of the American Falls at Niagara 1I I Preservation and Enhancement of the American Falls at Niagara Property of t';e Internztio~al J5it-t; Cr?rn:n es-un DO NOT' RECda'dg Appendix G - Environmental Considerations Final Report to the International Joint Commission by the American Falls International Board June -1974 PRESERVATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF AMERICAN FALLS APPENDIX. G .ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS TABLE OF CONTENTS Paragraph Page CHAPTER G 1 .INTRODUCTION G1 CHAPTER G2 .ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING . NIAGARA RESERVATION AND SURROUNDING REGION GENERAL DESCRIPTION ............................................................... PHYSICAL ELEMENTS ..................................................................... GENERAL .................................................................................... STRATIGRAPHY ......................................................................... SOILS ............................................................................................ WATER QUALITY ........................................................................ CLIMATE INVENTORY ................................................................... CLIMATE ....................................................................................... AIR QUALITY .............................................................................. BIOLOGICAL ELEMENTS ................................................................ TERRESTRIAL VEGETATION ..................................................... TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE .......................................................... AQUATIC FLORA ........................................................................ AQUATIC FAUNA ......................................................................... ECOLOGICAL ELEMENTS .............................................................. AQUATIC ECOLOGY ....................................................................... LAND USE ....................................................................................... NIAGARA REGION ..................................................................... NIAGARA RESERVATION ......................................................... ECONOMICS ,.................................................................................... NIAGARA REGION ...................................................................... NIAGARA RESERVATION .......................................................... CULTURAL ...................................................................................... HISTORY OF NIAGARA REGION ............................................... HISTORY OF NIAGARA RESERVATION ................................... ARCHAEOLOGIC AND HISTORIC SITES ................................... POPULATION .................................................................................... RECREATION ................................................................................... NIAGARA REGION ...................................................................... NIAGARA FALLS VICINITY ....................................................... 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONT'D) Paragraph Page CHAPTER G3 - ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING - SPECIFIC AREAS ON THE FLANKS OF THE AMERICAN FALLS AND THE GOAT ISLAND FLANK OF THE HORSESHOE FALLS GENERAL DESCRIPTION ................................................................ PHYSICAL ELEMENTS ..................................................................... GENERAL .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. SOILS .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. EFFECTS OF ICE .......................................................................... HYDROLOGY - WATER QUALITY ............................................ BIOLOGICAL ELEMENTS ............................................................... TERRESTRIAL VEGETATION .................................................... TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE .......................................................... AQUATIC FLORA AND FAUNA ................................................. ECOLOGICAL ELEMENTS ............................................................... TERRESTRIAL ECOLOGY .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. AQUATIC ECOLOGY .................................................................... ECONOMICS ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. CULTURAL .. RECREATION - LAND USE ............................................................ SOUND LEVELS AT THE FLANK AREAS ...................................... I CHAPTER G4 - POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF SAFETY CHOICES G4.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. G34 I G4.2 SUMMARY OF THE NINE SAFETY CHOICES ............................... G34 G4.3 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT MATRIX .................................. G36 BIBLIOGRAPHY FIGURES Number G1 THE THREE FLANK AREAS OF THE NIAGARA RESERVATION G2 GENERAL SOIL MAP G3 MAJOR MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL DISCHARGES DIRECTLY INTO THE NIAGARA RIVER FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION HOURLY AVERAGE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION MAP SHOWING VEGETATIVE COVER OF.THE NIAGARA RESERVATION NIAGARA REGION GENERALIZED EXISTING LAND USE NIAGARA REGION FUTURE LAND USE EXISTING LAND USE OF NIAGARA RESERVATION ARCHAEOLOGICAL/HISTORIC SITES NIAGARA RESERVATION SOUND LEVEL CONTOURS AT TERRAPIN POINT SOUND LEVEL CONTOURS AT PROSPECT POINT SOUND LEVEL CONTOURS AT GOAT ISLAND FLANK TABLES Number Subject GI FOSSILS OF THE STRATIFIED ROCK FORMATIONS WHICH OUTCROP AT THE NIAGARA FALLS USE CHARACTERISTICS OF SOIL ASSOCIATIONS IN NIAGARA COUNTY MAJOR INDUSTRIAL DISCHARGES TO THE NIAGARA RIVER MAJOR MUNICIPAL DISCHARGES TO THE NIAGARA RIVER WATER QUALITY DATA FOR THE NIAGARA RIVER AT THE UNION CARBIDE RAW WATER INTAKE FOR THE PERIOD OCTOBER 1,1969, TO SEPTEMBER 30,1972 SUMMARY OF DATA FROM THE SOURCE AND MOUTH OF THE NIAGARA RIVER AVERAGE GROWING SEASON IN THE NIAGARA FALLS REGION LOCATION OF METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS IN THE NIAGARA FALLS REGION TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION RECORDS FOR STATIONS IN THE NIAGARA FALLS REGION (U.S.) FOR THE YEARS 1941 - 197 1 TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION RECORDS FOR STATIONS IN THE NIAGARA FALLS REGION (CANADA) FOR THE YEARS 1941 - 197 1 WIND DATA FOR NIAGARA FALLS REGION PREVAILING WIND DIRECTION AND SPEED LOCAL CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA IN THE NIAGARA FALLS REGION NIAGARA FALLS AIR QUALITY DATA FLORA OF THE NIAGARA REGION MANAGED SPECIES OF THE NIAGARA RESERVATION UNIQUE NATURAL SPECIES OF THE NIAGARA RESERVATION WATER AND SHORE BIRDS OF THE NIAGARA REGION LAND BIRDS OF THE NIAGARA REGION MAMMALS OF THE NIAGARA REGION REPTILES OF THE NIAGARA REGION AMPHIBIANS OF THE NIAGARA REGION ALGAE OF THE NIAGARA RIVER IN THE NIAGARA RESERVATION AQUATIC MACROPHYTES OF THE NIAGARA RIVER BENTHIC FAUNA OF THE NIAGARA RIVER IN THE NIAGARA RESERVATION FISHES OF THE NIAGARA RIVER TABULATION OF LAND USES INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITIES OF NIAGARA REGION TOURISM ECONOMICS RETAIL SALES LEVELS TOURIST VISITATION PATTERNS TOURISM SURVEY SUMMER OF 1970 ANNUAL ATTENDANCE AND REVENUES - AMERICAN FALLS NIAGARA FRONTIER STATE PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE AND REVENUES PER PARK FACILITY - COMPARISON TABLES (CONT'D) Number Subject G34 NIAGARA RESERVATION TOURIST VISITATION SUMMARY G35 POPULATION PROJECTIONS FOR NIAGARA FALLS CITY G36 VEGETATION FOUND ON PROSPECT POINT FLANK G37 VEGETATION FOUND ON GOAT ISLAND FLANK OF AMERICAN FALLS G38 VEGETATION FOUND ON TERRAPIN POINT FLANK G39 SPECIES OF INTEREST G40 WILDLIFE AT TERRAPIN POINT, PROSPECT POINT AND THE GOAT ISLAND FLANK OF THE AMERICAN FALLS AQUATIC FLORA AND FAUNA AT THE AMERICAN FALLS ANNUAL TOURIST VISITATION TO FLANK AREAS UPPER AND LOWER VIEWING AREAS COMMON NOISE LEVELS SOUND LEVELS AT HORSESHOE FALLS AND THE AMERICAN FALLS SUMMARY OF ALTERNATIVES CHAPTER G1 INTRODUCTION This Appendix provides an assessment of the environmental community of the Niagara Falls area, with emphasis on its continuing process of change. This community contains physical, biological, and social elements, each of which undergoes change from pressures exerted by both natural and man-made forces. Specifically, this Appendix defines the structure of the existing environmental community, its interrelationships, and the possible impacts on it may result from the implementation of some of the safety choices considered in this study. These safety choices are discussed in detail in Appendix E, Safety and Appearance Options. The Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, awarded a contract for an assessment of the environment at Niagara Falls. The information in this Appendix is based largely on the report, Environmental Inventory and Assessment of the Options Considered by the American Falls International Board for Improved Safety at the American Falls, submitted to the Buffalo District by Michael Baker, Jr., Inc., in June 1974. Chapter G2 and G3 describe the existing environmental setting, which has been divided geographically into two areas. Chapter G2 discusses the Niagara Reservation and the surrounding Niagara Region. The Niagara Region has been arbitrarily defined as Niagara County, which is located on the United States side of the Niagara River. The land area of the Niagara Reservation borders the northern and southern flanks of the American Falls and the northern flank of the Horseshoe Falls and is under the jurisdiction of the Niagara Frontier State Park and Recreation Commission. Chapter G3 discusses the sites for possible safety improvement. The sites include the Prospect Point and Goat Island flanks of the American Falls and the Terrapin Point flank of the Horseshoe Falls. These flank