High Waters Delay Canal Opening

Heavy winter snowfalls and constant spring rains have contributed to significantly higher water levels that will delay the opening of some sections of the New York State Canal system, Director Brian U. Stratton announced today.

The New York State Canal Corporation is closely coordinating its efforts with state and local emergency managers and with other involved state agencies.

On Thursday, April 28, Stratton conducted field inspections along the Canal system in Central New York, the area most impacted by the high-water events. Stratton also met with state and local officials.

The section of the Erie Canal from Rochester westward to Tonawanda is expected to open for navigation on the target date of Sunday, May 1. The opening of the Erie Canal east toward Waterford and the rest of the Canal system will be delayed for some time.

The Canal Corporation will announce a revised schedule for open the rest of the Canal system once water levels and flows recede sufficiently to allow personnel to safely put into place water control structures, buoys, and other navigation aids.

"May 1 is normally selected as the target date for opening the state Canal system for planning and work scheduling purposes, but the water level in each section is always a factor that can change that date," Director Stratton stated.

The canal has opened as early as April 1 (in 1946), and as late as June 5 (in 1993). Historically, weather conditions have allowed an opening during the last week of April or the first week in May.

According to the National Weather Service in Albany, this year's precipitation was 13.8 inches, or 3.1 inches above the normal 10.7 inches. Since March 1, precipitation was reported at 7.6 inches, 1.8 inches above the normal of 5.8 inches. For the past winter season, total snowfall was 87.2 inches, some 25.1 inches above the normal of 62.1 inches.

High waters result in an increased force of water flow that can impede the installation of dam uprights and lower gates along the canal. These devices are required for navigation pools between locks.

Increased flows also can cause significant damage to the gate uprights due to twisting and the inability to lock the uprights into position if the gates are installed too early.

Accordingly, the installation of the final few lower gates at each dam location is not possible during high flow conditions. These remaining lower gates will not fully close in the down position due to the strength of flow which is directed to a much smaller hydraulic opening as the gate lowering progresses.

In addition, debris collects in these openings, preventing the gates from fully closing even when flows recede, thereby further preventing the dam from properly impounding water for navigation (essentially leaking until the gates and uprights are removed in the fall).

This leakage would be a continual maintenance issue for the entire navigation season and in drought conditions may result in water levels too low for navigation.

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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. For more information regarding events, recreational and vacation opportunities along the Canal System, please visit www.canals.ny.gov or call 1-800-4CANAL4.

The New York State Thruway Authority/Canal Corporation offers a free email service called TRANSalert to its customers via email or text messaging to inform them of major incidents and emergencies that may affect travel on the Thruway or navigation on the Canal System. To sign up for the Canal TRANSalert service, visit the site at www.canals.ny.gov/tas/. To sign-up for Thruway TRANSalerts please visit the website www.thruway.ny.gov/tas/.

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