By Don Glynn
The Tonawanda News
BUFFALO —
Crews will begin removing the 1.7-mile Lake Erie-Niagara River Ice boom Monday, weather permitting.
A spokesman for the International Joint Commission, which regulates conditions along the U.S.-Canada border, said the work includes taking out the 22 spans extending from the outer breakwater at the Buffalo Harbor almost to the Canadian shore, about two miles upstream from the Peace Bridge.
First installed in 1964, the boom strengthens the natural ice arch that forms every year and, as a result, it prevents a glut of ice from flowing into the upper Niagara River where it could easily clog power company intakes and cause extensive damage to downriver shoreline properties.
Despite the boom, the gradual buildup of ice below the falls inevitably spans the river — most years — creating a major off-season attraction for tourists, as well as local residents.
Under the IJC directives, the boom that includes up to 11 floating steel pontoons anchored to the lake bottom at 400 foot intervals is installed each year when the Lake Erie water temperature reaches 39 degrees Fahrenheit or on Dec. 16, whichever comes first.
The IJC calls for the boom to be removed by April 1 or when aerial surveys show the ice field in the eastern basin of the lake has been reduced to 250 square miles.
George Cotroneo, a board of control staffer, said Friday that if the favorable weather continues, the crews could have the boom out of the water within a couple of days.
The cost of operating and maintaining the ice boom is shared by the New York Power Authority and Ontario Power Generation. The Niagara Board of Control monitors the boom for the IJC.
Contact reporter Don Glynn at 282-2311, ext. 2246.
