Plan a visit while you can, because Niagara Falls could soon run dry if authorities temporarily "turn off" the natural wonder to accommodate a construction project.
Yup, it's possible. Nope, it's not easy to believe.
This week, New York State Parks staff will discuss plans to replace a pair of bridges built in 1901 that allow tourist access to two small islands near the waterfalls, The Buffalo News reports. Two of three proposed plans for completing the project involve temporarily halting the flow of the falls; if one is passed, the American side of the falls will be turned astoundingly dry, just as it was during a similar shutdown in the 1960s:
It's a shocking sight, as Niagara Falls usually looks like this:
The falls were "turned off" in 1969 when workers used a cofferdam to divert water from the American side to the Canadian so they could study the effects of erosion, the Niagra Falls Review reports.
Visitors flocked from all over to see the "skeleton" of the Falls, as well as a pair of actual skeletons that emerged when the water dried up.
The plans to temporarily dry Niagara will be discussed on Wednesday. The Buffalo News reports that even if the idea is passed, it likely won't go into effect for at least a couple of years.
While Niagara Falls can feel a little overrated, this ambitious project would give us even more to see -- and a rare sight it will be.
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