What are these foundations at Niagara Falls?

[Robert_in_NY]

I was at the Fallsview Casino today for lunch with my fiance and her parents and while looking out the window at the falls I noticed these two concrete structures. They appear to be some sort of foundation. One is round and the other square. They hang the lights on them now to light up the falls but I doubt they were built to hold the lights. I have been trying to find out what they were but no one in the area I asked has any idea. I haven't found any locals old enough to know their history. So does anyone have any idea what they were? The objects are centered in the bottom of the photo (you can see the beams of light coming from them). The tops are open also which is why I figured they were foundations of some sort.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/Niagara_Falls_at_night1.jpg

 

[MossRoad]

First off, we're going to have to change that picture to a link... it is just too large.

I do not know what they were originally for, but my wife and I got to go inside the left one once. We were walking around late in December in the late 80s during the Festival Of The Lights and walked by. A door was open. A guy was in there and we made eye contact. I said "Whatcha doin?" He said he was turning the lights on for the night and asked if we wanted to watch? Heck yeah! Thanks!!!

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

Hi Robert,
The structures in question are the surge tanks from the Ontario Power Generating Station, which was decommissioned in 1999. The power house is the one visible at the base of the falls on the Canadian side. You can see the roof when you look over the gorge wall near the Table Rock House. The square structure is the No. 1 Surge tank and the cylindrical one is the No. 2. Surge tank. The power plant was fed by underground pipelines from a point just upstream of the EDC Plant above the falls. The pipes fed into distributors which were connected to both the penstocks and surge pipes that led upwards to these tanks. Excess water (Surge from closing the penstock valves for instance) would flow upwards through these pipes into the surge tanks which stored and then drained the overflow into the lower river by way of helical spillways that descended behind the plant. The No. 3 Surge Tank was demolished when its distributor (supply pipe) was converted for irrigation use. BTW, the Fallsview Casino was built on the land that was formerly occupied by the power station's transmission house.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Thanks, I knew someone would have the answers on TBN

Moss, I knew that pic was too big which is why I put the link up also. I should have just linked the pic but I know you needed some work to do so I left the pic also

 

[MossRoad]

Thanks for keeping me employed, Robert!

 

[jinman]

Hi Robert,
The structures in question are the surge tanks from the Ontario Power Generating Station, which was decommissioned in 1999. The power house is the one visible at the base of the falls on the Canadian side.

Here are some better views of the surge tank in daylight.

 

[dqdave1]

Sure is a nice photo of the falls and surrounding area.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Thanks Jim, I was planning on going back up there this weekend and was going to go look at them closer. Those pics were great.

 

[Chuck52]

We were there in September and I wondered what those things were, too. Looked like old factory buildings from where I saw them. Taking good pictures of the falls is kinda hard these days if you want to just show the natural stuff. Most of my pics have casinos and hotels in them.

Chuck

 

[bigtiller]

Things sure have changed since I was there in 1966. Does anyone know how far back the falls have eroded since then?