Defending the Truth

sear · 04-19-2007, 04:17 AM

Rabbit,
You've nailed it.

I'd like to thank you all for the good-natured way you handled this.
I believe the following describes it authoritatively:

Quote:

The Niagara project, located about 4 1/2 miles downstream from the Falls, consists of two main facilities: the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant, with 13 turbines, and the Lewiston Pump-Generating Plant, with 12 pump-turbines. In between the two plants is a forebay capable of holding about 740 million gallons of water; behind the Lewiston plant, a 1,900-acre reservoir holds additional supplies of this liquid fuel.

Put very simply, we divert water from the Niagara River—up to 375,000 gallons a second—and convey it through conduits under the City of Niagara Falls to Lewiston. From there, water flowing through the Robert Moses plant spins turbines that power generators, converting this mechanical energy into electrical energy.

At night, when electricity demand is low, the Lewiston units operate as pumps, transporting water from the forebay up to the plant's reservoir.

During the daytime, when electricity use peaks, the Lewiston pumps are reversed and become generators, similar to those at the Moses plant. In this way, the water can be used to produce electricity twice, increasing production and efficiency.

To balance the need for power with a desire to preserve the beauty of Niagara Falls, the United States and Canada signed a treaty in 1950 that regulates the amount of water diverted for hydroelectricity production. On average, more than 200,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), or 1.5 million gallons of water a second, flow from Lake Erie into the Niagara River. The 1950 pact requires that at least 100,000 cfs of water spill over the Falls during the daylight hours in the tourist season, April through October. This flow may be cut in half at night during this period and at all times the rest of the year.

NYPA Facilities:* Niagara Power Project

So how did I get us all into this mess in the first place?
Here's the text of a PM I shared with our Mod. Tad:

Quote:

Tad,
You're doing just fine.
I just wanted to thank you for playing along w/

http://www.defendingthetruth.com/con...off-night.html (: They shut Niagara Falls off at night.)

Just so you know:
Last weekend I met up with some childhood friends that I hadn't seen in a decade or two.

They were driving from ~Michigan to Southern New York State. They stopped to overnight at Niagara Falls. Before they got there, I warned them:

When I went there several years ago, I got a hotel room in Canada. It had an outdoor balcony overlooking the falls.

I thought it would be nice to sit out there at 2:AM, and enjoy the water thundering over the precipice.

Much to my astonishment, I found they shut the water flow down to a veritable trickle, late at night / early morning. Evidently they divert the flow to run it through hydro-electric turbines.

When I warned my childhood friend of this, she acted as though I was joking. (nobody can shut off a river!)
I figured they'd discover the truth the same way I did.

But for whatever reason, (perhaps they went to sleep before the flow was diverted) they did not witness the diminished water flow.

So true to my slothful nature, rather than Googling for Internet proof directly, I thought it might be fun (and informative) to share with others this discovery of mine.

My intention was / is, after I / we snare a few more with this "conspiracy" thread, I'll declare my position, and leave it to the others to sort out.

But just so you know, the reason I know for a fact the water flow over Niagara Falls can diminish substantially between the hours of ~11:PM to ~5:AM is because I have witnessed it.
I know for a fact it is true.

Let's see what the others come up with first.

And again Tad, thanks for playing along.

sear

cc public post

Thanks again all. I hope you enjoyed my silly prank as much as I did.

Star Dust · 04-20-2007, 01:07 AM

I was there when it was flowing at it's peak. Nothing like a nice spray bath on a cool morning. I have pictures to prove it runs in the day time. I am even in the picture and I have pictures of my grandparents and my mother standing in the same place that I found. It was wonderful for me, but just blase to my mother's family who settled there because they saw it so often.

Had fun reading this thread. Thanks for sharing.

chrisg967 · 04-21-2007, 01:59 PM

Dunno about turning the falls off at night, but apparently back in 1969 the US falls were stopped by the Army Corps of Engineers. See Niagara Falls - Dewatered American Falls (1969) or for a color shot, Image

ryniagara.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nimuae · 04-21-2007, 03:30 PM

Nothing that happens in America could ever surprise me.

sear · 04-22-2007, 04:22 AM

Quote:

"Dewatered" chris

Thanks chris. Interesting link.

chrisg967 · 04-22-2007, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sear

Thanks chris. Interesting link.

You're welcome. Here're a couple more links:
Niagara Falls - Frequently Asked Questions
NYPA Facilities:* Niagara Power Project
Ontario Power Generation: Power Generation: Hydroelectric Power

Basically, we (Americans and Canadians) are using the water to produce electricity. To do that, it is diverted from the falls into the hydro generators at night. During the daytime, it is allowed to fall for the tourists.

SimonFallsWatcher · 10-25-2007, 05:45 PM

In 1989, I arrived at Niagarra Falls while on holiday. I had arrived in Niagarra Falls, USA on the train from New York at 12:09. By the time I got to the Falls, it was 2:30am and the light show had finished. I stood at the top of the falls, expecting to hear the sound of rushing water. There was nothing. no sound at all. I felt cheated and conned as I had just spent 9 hours on the Amtrak getting there. Next day, I stood in the same place to hear the deafening sound of water running over the falls.

Explain that if they hadn't diverted all the water to the hydro station.

Simon

team_barlo · 10-29-2007, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisg967

Dunno about turning the falls off at night, but apparently back in 1969 the US falls were stopped by the Army Corps of Engineers. See Niagara Falls - Dewatered American Falls (1969) or for a color shot, Image

ryniagara.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thank you for your post. It is possible to divert the water from the American side to the Canadian side and that is exactly what took place in 1969 in order to accomodate the hydroelectric plant. We have family vacation pictures of it.

Conspiracy or history? You decide--lol

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