Every year, around this time, our minds start thinking about the winter ahead. Part of winter in Western New York is the annual launch of the ice boom.

What You Need To Know

  • The ice boom will be installed in parts of Lake Erie and the Niagara River

  • It will be put into place when the water temperature reaches 39 degrees

  • The boom helps to stop flooding and shoreline erosion

  • The U.S. and Canadian governments work together to install and remove

Because the boom is so important in keeping the power we make around Western New York going, the New York Power Authority and the Ontario Power Generation are responsible for installing and removing the boom each year. Since 1964, this has been done with very minimal problems.

The ice boom is inserted into the Niagara River at the end of every fall. When the water temperature at a depth of 30 feet reaches 39 degrees, it is go time.

The boom is put into place as a way of ensuring the safety of the shoreline, protecting property and to prevent ice from jamming up the hydroelectric plants that we have around the area. It is required to be removed by April 1, but this has been delayed before due to copious amounts of ice remaining on the River.

The boom is constructed of many different moving parts. Twenty-two different pieces are spread out across the Niagara River from Buffalo into Canada.

The four that are seen most frequently are those placed between the inner and outer harbor located in downtown Buffalo. These are made of steel now, but they were previously constructed out of wood.

They were changed to steel in 1997 to help them float better on top of the water.

The US and Canadian governments will continue to work together this coming winter to keep us all safe and free from flooding and erosion. For additional information on the boom you can head to www.ijc.org

If you get any pictures of the ice boom being installed this season, send them my way. I can be found at Kaylee.Wendt@charter.com.