Each year the placing of the ice boom into the Niagara River marks the beginning of the winter season for Buffalo.
However, due to warmer than usual temperatures plans for dropping the ice boom have not yet occurred.Each year the placing of the ice boom into the Niagara River marks the beginning of the winter season for Buffalo. However, due to warmer than usual temperatures plans for dropping the ice boom have not yet occurred.
Each year the placing of the ice boom into the Niagara River marks the beginning of the winter season for Buffalo. However, due to warmer than usual temperatures plans for dropping the ice boom have not yet occurred.
Bruce Sanders, public relations representative for the Buffalo District of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said, “There is no set date to drop the boom. The water temperature needs to be a certain temperature for a certain number of days.”
According to their website, installation can begin on Dec. 16 or whenever the water temperature reaches at least 39 degrees Fahrenheit.
The dropping of the ice boom has annually occurred every year since 1964. The ice boom is a series of steel pontoons spanning the outlet of Lake Erie. The boom helps to break up thick chunks of ice, which left whole can lead to flooding, shore damage and reduction of flow to hydro-electric power plants. By Samantha Murphy and Desiree Wiley
