FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 30, 2006
SEVERE FLOODING CAUSES MAJOR DAMAGE ALONG NYS CANAL SYSTEM
Canal Corporation Personnel Monitoring Conditions and Beginning Cleanup
Public Cautioned to Avoid Boating and Swimming in Closed Sections of Canal
New York’s Historic Canal System has been crippled by severe flooding which has caused major damage at locks and maintenance facilities and forced the closing of 45 of the System’s 57 locks. Nearly 300 miles of the 524-mile waterway remains closed to navigation. Canal Corporation personnel are working around the clock to monitor water levels and assess damages at locks along the Mohawk and upper Hudson Rivers where the most severe flooding has occurred.
Crews are coordinating with State and local agencies through the State
Emergency Management Office (SEMO) and have begun recovery operations at
facilities where possible. It may be more than a week before the waters recede
enough for Canal Corporation personnel to assess the full extent of the damage
on the Canal System and the Canalway Trail. Sections of the waterway are likely
to remain closed for at least several weeks.
The public is strongly cautioned to avoid swimming, boating or going in or near the water in these sections due to dangerous conditions, unknown contaminants and heavy debris in the water.
“While the Canal System was designed and built to withstand extreme weather events, we have sustained heavy damage to many of our locks and facilities which will present serious challenges for us as we seek to cleanup and re-open the Canal to navigation,” Canal Corporation Director Carmella R. Mantello said. “The flooding couldn’t have happened at a worse time - during the height of our summer recreational boating season - and we will continue to do everything in our power to cleanup, rebuild and get people on their way as soon as possible.”
The New York State Thruway Authority/Canal Corporation has declared a Transportation Emergency which will facilitate the letting of emergency contracts for capital work and materials procurement and help speed up cleanup efforts and repairs.
Canal Corporation personnel have started pumping out basements, evaluating and repairing electrical systems, and are conducting general cleanup and repair. The full extent of the damage is not known at this time due to the fact that much of the Canal’s locks, dams and electrical and mechanical equipment remain underwater.
Canal Corporation employees also are coordinating water releases into the system from other entities that control bodies of water and have begun moving heavy equipment, in anticipation of recovery efforts. In addition, the Canal Corporation has been in contact with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers about potential collaboration on recovery efforts.
More than 35 boats remain stranded at various Canal locks and terminal walls.
The Canal remains open west of Lock 26 to Tonawanda on the western Erie Canal and south of Lock CS-1 on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal.
The Mohawk River continues to drop in all areas and most of the eastern Mohawk River should be back within its banks, although still high, by tomorrow morning.
Along the Champlain Canal, water levels at Fort Edward and Lock C-1 have dropped 6 inches from yesterday, but will not fall any further due to record levels in the Great Sacandaga Reservoir. Water levels on the upper Hudson are predicted to remain high over the weekend.
Flows on the Oswego Canal will remain high throughout the weekend. The Seneca River and Cross Lake areas remain above maximum navigation pool. These areas will continue to be closed throughout the weekend.
Further updates and information are available by monitoring 1-800-4CANAL4 or visiting www.canals.state.ny.us and clicking on News and then Press Releases or Notice to Mariners.
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