Niagara Falls Power Generation

The Niagara Falls are used to generate hydro-electric Power.

In 1881, Niagara River's first hydroelectric generating station was built. The water fell 86-feet and generated electricity, which ran the machinery of local mills and lit up some of the village streets.

By 1896, the first long-distance transmission of electricity began flowing from Niagara Falls to Buffalo some 26 miles away. Other hydropower plants were also being built along the Niagara River. But in 1956, disaster struck when the region's largest hydropower station was partially destroyed in a landslide.

The landslide drastically reduced power production and tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs were at stake. In 1957, Congress passed the Niagara Redevelopment Act, which granted the New York Power Authority the right to fully develop the United States' share of the Niagara River's hydroelectric potential.

In 1961, when the Niagara Falls hydroelectric project first went on line, it was the largest hydropower facility in the Western world. Today, Niagara is still the largest electricity producer in New York State, with a generating capacity of 2.4 million kilowatts.

Up to 375,000 gallons of water a second is diverted from the Niagara River through conduits under the City of Niagara Falls to the Lewiston and Robert Moses power plants. This water spins turbines that power generators, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy.

When electricity demand is low, the Lewiston units can operate as pumps, to transporting water from the lower bay back up to the plant's reservoir allowing this water to be used again during the daytime, when electricity use peaks.

During peak electrical demand, the same Lewiston pumps are reversed and actually become generators, similar to those at the Moses plant.

During tourist season, water usage by the power plant is limited by a treaty signed by the U.S. and Canada in 1950 in order to preserve this natural attraction. On average the Niagara river contains 1.5 million gallons of water a second half of which half must flow over the falls during daylight hours from April through October. During other times the power plant may use up to three fourths of the total available water.

During winter the Power Authority of New York works with Ontario Power Generation, to prevent ice on the Niagara River from interfering with power production and causing the flooding of shoreline property.

One of their joint efforts is an 8,800-foot-long ice boom, which prevents the buildup of ice, yet allows water to continue flowing downstream. [ [http://www.nypa.gov/facilities/niagara.htm NYPA Niagara]