there are caves behind the sheets of water of both falls. Sightseers may enter the Cave of the Winds at the foot of the American side and acquire a new perspective of the power of the falls.

The park area has long been a tourist site and a favorite spot for couples to spend their honeymoons. At night, coloured lights illuminate the falls.

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History

Father Louis Hennepin, a Flemish monk who accompanied the explorer La Salle, was the first European to view the falls of the Niagara River, in 1678. The site was of strategic use to the British and French in the struggle to control the Great Lakes. Therefore, the British built Fort Schlosser there in 1761.

Historical Development

The Niagara's large volume of flow, averaging about 5520 cubic metres per second, plus its steep drop, gives the river great power potential. This waterpower was first tapped in 1757, when Daniel Chabert Joncaire built a sawmill on the upper river. The first large-scale hydroelectric facility, the Edward Dean Adams Power Plant, was opened on the U.S. side in 1896.

In 1950, the United States and Canada signed a treaty fixing the amount of water that could be diverted from the river for power generation, and soon thereafter two major hydroelectric projects were constructed. The Canadians built the twin Sir Adam Beck-Niagara generating stations (completed in 1958) while the Americans constructed the Robert Moses-Niagara Power Plant (completed in 1963). The two facilities have a combined capacity of about 4,215,000 kw. Both projects, each located about 6 km below Niagara Falls, are driven by water diverted just above the falls and conveyed by underground conduits and canals to turbines. Much of the hydroelectricity is consumed by industries in the nearby cities of Niagara Falls, New York, and Niagara Falls, Ontario.

The control of Niagara Falls between the United States and Canada has long offered the world an example of international cooperation. In 1950, the two countries signed a new treaty that specified the minimum flow to be maintained over the falls. This treaty made possible greater hydroelectric development. It states that 2,830 cubic metres per second of water must flow over the falls during the tourist season in the daytime and 1,415 cubic metres at night and during the off-tourist season in the daytime. The remainder is equally divided between Canada and the United States.