The International Joint Commission has announced removal of the Lake Erie Ice Boom is underway this week.  Removal of the boom begins when the ice cover on the lake is estimated at below 250 square miles.

Removal of the boom is almost two weeks behind last year's date of April 10th. The earliest removal date on record was February 28, 2012. The latest removal date was May 3, 1971.

The Lake Erie Ice Boom has been installed every year since 1964.  The idea is to prevent or reduce the amount of ice floating down the Niagara River to reduce ice blockages, flooding, damage to shoreline property, and ice damage to the power plant intakes near Niagara Falls.

Here's a YouTube video to give you an idea of the work that goes into installing and removing the ice boom each year.

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