NIAGARA FALLS - Niagara Falls during the daytime is powerful, as you watch the force of the rushing waters, but at night it becomes magical as lights illuminate the American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls.

The falls will seem even more magical soon as new LED lights are being installed to replace 20-year-old bulbs that shine on them.

The Niagara Falls Illumination Board, a bi-national organization, has begun a $3.1 million project to replace the existing 21 Xenon lights, a type of halogen bulb, with the latest in LED technology which will provide twice the lighting levels, programmable features, and a broader and more robust color spectrum. The new lighting will eliminate dark gaps while also providing greater energy efficiencies and reduced maintenance costs, according to the Niagara Parks Commission.

The brighter, more vibrant illumination is three times more powerful with all the colors of the spectrum, according to the Niagara Falls Illumination Board.

Nightly illumination will continue through the lighting replacement process, which began in September, according to the Niagara Parks Commision. An official ceremony to celebrate the new lighting is planned for Dec. 1.

The new lights are being installed at locations already in use on the Canadian side of the gorge.