About 12,000 years ago, Niagara Falls was 11 kilometres (7 miles) downstream from its present location. Until the early 1950s, the Falls eroded at the average rate of one metre (3 feet) per year.
Since then, major water diversions have spread out the flow more evenly, slowing the rate of erosion at the Falls. These include the Sir Adam Beck #2 Generating Station (1954) on the Canadian side of the border, the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant (1961) on the American side of the Niagara River, and the International Control Works (1954-1963).