Faux Falls: The unnatural wonder of Niagara

What do you think of when you hear Niagara Falls? You probably think of a tourist destination with astonishing waterfalls . While it is a huge tourist destination for about 22 million people, it's not the only use(Lopez 2007). It's one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It has beautiful scenery and it's a breathe taking experience, but it has been modified for the use of hydropower(Lopez 2007). Beginning as a natural wonder of the world, it started after The Ice Age. Ice melted over, and drained into Niagara River, which caused erosion onto the cliffs between Lewiston, New York and Canada. With this now happening, it created what we now know as Niagara Falls (Niagarafallsstatepark.com, 2014). Niagara Falls isn't just one of the most beautiful places in the world but it is also puts out over 2.5 million kilowatts of hydro electric power, enough to power 24 million 100-watt light bulbs.(Lopez 2007). In 1950, the United States and Canada came to an agreement about the hydropower production from Niagara Falls. Inside of the agreement it included equal parts of hydro power, along with how much water is allowed to flow and also the scheduled months and times (Lopez 2007). In the agreement, the Canadian power stations draw 56,500 cubic feet of water per second and the American power stations draw 32,500 cubic feet of water per second. The flow rates of water are monitored by Ontario Hydro through a sensing devices on both the Rainbow International Bridge and the Whirlpool International Bridge. During the peak months of tourism, more water is on during the day and it is is reduced during the night to allow more of the water to flow into intakes used for power generation (niagarafallsstatepark.com, 2014). As a result, this is where the faux falls name comes in. The falls were man modified so they could be successfully used for hydropower. Hydropower is a clean and safe source of power. Hydropower is created by the water behind the dam flows through an intake and pushes against blades in a turbine, causing them to turn. The turbine spins a generator to produce electricity. The amount of electricity that can be generated depends on how far the water drops and how much water moves through the system. This makes the Niagara falls hydropower a completely renewable resource for electricity. (Lopez, 2007) Like any other place Niagara Falls had both good and bad times. While producing tons of electricity and welcoming tons of tourists, the town has once went dry. But because of its balance between the United States and Canada, Niagara Falls still remains. Today it's producing hydropower and they are still attracting millions of tourists. Even though, the author Ginger Strand biggest problem is the severe modifications of a completely natural exhibit. She emphasizes that what was one of America's natural wonders, has been turned into something almost completely man made. (Lopez, 2007)