NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. – A plan that could see the American side of Niagara Falls go dry for a short period of time to rebuild two bridges might be a boon to Canadian tourism.
New York State Parks has put forth three proposals to replace two bridges to Goat Island – and two of those proposals recommend stopping the flow of water for five to nine months.
New York State Parks spokesman Randy Simons says the proposal they are recommending would leave the falls dry from September to April, but it wouldn’t happen until 2019 at the earliest and they still need funding.
Niagara Parks Commission chair Janice Thomson says the dry rock wall would attract tourists like a nearly frozen falls did two years ago.
Both Thomson and Simons say the project will have little effect on the environment and a nesting pair of falcons that live on the gorge will be fine.
Ontario Power Generation, which helps control the flow of water over the falls along with its American counterparts, says it won’t result in more power for Canada because the turbines are upriver of the falls.
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