By: Matt Murphy, Meagan Schuster, Brian Cuoto, Jon Boberg, Hailey Muscarella, and Sophia Usewicz
The New York Power Authority helps to provide Buffalo and many surrounding areas with power from hydroelectricity. This is power from water. The Niagara River helps to power a bunch of power from Canada and New York. You can tour the Vista to learn what goes into creating this power and the history of hydroelectricity and who helped create the plant! It was a great experience for our Interns.
The Niagara Power Vista was an amazing experience from learning the history of it, to the views it
presented over the Niagara Gorge. Learning how the Canadians and Americans have found ways to work
together and the different ways and uses they have for the energy they produce was very interesting to
learn about as well as the history of the plant itself. From the initial thought to the plant being
constructed in the 1960’s and being the largest powerplant of that size in the world at that time shows
the innovation and the amount of people it took to have the Niagara Power Vista built in such a short
amount of time. Sitting right on the gorge with beautiful views from both the lower and upper decks
showed how the Niagara Power Vista preserves the natural beauty of the Gorge and the power vista
diverts water from Niagara Falls make the erosion rate less then it normally would be yearly. The
Niagara Power Vista is a place to learn about how Niagara Falls is powered and Buffalo through
hydroelectricity and has something for everyone of all ages! - Matt Murphy
I thoroughly enjoyed our visit at the New York Power Authority in Lewiston. I visited the Power Authority a few years ago on a field trip with school, but on this trip the information that I learned stuck with me more. We had an amazing tour guide who did not miss one detail on everything they told us about. I had no idea this huge energy producing plant was built in just three years by an army of construction workers. It was cool to see the Canadian plant as well, as it was right across the river. Both plants work together to help create as much energy as possible at all times to each country’s benefit. I enjoy every opportunity I have with Discover 716 to be a tourist in my own hometown and learn more about the history right in front of me, and of course enjoy the view that it provides! - Meagan Schuster
We took a tour of the New York Power Authority, we took the opportunity to learn all about hydro power and how it works! The Power Authority has a state of the art facility with a bunch of super cool interactive exhibits that teach you all about hydro power! On top of the exhibits you get some breath taking views of the river, the perfect spot for a selfie! All together we enjoyed our tour at the NYPA and we learned so much! - Brian Cuoto
We had the amazing opportunity to go to the Niagara Power Vista, New York Power Authority. When we arrived we received our badges and had to register them. During this process we were able to choose our own avatars and print them out to put on the badges. After that was complete we started our tour. Our first stop was on the closed bridge that connects the two buildings by going over the road. On that bridge you have a scenic view of the Niagara River and the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. Along the bridge there are information stations that go into the history of the power plant and how it functions. There are a bunch of interactive games and interactive displays. There is even a really fun roller coaster simulator. There was also a viewing balcony on two levels with a good view of the turbines, river, and bridge. It was a very good learning experience about an important local institution. - Jon Boberg
This painting is worth $10 million dollars now! It was painted by Thomas Hart Benton!
We were lucky to have a tour of the New York Power Plant and were guided along a lovely tour of the plant! We learned alot about hydroelectricity and what goes into producing energy from the plant! We took a stop along the closed bridge and had an overview of the Niagara River and Canada. Canada and New York plant work together to create as much energy as possible. From there we saw alot of the power lines and what goes into the authority plant. From their, we explored outside on our own taking photos and going back inside for a informational 15 minute movie talking in depth about power! We even got to go on a virtual ride which we acted as the water going through the plant to create energy. It was a great interactive experience. Alot of your power comes from the New York power authority and it also helps to power states that border New York! Overall, it was a great experience and I learned something I never really knew anything about! - Hailey Muscarella
Today Discover 716 took a tour with Adrianna at the Power Authority in Niagara Falls. Before this experience I did not know much about the facility but was very impressed at how the plant operates. The Power Authority was built in the 1960s and supplies most of New York States electricity. The water from the falls is evenly divided between the U.S. and Canada and even work together to gain as much as electricity as possible. In the beginning of our tour Adrianna explained both the history and functions of the plant while being able to look right at it on the bridge. The short 15 min movie and the 2 min ride was a great visual to understand how the plant uses water to make the electricity. Through this experience I was able to learn a lot more about the faciality other than knowing it produces electricity. I recommend checking it out to all age groups because there’s something there for everyone. -Sophia Usewicz
Comments