BUFFALO, N.Y. — A sure sign that winter weather is here to stay has arrived. The ice boom could be installed in the Niagara River as soon as Monday.
It will be in place all season, reducing the amount of ice entering the river to help prevent ice jams and damage to shoreline property.
The placement of spans are allowed to begin when the Lake Erie water temperature at Buffalo is 39 degrees Fahrenheit or on Dec. 16, whichever comes first. As of Thursday, Lake Erie's water temperature at Buffalo was 43 degrees, according to the International Niagara Board of Control.
If powerful winds or severe storms cause pressure against the boom, it has been designed so that it will submerge until the pressure is gone.
"The ice boom is installed at the outlet of Lake Erie, at the entrance to the Niagara River, to promote the formation and strengthening of a naturally occurring ice arch that reduces the amount of ice entering the Niagara River," International Niagara Board of Control said in a statement.