Niagara Power Project FERC No. 2216

 

DETERMINE IF THE ICE BOOM HAS CLIMATIC, AQUATIC, LAND

MANAGEMENT, OR AESTHETIC EFFECTS

 

HTML Format.  Text only

 

Prepared for: New York Power Authority 

Prepared by: Conestoga-Rovers and Associates

 

August 2005

 

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Copyright © 2005 New York Power Authority

 

ABBREVIATIONS

Agencies

CCE                 Cornell Cooperative Extension Service

EC                   Environment Canada

ECDEP            Erie County Department of Environment and Planning

FERC               Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

FSA                 Farm Service Agency (USDA)

IJC                   International Joint Commission

INBC               International Niagara Board of Control

INWC              International Niagara Working Committee

NWS                National Weather Service

NFTA              Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority

NOAA             National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NYNHP           New York Natural Heritage Program

NYPA              New York Power Authority

NYSDEC         New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

NYSDOS         New York State Department of State

OPG                 Ontario Power Generation

USACE            United States Army Corps of Engineers

USCG              United States Coast Guard

USDA              United States Department of Agriculture

USFWS            United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Units of Measure

cfs                    cubic feet per second

F                      Fahrenheit

FDD                 Freezing Degree Days

ft                      feet

in                      inches

mi                     miles

MW                 megawatt

MWh                megawatt-hour

TDD                Thawing Degree Days

Regulatory

ALP                 Alternative Licensing Process

CFR                 Code of Federal Regulations

FPA                 Federal Power Act

NEPA              National Environmental Policy Act

Environmental

EAV                Emergent Aquatic Vegetation

IBA                  Important Bird Area

SAV                 Submerged Aquatic Vegetation

SCFWH           New York State Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitat

Miscellaneous

BNIA               Buffalo Niagara International Airport

CDF                 Confined Disposal Facility

FSCR               First-Stage Consultation Report

GIP                  Chippawa-Grass Island Pool

ICS                  International Control Structure

LENRIB           Lake Erie-Niagara River Ice Boom

LPGP               Lewiston Pump Generating Plant

LWRP              Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan

NPP                 Niagara Power Project

NRC                National Research Council

RMNPP           Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant

RTE                 Rare, Threatened, and Endangered

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is in the process of applying for a new federal license to operate the Niagara Power Project (NPP) in New York.  The present operating license of the plant expires in August 2007.  As part of this process, NYPA is compiling existing information related to the effects of the Lake Erie-Niagara River ice boom on climate, aquatic resources, land management issues, terrestrial resources, recreation uses, and aesthetic viewsheds.  This report assesses potential effects of the Lake Erie-Niagara River Ice Boom on these resources. 

A review of existing studies combined with the analyses contained in this report leads to these findings and conclusions regarding the effect of the ice boom on local resources:

1.       The studies evaluated for this report examined potential effects of the ice boom on the timing of ice dissipation, water temperature, and local climate.  Findings from these reports demonstrate that the potential effects were too small to be distinguished from the natural variability of temperatures observed in the area.  Thus, potential impacts of the ice boom on local climate and ice dissipation are negligible.  

2.       The ice boom has had no measurable effect on the timing of ice dissipation at the eastern end of Lake Erie.  There was a delay in ice dissipation between the pre- and post-boom periods, and water temperatures were lower during the post-boom period, but this was the result of a regional cooling trend that began in 1958, six years prior to the first ice boom installation. 

3.       There are no measurable effects of the boom on air temperatures at the National Weather Service meteorological station located at the Buffalo Airport with regard to either the severity or duration of winter.  As with the timing of ice dissipation, air temperatures were lower during the post-boom period, but this was also explained by a change to a colder regional climate that occurred in the post-boom period compared to the pre-boom period.

4.       The climate in the vicinity of the Great Lakes is affected by the capacity of the lakes to retain heat.  This is commonly referred to as the lake effect.  The lake effect can impact nearshore surface temperatures to a distance of up to three miles.  The exact nature - i.e. whether cooling or warming occurs - and magnitude of the lake effect on nearshore climate depends on the season and varies from year to year.  In general, nearshore areas remain cooler in the spring and early summer.  In the fall and early winter, temperatures remain elevated in comparison to inland locations.  The lake effect