Here Comes The Boom In Western New York

It seems just like yesterday we were celebrating the pending arrival of spring when the Lake Erie/Niagara River Ice Boom was being taken out of the water, and now, all of a sudden, we look up, and it's winter again.

Sigh.

No matter how hard we try, the time of year for the Ice Boom to come out has arrived once again.

What Is The Ice Boom

The Ice Boom is a 2-mile-long ice barrier to help reduce the amount of ice entering the Niagara River, which reduces the amount of ice that can cause damage to the hydropower plants that are in and around Niagara Falls.

According to the International Joint Commission, the ice boom consists of 22 spans. The first four are located between Buffalo Harbor’s inner and outer breakwater and constructed using 16, 15-foot-long mini pontoons. The remainder of the boom is constructed using a series of steel pontoons, each 30 feet long and 30 inches in diameter... Each span is built using up to 10 pontoons, anchored to the bottom of the lake at 400-foot intervals by 2.5-inch steel cables.

The boom has been installed on the lake since 1964 and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

The ice boom itself is operated and owned jointly by The New York Power Authority (NYPA) and Ontario Power Generation (OPG). The two organizations are responsible for its' annual installation, removal, and maintenance.

When Will The Ice Boom Be Installed Again?

Officials from the ICJ announced today that the Ice Boom is set to be installed as early as Saturday, December 16, 2023. The installation is always subject to weather and water conditions. Since the entire span of the Ice Boom is 2 miles long, the process to install can take a while.