The cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, N.Y. are connected by two bridges across the Niagara River. The river is really a strait that carries drainage from the upper Great Lakes to Lake Ontario. At the falls its sudden drop creates one of the world’s most spectacular waterfalls. Among the shortest rivers in the world at 36 miles, Niagara is also one of the wildest: its rapids reach speeds of 30mph.
The Canadian Falls, 177 ft. high, has a crest of more than 2,215 ft. outlining a deep curve – thus the name Horseshoe Falls. The river underneath is as deep as the cataract is high. The American Falls are 184 ft. , but are only about 1,075 ft. wide in a fairly straight line. The smallest of Niagara’s falls, Bridal Veil, is separated from the other falls by Luna and Goat islands. The falls are illuminated nightly. During the past 12,000 years – the approximate age of the falls – the crest has moved 7 miles upstream. Water is being diverted more evenly over all three cataracts to protect the soft shale and limestone foundations and to slow the rate of erosion. The combined flow of the river over the three falls would normally be about 977,540 gallons per second, but the use of the waters to generate electricity reduces the flow to about 750,960 gallons per second. During the summer tourist season, water is diverted only at night to ensure the beauty of the falls is maintained.
The Great Lakes --
The waters in Lakes Superior and Michigan empty into Lake Huron which empties into Lake Erie which then empties into Lake Ontario via the Niagara River. Lake Ontario empties into the St. Lawrence River which finally empties into the Atlantic Ocean. This west to east water travel from Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean is about 1,000 miles.