The lower falls are a classic waterfall which means that the height and width are almost equal. The Twenty Mile Creek originates in the City of Hamilton and flows for around 50 kilometres where it will then empty into Lake Ontario.

This flow did decrease as the area was settled and the forest cover was removed for agricultural purposes.

The Ball brothers built a saw mill at the edge of the lower falls. The surrounding forests where then harvested and the mill provided much of the plank and timber for the bridges built in the area. This sawmill ceased operation in the early 1900's.

The lower falls is adjacent to the Bruce Trail, a footpath along the Niagara Escarpment as well as the Twenty Valley Trail, a 2 kilometre side trail to the Bruce Trail in the Niagara Peninsula. The Bruce Trail stretches from the Niagara Region all the way up to Tobermory.

Classic waterfalls are classified as such due to its height and width are nearly equal. Classic waterfalls are also known to only partially touch the bedrock. A couple minutes downstream you are able to see a collapsed waterfall that formed over the course of the last 10,000-12,00 years as the rock layers receded due to erosion.

Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

J. Walters-Klamer, Personal Communication, November 2nd, 2018

"Plaque: Ball's Falls", September 22nd, 2018, Ball's Falls Conservation Centre