High winds cause ‘significant breakage’ to Lake Erie ice boom

Large formations of ice flowing from Lake Erie into the Niagara River are a result of a breakage in the ice boom.

The boom was put into place on December 16 but is currently not serving its purpose as it broke due to high winds.

That’s according to an email statement provided to Fort Erie Radio on Monday afternoon by Hafiz Ahmad, Canadian Secretary to the International Niagara Board of Control.

He said much of the lower Niagara River, below Niagara Falls, was already “full of ice” on Monday.

It is unknown exactly when the breakage occurred, but Ahmad said the Niagara River Control Centre noticed ice coming over the boom as early as 7 a.m. Monday.

The ice boom is designed to allow ice to flow overtop of it when there are high winds creating a lot of pressure on the spans.

“However, this is not the case at the moment as there is a significant breakage,” he said, noting it could take “an extended period of time” to repair the boom.

Severe storms with westerly winds may overcome the stability of the ice arch and force large masses of ice against the boom. The ice boom is designed to submerge, when this occurs, and allow the ice to override it until the pressure is relieved.

Once the storm subsides, the ice boom resurfaces and restrains ice which otherwise would flow down the river. The ice boom does not inhibit the flow of water from the lake into the Niagara River, which flows under the ice.

The ice boom is overseen by the International Joint Commission (IJC), an agency guided by the Boundary Waters Treaty, signed by Canada and the United States in 1909.

Each winter since 1964, the Lake Erie-Niagara River Ice Boom has been installed near the outlet of Lake Erie to reduce the amount of ice entering the Niagara River. A reduction in ice entering the river reduces the potential for ice jams, which can result in damage to shoreline property and significantly reduce water flow for hydroelectric power production, says the IJC’s website.

The cost of the ice boom is managed by Ontario Power Generation and the New York Power Authority.

Placement of the boom and its spans occurs when the Lake Erie water temperature in Buffalo reaches four degrees Celsius or on December 16, whichever comes first.

Stay Informed

Events, offers, contests, and breaking news, all delivered straight to your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Subscribe