For Immediate Release:
07/03/17
Contact:
Steven Gosset
| Steven.Gosset@nypa.gov
Media Realations | (914) 390-8192
SECTIONS OF THE CANAL SYSTEM TO RE-OPEN AS HIGH WATER FROM HEAVY RAINFALL RECEDES
ALBANY—The New York State Canal Corporation announced today it will begin to reopen portions of the Canal System that had been closed over the weekend due to high water levels and excessive currents caused by heavy rainfall.
The Erie Canal will re-open at 7 a.m. on July 4 between Lock 2 in Waterford and Lock 12 in Amsterdam, along with the entire Champlain Canal. The canal between Lock 13 in Canajoharie and Lock 18 in Herkimer will re-open as soon as mid-week when conditions allow.
The Erie Canal remains open in Central and Western New York from Oneida Lake (Brewerton) to its western terminus in the Tonawandas, and the entire Cayuga-Seneca Canal is open.
"Our first priority is the safety of our customers on and residents along the state canal system, said Brian U. Stratton, Canal Corporation director. “We need to make sure conditions are suitable and safe and hope to have the remaining sections of the Canal System open later this week.”
High water levels and excessive currents, and the presence of debris in the water and submerged navigational aids, have rendered those sections of the Canal System temporarily unsafe for navigation.
The Oswego Canal has reopened at Lock O-8 for southbound traffic only, and the rest of the Oswego Canal will reopen later this week, at the earliest, as soon as conditions allow and the safety of Canal patrons can be ensured.
Crews will be closing water control gates, repositioning navigational aids, removing debris, and working with recreational and commercial vessel operators affected by the closed portions over the coming days.
Re-opening schedules will be posted in Notices to Mariners available at www.canals.ny.gov., on Facebook, and on Twitter.
About the New York State Canal Corporation
New York’s canal system includes four historic canals: the Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca. Spanning 524 miles, the waterway links the Hudson River with the Great Lakes, the Finger Lakes and Lake Champlain. The canals form the backbone of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and connect hundreds of unique and historic communities. In 2017, New York will celebrate the bicentennial for the start of the Erie Canal’s construction.
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