Notice to Mariners
Chart 14786
Canal System Update
September 26, 2011
Mariners are advised that sections of the Erie Canal damaged during Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee between Lock E-8 in Scotia and Lock E-17 in Little Falls will be reopened to commercial and recreational navigation during the 2011 navigation season, as soon as repairs are completed. These areas are tentatively scheduled to re-open during the last week of November, 2011 and remain open for a period of two weeks, weather permitting and conditions permitting. As such, the revised closing date for the eastern Erie Canal from Brewerton to Waterford will be 5 PM on December 8, 2011. The revised closing date for the Oswego Canal will be 5 PM on December 3, 2011. All other sections of the Canal System, including the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, the Champlain Canal, and the western Erie Canal between Baldwinsville and Tonawanda, will close as previously scheduled at 5 PM on November 15, 2011. This schedule is subject to change and weather dependent. Updates will be published in subsequent Notices.
Mariners transiting the Canal System late in the season should call ahead to marinas and other facilities to ensure that docking and services are available.
An alternate route from Lake Ontario to the Hudson River consists of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Chambly Canal (administered by Parks Canada), Lake Champlain, and the Champlain Canal. Recreational vessels transiting the St. Lawrence Seaway must be over 20’ in length. The controlling vertical clearance for this route is 17’ (Champlain Canal) and the controlling depth is 6.5’ (Chambly Canal). Parks Canada has recently extended the season of the Chambly Canal to October 31, 2011 in recognition of the current closures on the New York State Canal System.
Information on the St. Lawrence Seaway for recreational boaters is available at:
www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/recreational/pleasure-craft-resources/index.html.
Information on the Chambly Canal for recreational boaters is available at:
www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/qc/chambly/index.aspx.
For updates and information, please call 1-800-4CANAL4 or visit www.canals.ny.gov