From the Garret: Archives

My Father's Daughter

Niagara Falls is one of those places I've always wanted to go. I love Nature's majesty and what could be more awesome than millions of gallons of water plunging almost 200 feet to wash over huge boulders? Since I just celebrated a major birthday (and no, I'm not saying which one), my family agreed to go someplace just for me.

The American Falls with an afternoon rainbow. View larger photo

Following friends' advice, we stayed on the Canadian side of the Niagara River and it was a good choice. The view from our hotel was spectacular; we could see all the falls (Canadian and American), Buffalo, NY, and the Rainbow Bridge between the U.S. and Canada. Every afternoon, we also saw the rainbows which inspired the bridge's name. Wow! We did all the usual tourist trips: Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls, the Butterfly Conservatory, Niagara-on-the-Lake, jet boating through Class 5 rapids, etc.

	A gorgeous butterfly makes himself at home on the back of my hand.

However, because I'm my father's daughter, I added a stop: the Sir Adam Beck #2 Generating Station because the Niagara River is one of the world's great sources of hydroelectric power. Did my teenagers want to find out how electricity is made from water? No, but I inherited my father's curiosity about how things work so I was dying to know. To be fair, my husband and children patiently followed our guided group down the tunnels and past the transformers and peered into the enormous hall the turbines are serviced in. I, of course, was one step behind the guide himself, peppering him with questions and wishing they'd let me take photos.

I learned some fascinating stuff. For instance, the water pouring over the falls at 750,000 gallons per second during the day is only half the volume of water coming down the Niagara River. (At night, when no one can see the falls, their water volume is cut to twenty percent.) The other half is directed down two canals by a dam above the falls (and they're building a huge tunnel to handle more water). The canals bring it to the turbines for the Canadian generating plants, as well as to an enormous reservoir which is used to meet higher power demands.

View larger photo

There's a giant power plant on the American side as well; we buy excess water from Canada because our plant has more capacity than theirs at the moment. The generating plants are all located well below the town and the falls because the cliffs are higher there, allowing the water to drop farther which creates more energy to turn the turbines. The electricity goes out along the grid to power part of Ontario. Our guide explained that the Blackout of 1965 in New York City was caused by a power surge at the Sir Adam Beck Station. Hopefully, they've fixed that now.

Interestingly, diverting the water for power generation keeps the falls from eroding so fast. We heard various numbers thrown around but the Canadian Horseshoe Falls used to move up river by about three feet per year. Now it's closer to one foot every ten years. Cutting the volume makes them more scenic as well.

	The Canadian Horseshoe Falls with their ever-present cloud of mist. View larger photo

The first thing we saw as we drove toward Niagara Falls was a white cloud rising above the Niagara River. This is the mist created by the water cascading downward and smashing onto the rocks below. If more water went over the falls, the cloud would be thicker and we wouldn't be able to admire the glorious sight of the streams of greenish water.

My journey was now perfect. I'd seen the most awe-inspiring sight of all: man and Mother Nature working together.