What is Niagara River?

Information about Niagara River

Niagara River
Satellite image of the Niagara River. Flowing from Lake Erie in the south to Lake Ontario in the north, the river passes around Grand Island before going over Niagara Falls, after which it narrows in the Niagara Gorge. Two hydropower reservoirs are visible just before the river widens after exiting the gorge. The Welland Canal is visible on the far left side of this image. (Source: NASA Visible Earth) Satellite image of the Niagara River. Flowing from Lake Erie in the south to Lake Ontario in the north, the river passes around Grand Island before going over Niagara Falls, after which it narrows in the Niagara Gorge. Two hydropower reservoirs are visible just before the river widens after exiting the gorge. The Welland Canal is visible on the far left side of this image. (Source: NASA Visible Earth)
Origin	Lake Erie
Mouth	Lake Ontario
Basin countries	United States & Canada
Length	36 mi (58 km)^[1]
Avg. discharge	204,800 cfs (5,796 m³/s)^[2]
Basin area	264,000 sq mi (684,000 km²)^[1]

The Niagara River flows to the north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It serves as part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are various theories as to the origin of the name. According to NASA, "Niagara" comes from a Native American word meaning "at the neck".^[3] According to George R. Stewart, it comes from the name of an Iroquois town called "Ongniaahra", meaning "point of land cut in two".^[4]

Description

The river, which is occasionally described as a "strait",^[5] is approximately 56 kilometres (35 mi) long and includes Niagara Falls along its course. The falls have moved upstream from the Niagara Escarpment about 11 kilometers (7 mi) in the last 12,000 years, resulting in a gorge below the falls. Today, diversion of the river for electricity generation has significantly reduced the rate of erosion.

Power plants on the river are the Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Stations, on the Canadian side, and the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant, built in 1961, on the American side. The sites generate 4.4 gigawatts of electricity combined. The river flow is also regulated by the International Control Works built in 1954. Shipping on the Great Lakes bypasses the Niagara River and Niagara Falls using the Welland Canal, part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, located on the Canadian side.

The American Falls with Goat Island to its right.

The total drop in elevation along the river is 326 ft (99 meters). The Niagara Gorge extends 7 mi (11.26 km)downstream from the Falls and includes the Niagara Whirlpool and another section of rapids. It also one of the few rivers in North America to flow northward, and empties 2/5ths of the fresh water in North America.

The Niagara River features two large islands, Grand Island and Goat Island, both in the United States. The western end of the Erie Canal is near Grand Island. Goat Island and the tiny Luna Island split Niagara Falls into its three sections, the Horseshoe, Bridal Veil, and American Falls. Navy Island, on the Canadian side, is near the north end of Grand Island, while Strawberry Island and Motor Island lie southeast of Grand Island. Squaw Island lies further upstream, alongside the city of Buffalo.

Niagara Glen features many treacherous rapids downstream of Niagara Falls

The Niagara River and its tributaries, Tonawanda Creek and the Welland River, formed part of the last section of the Erie Canal and Welland Canal. After leaving Lockport, New York, the Erie Canal proceeds southwest until it enters Tonawanda Creek. After entering the Niagara River, watercraft then proceed southward to the final lock, where a short section of the canal allows boats to avoid the turbulent shoal water at the river intake and enter Lake Erie. Welland Canals used the Welland River as a connection back to the Niagara River south of the falls, allowing water traffic to safely re-enter the Niagara River and proceed to Lake Erie.

History

Several battles occurred along the Niagara River, which was historically defended by Fort George (Canadian side) and Fort Niagara (American side) at the mouth of the river and Fort Erie (Canadian side) at the head of the river. These forts were important during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. The Battle of Queenston Heights took place near the river in the War of 1812.

The river was an important route to liberation before the American Civil War, when many African-Americans escaping slavery on the Underground Railroad crossed it to find freedom in Canada.

On the Canadian side of the river the Niagara Parks Commission maintains all of the shoreline property, except the sites of Fort George and Fort Erie, as a public greenspace and environmental heritage.

Today, the river is the namesake of Niagara Herald Extraordinary at the Canadian Heraldic Authority.

Cities and settlements

Population centers along the Niagara River include:

Buffalo, New York
Fort Erie, Ontario
Lewiston, New York
Grand Island, New York (Island formed by Niagara River, in the US)
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
North Tonawanda, New York
Porter, New York
Queenston, Ontario
Tonawanda, New York (City)
Tonawanda, New York (Town of Tonawanda)
Wheatfield, New York
Youngstown, New York

Crossings

Main article: List of crossings of the Niagara River

The Niagara River has a long history of both road and rail bridges spanning the river, both upstream and downstream of the Falls. This history includes numerous bridges that have fallen victim to the harsh conditions of the Niagara Gorge, such as landslides and icepacks.

Islands

Several islands are located on the upper river before the falls:

Navy Island - the only island within Canada and designated as a national historic park
Grand Island - the largest island on the river; some parks, but mostly residential and industrial
Strawberry Island - a small park
Motor Island - a small park
Squaw Island - located in the city of Buffalo, New York and home to Broderick Park and a waste treatment facility
Tonawanda Island - occupied by marina and some industries
Buckhorn Island - park located on the north end of Grand Island
Goat Island (New York) - park located at the brink of the American Falls
Three Sisters Island - park located next to Goat Island
Green Island - park located near Goat Island
Luna Island - park located next to Goat Island
Cayuga Island - located on the Tonawanda side of the river and mainly residential

Notes

1. ^ Facts & Figures - Niagara Parks, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada (online). Retrieved on 2007-05-30.
2. ^ Water Resources Data New York Water Year 2003, Volume 3: Western New York, USGS
3. ^ NASA Visible Earth, Niagara Falls
4. ^ Stewart, George R. (1967) Names on the Land. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company; pg. 83.
5. ^ Mobot.org

References

Tiplin, Albert H.; Seibel, George A. and Seibel, Olive M. (1988) Our romantic Niagara: a geological history of the river and the falls Niagara Falls Heritage Foundation, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, ISBN 0969045727

External links

Niagara Photos
Niagara River and its Around Views
Views of the Niagara River Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)
Digital Images of the Islands of the Niagara River Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)
Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper

Welland Canal is a ship canal that runs 42 km (27.0 miles) from Port Colborne, Ontario on Lake Erie to Port Weller, Ontario on Lake Ontario. As part of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the canal allows ships to avoid Niagara Falls by traversing the Niagara Escarpment.
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Headstream is the origin of water flow that initiates the subject watercourse. It is the start of the river or stream.

The source of a river or stream may be a lake, a marsh, a spring, glacier, or a collection of headwaters.
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A drainage basin is a region of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, dam, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean. The drainage basin includes both the streams and rivers that convey the water as well as the land surfaces from
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In hydrology, the discharge of a river is the volume of water transported by it in a certain amount of time. The unit used is usually m³/s (cubic meters per second, or cumecs). For example, the average discharge of the Rhine river is 2200 m³/s.
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A cubic foot per second (also cfs, cusec and ft³/s) is an Imperial unit / U.S. customary unit volumetric flow rate, which is equivalent to a volume of 1 cubic foot flowing every second.
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A cubic metre per second (m³·s⁻¹, m³/s, cumecs or cubic meter per second in American English) is a derived SI unit of flow rate equal to that of a cube with sides of one metre (1000 mm) (39.
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Coordinates Coordinates:

Primary sources Detroit River

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Coordinates Coordinates:

Primary sources Niagara River

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Ontario

Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains)

Capital Toronto
Largest city Toronto
Official languages English (de facto)
Government
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This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved.
Protection is not an endorsement of the current [ version] ([ protection log]).
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State of New York

Flag of New York Seal
Nickname(s): The Empire State
Motto(s): Excelsior!

Official language(s) None

Capital Albany
Largest city New York City

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Motto
"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA logo
Motto: For the Benefit of All^[1]

NASA seal
Agency overview
Formed 29 July 1958

Headquarters Washington D.C.

Annual Budget $16.
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George Rippey Stewart (May 31, 1895 – August 22, 1980) was an American toponymist, a novelist, and a professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley (until 1962).
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125,000
(80,000 in the U.S.
45,000 in Canada)
Regions with significant populations
Canada
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A strait is a narrow channel of water that connects two larger bodies of water, and thus lies between two land masses. The terms strait, channel, passage, sound, and firth
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Niagara Falls

The American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls.
Location Niagara Falls (Ontario & New York)
Coordinates Coordinates:
Type Segmented Block
Total height 167 ft (51 m)
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Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment or cuesta in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois.
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Electricity generation is the first process in the delivery of electricity to consumers. The other processes are electric power transmission and electricity distribution which are normally carried out by the electrical power industry.
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Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Stations are two hydro electric power stations in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The stations divert water from the Niagara River above the falls which flows back into the lower portion of the river, and together produce up to 1,600 MW.
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Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant is a hydroelectric power plant in Niagara Falls, New York. The plant diverts water from Niagara River above Niagara Falls and returns the water into the lower portion of the river near Lake Ontario.
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Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada–United States border. They are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. The Great Lakes–St. Lawrence system is the largest freshwater system in the world.
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The St. Lawrence Seaway is the common name for a system of canals that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes as far as Lake Superior. Legally it extends from Montreal to Lake Erie, including the Welland Canal and the Great Lakes Waterway.
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Grand Island, New York

Seal
Motto:

Coordinates:
Country United States
State New York
County Erie
Area
- Town 33.
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Goat Island is a small uninhabited island in the Niagara River, located in the middle of Niagara Falls between the Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls. The island is at the southwest corner of the City of Niagara Falls (and of Niagara County), New York, in the United States.
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The Erie Canal (currently part of the New York State Canal System) is a canal in New York State, United States, that runs from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean.
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Navy Island is a small island in the Niagara River in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is currently under the administration of the Niagara Parks Commission. It is located about 4.5 km upstream from Horseshoe Falls, and has an area of roughly 1.2 km².
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Buffalo, New York

Flag
Seal
Nickname: City of Good Neighbors, The Queen City, Nickel City, Queen City of the Lakes, City of Light
Location of Buffalo in New York State
Coordinates:
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Tonawanda Creek is a small river in Western New York, in the United States. Tonawanda Creek rises in Wyoming County and enters the Niagara River between Niagara County and Erie County, forming a boundary between them.
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