For Immediate Release: September 14, 2005
CANAL CORPORATION ANNOUNCES THE START OF LIMITED MAINTENANCE DREDGING ON THE ERIE CANAL
The New York State Canal Corporation today announced that an U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit has been issued for limited maintenance dredging of the Erie, Oswego, and Cayuga/Seneca Canals. Dredging on the Champlain Canal has been underway throughout the 2005 navigation season under a pre-existing permit specific to that portion of the waterway.
“Dredging is a critical component to the continued sustainability of the
Canal System,” Director of the New York State Canal Corporation Carmella R.
Mantello said. “This new permit will help us maximize the potential of the Canal
System as a transportation, recreation and economic resource, which greatly
benefits the State, canal users, and adjacent canal communities.”
The dredging has commenced in the town of Vienna, and will start within the next
two weeks in the towns of Clifton Park, Mentz, and Tyre. The dredging will begin
to address the most severe navigational impediments which the Canal
Corporation’s fleet of hydraulic dredges can access.
The hydraulic dredging process is similar to the working of a household vacuum cleaner. Sediment is removed from the canal floor with water as the transport medium, it is then transported through a pipeline and finally deposited into a designated disposal site that retains the sediment, but lets the water return to the canal.
The commencement of the limited dredging is a significant step forward to the restoration of Canal channel depths. The restoration of channel depths will ensure the safety of canal users and enable shippers to fully realize the potential of commercial shipping via the Canal System. Permit negotiations are still underway between the Canal Corporation and the Corps of Engineers relative to mechanical dredging of specific sites which are inaccessible by hydraulic dredges.
The New York State Canal System is comprised of four historic waterways, the Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Spanning 524 miles across New York State, the waterway links the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes and the Niagara River with communities rich in history and culture.
In late May 2005, Governor Pataki unveiled his vision for establishing the Erie Canal Greenway and, ultimately, the Empire State Greenway, connecting the Niagara, Erie and Hudson River Greenways. The Canal Corporation and an interagency task force will conduct an outreach campaign to gather input and ideas and develop a comprehensive set of recommendations to create the new Erie and Empire State Greenways and examine certain roles and responsibilities currently assigned to the Canal Corporation. The recommendations will be delivered in a report to the Governor by December 2005.
For more information about news and events along the New York State Canal System, please call 1-800-4CANAL4 or visit www.canals.state.ny.us.
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