Lack of ice on Lake Erie paves way for its removal
The International Joint Commission says rapidly diminishing ice on the lake made it safe to take out the boom which prevents ice from building in the Niagara River impacting the flow of water over the falls and the production of hydro electricity.
On its website, the IJC also notes "that when the ice boom is removed, the amount of ice flowing into the Niagara River can increase due to natural ice movements. As well with continued freezing temperatures forecasted, some ice may be formed in the Niagara River itself."
March 29th coincidentally was Niagara Falls Runs Dry Day.
On that day in 1848, ice clogged the mouth of the Niagara River and stopped the flow over the falls
The Niagara Falls History Museum says thick ice began to break up on Lake Erie during a warm spell and strong winds drove huge amounts of ice across the lake into the mouth of the river where it started piling up.
The ice formed a dam between Buffalo and Fort Erie and cut off the flow over water over the Falls for close to 30 hours exposing the entire riverbed.
The history museum says residents found muskets, bayonets and swords on the bed thought to be thrown into the water after the Battle of Chippawa in 1814.
By the afternoon of March 30th the winds had reversed direction and the ice began to disperse restoring the flow of water back to normal.
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