With the
winter months quickly approaching, the season change will bring colder
temperatures, snow, and the installation
of the Niagara Ice Boom.
John W. Kangas, secretary of
the United States section of the International Niagara Board of Control said the ice boom, which keeps ice from flowing down the Niagara River and clogging hydroelectric intakes, is installed either on Dec. 16 or when the water temperature at the intakes reaches 39 degrees.
Once either
of these criteria is met, the installation may begin.
“We act on behalf of the International Joint Commission and
we install and remove the ice boom at their direction,” said Ted Gruetzner,
director of provincial relations of the Ontario Power Generation.
As
of now, the temperature of Lake Erie is 50 degrees. According to Kangas, this
is one degree cooler than the long-term average for this date.
“It
is not known if it will be in place any longer than usual,” said Kangas. “That
completely depends on the winter.”
Opening
and closing of the boom depends on the amount of ice in the eastern portion of
Lake Erie. Generally, the International Joint Commission sets a date to open
the boom by April 1 unless there is more than 250 square miles of ice on the
lake. In that case, the boom remains closed until the ice diminishes to that
amount. By Jessica Chetney and
Chelsea Goodridge
