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Each year the Canal Corporation conducts maintenance dredging in order to maintain minimum water depths for navigation in the Cayuga-Seneca, Champlain, Erie and Oswego Canals. Four floating plants, staffed with permanent and seasonal employees, are located on the Canal in Waterford, Utica, Syracuse and Albion. Each floating plant has the capability to dredge by hydraulic and mechanical methods.

Hydraulic dredge sites are pumped to upland sites to allow solids to settle before the water is returned to the Canal. Turbidity (a measure of water quality) in return flow water is monitored on a regular basis to ensure silts are not re-suspended in the waterway.


Mechanical dredge sites (right) normally consist of coarse grained sediments. These sites are dredged  through the use of draglines, clamshells, backhoes and gradalls.

Sediment is excavated and placed into scows for transport and off-load. Some scows are wet dumped at the active hydraulic dredge and then pumped upland. When possible, to reduce "wet dumping" the Canal Corporation uses a hydraulic off-loader (left) which pumps the sediment directly from the scow to the upland site.

Most dredging is conducted during the navigation season between May and November. Dredging at stream mouths is avoided during fish spawning time periods to protect these species. During the non-navigation season, when water levels are lowered, sediments are excavated in dry conditions.  The average yearly volume (PDF: 1 page/29 Kb) of sediment dredged is approximately  416,350 cubic yards.

Stormwater runoff gathers a variety of pollutants, which degrade New York's lakes, rivers, wetland and other waterways. Stormwater management, especially in urban areas, is becoming a necessary step to reduce pollution in New York's waterways. A new federal regulation, commonly known as Stormwater Phase II, requires permits for stormwater discharges from Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) in urbanized areas and for construction activities disturbing one or more acres. To implement the law, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued two general permits, one for MS4s in urbanized areas and one for construction activities.

The New York State Thruway Authority and Canal Corporation (Authority/Corporation) applied for MS4 permit coverage on March 5, 2003. Working in conjunction with Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., the Authority/Corporation is in the process of implementing a five-year, system-wide stormwater management program (SWMP) for compliance with Phase II.

More information about the SWMP, including the Connecting the Drops public outreach campaign, Canal events and copies of the MS4 Annual Reports are available on the New York State Thruway Authority's Website.

How can I get more information?

Sediment that has been removed from the Canal System is routinely reused for both public and private benefit.  Through Beneficial Use Determinations (BUD) received from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, sediment has been reused for a wide variety of applications.  Currently, the Canal Corporation has active BUDs and pending BUD applications for reuse of sediment.

Approximately 150,000 cubic yards of sediment was excavated during the non-navigation season (November through April) in the dry upstream of Lock E-12 in Fort Hunter, Montgomery County.  The Schoharie Creek enters the Mohawk River in this location and deposits gravel-like material in the navigation channel.  During the non-navigation season, water levels in the Canal System are lowered, exposing this gravel deposit.  A private contractor removed this material for resale to the general public.  Another private contractor removed approximately 7,500 cubic yards of material at an upland site near Lock E-19 in Schuyler, Herkimer County, for resale as topsoil.

A competitive process is under development in order to make these materials available to private industry.

Prospective users should contact the Office of Canal Maintenance and Operations for more information:  (518) 471-5965.

Since 1982 more than $3 million has been spent to control the growth of water chestnuts (Trapa natans) in Lake Champlain. The water chestnut is an aggressive aquatic plant that is native to Europe and Asia and was introduced to New York State in the late 1800s. The water chestnut infestation spread rapidly northward in the Hudson River Basin and into the southern end of Lake Champlain. The continued northward advance of the infestation prompted a renewed control effort by both the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and the State of Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC) in the early 1990s on Lake Champlain.

Water Chestnut Management Program 2002: Summary of the Efforts of the New York State Canal Corporation in the Lake Champlain Basin.

Water Chestnut Management Program 2002 (4 page PDF 84 Kb)

Water Chestnut Management Program 2001 (4 page PDF 84 Kb)

If you are unable to access these PDF files, please email your name and mailing address to PublicInfo@canals.state.ny.us requesting the Water Chestnut Management Program.