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Doesn't look that impressive
Posted by Sour Crout on 22 April 2010 - 11:42pm.
In 1969 the Army Corps of Engineers de-watered Niagara Falls in order to remove unsightly talus at the base of the Falls. These are photos of what the Falls looked like when they were de-watered.
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Amazing
Thanks for putting those pictures up. I didn't know that Niagara *could be* de-watered. I once heard someone say that they "turn it off" at night and dismissed that as a joke, until now.
Tap turns on the water
It's pretty well documented that the flow of water over the falls is controlled upstream, (I think they can route it elsewhere as opposed to actually stopping it) and I believe that the day/tourist mode is not very efficient for the generation of power.
If you've never been there, it's well worth a detour as it really is ver very impressive.... and it's only a short drive to the Rock and Roll hall of fame in Cleveland which is (or was when I was there) absolutely brilliant.
I should point out...
...that these pictures show the American Falls, not the more famous (and more impressive) Horseshoe Falls - which have never been turned off, and are going strong here judging by all the mist at the top of the first picture.
JohnW's right that it's worth a visit. And if you're prepared to go when the flow isn't at it's peak (i.e. in the middle of winter), there are real bargains to be had in terms of hotel room prices, and no queues. On the down side, it's bitterly cold, most of the town itself is shut down, and The Maid Of The Mist won't be running.
Now I see.
Thanks for pointing that out,Fraser. I have never been but I thought the pictures were cool.
Great
Fascinating pictures, love stuff like this.
I can see clearly now
Right, so it is the American Falls that gets the regulated flow and not the Horseshoe Falls. That's why a yes and no answer to "do the Niagara Falls ever get turned off?" is plausible. Thanks, chaps!
I have been there on two occasions; once in full-on touristy summer and the other time on a freezing winter day with no-one around. It's a wonderful spectacle either way.
The Flow Over All The Falls
is regulated. More of the river's flow is diverted at night to generate electricity, though the falls to my mind are more impressive as the daytime noise and hubub has subsided (especially the non stop droning of helicopters overhead) so the roar of the falls dominates everything.
A couple more
The Top One is,As Fraser Mentioned,The Horsehoe Falls
Want To go right now
a bit naff (The Video) but..
Come on now
how many of you googled "talus" to see what it meant? I did. Excellent use of scientifically accurate terminology!
Talus...
...weren't they a Swedish prog band from the early seventies who were signed to Vertigo? 'Wretched Child of Dreams' sold 600 copies worldwide. They died in a bizarre reindeer accident in 1974 during a comeback tour of Lapland.
Schoolboy error
Such an easy schoolboy mistake. I think you're referring to Tålus.
Cut and paste
I'll put my hands up and say i cut and paste the descripton from the site where i got the photos.
Hurrah for Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls
The first picture is the US falls + H2O taken from Prospect Point, as per Sour's dehydrated version.
I've posted this before, but if you missed it, this is staggering. An Urban Exploration of one of the disused hydroelectric power stations situated behind the falls. The huge tailraces leading to the back of the falls are jawdropping.
http://www.sleepycity.net/posts/67/DIY_Supervillain_Hideout