Redesigning Nature at Niagara Falls

Few places on Earth capture both natural beauty and human ingenuity quite like Niagara Falls. On the order between the United States and Canada, it’s one of North America’s most recognisable natural landmarks, attracting more than 10 million visitors every year.

What most people don’t realise is that Niagara Falls is not just a wonder of nature, it’s also one of the most carefully engineered landscapes in the world.

A Natural Powerhouse

The Niagara River connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, dropping over 50 metres as it plunges down the Niagara Escarpment. This drop in elevation cut off direct shipping routes between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, with freighters having to unload and port their cargo around the escarpment.

The solution came in 1829 with the Welland Canal, which connected the two lakes via a series of eight lift locks.

Today, the modern Welland Canal remains a vital part of North America’s freight network, with ships of all sizes navigating the locks and aqueducts every day.

The Birthplace of Modern Hydropower

The Welland Canal solved the problem of transport, but Niagara’s true specialty is energy production.

In 1895, the Niagara Power Company opened the Edward Dean Adams Power Plant, the first large-scale hydroelectric facility in North America.

The Niagara hydropower system has a combined capacity of around 5 gigawatts, generated by five enormous underground tunnels that divert water to hydropower stations like Robert Moses in New York and the Sir Adam Beck stations in Ontario.

These tunnels handle up to 74% of the Niagara River’s flow, feeding 39 turbines that generate enough energy to power millions of homes.

Balancing Beauty and Power

With so much water diverted for electricity, one question emerges: how do you keep the falls looking like the falls? The solution lies in a delicate system of treaties, dams and cross-border cooperation.

The 1950 Niagara Diversion Treaty sets precise limits on how much water can be used for power generation and what must flow over the falls for aesthetic purposes. To manage this, engineers built the International Control Dam, located just upstream.

Unlike a traditional dam, this structure doesn’t block the river, but adjusts it, with 13 gated sluices that control how much water goes towards the power intakes versus over the edge of the falls.

During the day, especially in summer, more water is released to maintain the grandeur of the falls. At night and in winter, more flow is diverted for hydropower.

This control has helped to preserve Niagara Falls. Without diversion, the relentless force of erosion would cause the falls to retreat upstream by about three feet every year. With diversions in place, that rate has slower to around one foot per year.

In 1969 the American falls were turned off by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study the rock face and the large talus pile at its base. After months of inspection, engineers concluded that leaving nature largely alone was the best course of action.

The Art of Controlled Nature

Visitors standing at Table Rock or Prospect Point might imaging they’re witnessing an untouched force of nature, not realising that Niagara Falls is one of the most curated natural wonders on Earth.

Through canals, tunnels and dams, two nations have built a system that demonstrates an intricate balance between beauty, utility and preservation.

Niagara Falls remains one of the world’s greatest symbols of natural power, but its continued existence is one of humanity’s finest feats of engineering harmony.