Cayuga-Seneca Canal and Champlain Canal Open to Boaters This Weekend

ALBANY, NY (05/20/2011)(readMedia)--

Both the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and the Champlain Canal will be open to navigation this weekend, the New York State Canal Corporation announced today.

At noon Friday, May 20, the Cayuga-Seneca Canal opened to traffic, except for Lock 1, which connects to the main line of the Erie Canal. That section of the Erie Canal remains closed because of high waters. Boaters are cautioned that some overhead clearances at bridges may be reduced due to higher than normal water levels.

The Champlain Canal will open in two stages. At 7 a.m., Saturday, May 21, the section of the Champlain Canal from Lock 1 at Waterford in Saratoga County to Lock 7 at Fort Edward in Washington County will open for navigation. The section from Lock 7 in Fort Edward to Lock 12 in Whitehall in Washington County will open at 7 a.m. Sunday, May 22.

Due to continued high water and excessive flows caused by recent weather events, these waterways remain closed for the immediate future: Oswego Canal, Genesee River; and the Erie Canal from Lock 23 (Brewerton) to Lock E 26 (Clyde).

The Erie Canal from Lock 2 (Waterford) to Lock 15 (Fort Plain) is temporarily closed because of high waters. This section may re-open within the next few days.

The Canal Corporation continually monitors weather and water-level conditions in determining when these sections of the Canal system will be opened.

Three stretches of the Erie Canal remain open: From Lock 15 in Fort Plain, Montgomery County to Lock 23 in Brewerton, Onondaga County; from Lock 26 in Clyde, Wayne County to the East Guard Lock in Rochester, Monroe County and from the West Guard Lock in Rochester, Monroe County to the Niagara River at Tonawanda in Niagara County.

Updated information on Canal conditions is available via the "Notice to Mariners" service. Please see the weblink http://www.canals.ny.gov/news/notices/index.shtml . You may subscribe for free by calling (518) 471-5016.

Real-time updates also are available through free subscription to Canals TRANSAlert at the weblink http://www.canals.ny.gov/tas/index.html . You may select the times and locations you wish to monitor.

By telephone you can get updated information by calling 1-800-4CANAL4 (choose prompt 3).

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The 524-mile-long 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.

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Here is the status of the New York State Canal system as of 12 noon, Friday, May 20, 2011 (subject to change):

Open

Erie - Lock E-15 (Fort Plain) to E-23 (Brewerton)

Erie - Lock E-26 (Clyde) to East Guard Lock (Rochester)

Erie - West Guard Lock (Rochester) to Tonawanda

Cayuga/Seneca - Lock C/S-2&3 (Seneca Falls) to Lock C/S-4 (Waterloo)

To Open

Champlain - 7 am, Saturday, May 21st - Lock C-1 (Waterford) to Lock C-7 (Fort Edward)

Champlain - 7 am, Sunday, May 22nd - Lock C-7 (Fort Edward) to Lock C-12 (Whitehall)

Closed

Erie - Lock E-2 (Waterford) to Lock E-15 (Fort Plain)

Erie - Lock E-23 (Brewerton) to Lock E-26 (Clyde)

Erie - Genesee River

Cayuga-Seneca - Lock C/S-1 (Cayuga)

Oswego - all closed

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Posted Friday May 20, 2011 at 03:35 pm by New York State Canal Corporation