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DIR Return to: Erie Canal & Embankment Dam Integrity
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#Post#: 2435--------------------------------------------------
Is the NYS Erie Canal Safe to Use in 2023? Why are Erie Canal
Guard Gates Down?
DIR By: Doug K
Date: May 18, 2023, 8:39 am
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It seems like a simple question, one that the NYS Canal
Corporation should be able to answer... but won't. They have
been very tight-lipped about any and all Canal Safety work since
they were challenged by a local Facebook group fighting against
Embankment Safety measures using "the environment" as their
argument. We have all but given up trying to get a straight
answer, their new communication manager has moved on to better
tasks now...
The QUESTION is SIMPLE...
[a] Is the NYS Erie Canal System SAFE for public use?[/b]
Are the non managed Earthen Embankments lining the Erie Canal
and used for navigation, going to hold up another year without a
breach?
There have been recent NYS Canal Notices, that have shown a need
to reduce water depth by 15% with 12-24" of water level being
reduced along two main sections of the canal system for 2023.
This is similar to what happened in 2022, after the Canal
Embankment Breach in Macedon. According to the NYS Canal
Corporation the water level reduction is to limit the amount of
water seeping out though more than 200 known leaks that are
within 1 foot of the normal water level of 12' deep. Yes 200 or
more of the 300+ canal leaks stop, when water is held below a
10' depth, instead of the normal 12' deep canal prism.
Read about that water level reduction here:
HTML https://www.canals.ny.gov/wwwapps/tas/notices/ntm.aspx?id=2030
And more recently the Canal Corporation has announced a lowering
of two guard gates in Western NY in the famous "60 mile pool"
between Lockport & the Genesee River. This guard gate lowering
is NEW for 2023, and may be another "NYS Canal Corp "Band-Aid
Repair" to a canal system that saw it's last major leak about 50
years ago. That was about halfway through it's 100 year old
current life.
[attachimg=1]
HTML https://www.canals.ny.gov/wwwapps/tas/notices/index.aspx
So why would the Canal Corporation lower two NORTH SIDE guard
gates along a 15 mile stretch of the Erie Canal?
It could be that it possibly changes the water scouring the
rip-rap along the north side of the Canal, which is the raised
earthen embankment side. But that would only happen near the
guard gate right? If you look at the Canal Corporation map of
the Guard Gate locations you will see that there is a lock and
another guard gate (Gasport) in between these two lowered guard
gates. So what purpose do half closed guard gates perform?
[attachimg=2]
HTML https://www.canals.ny.gov/maps/index.html
Maybe the answer lies in the Canal Integrity website, which
shows a map of the same area, with the earthen embankments
identified on both the North & South side of the Erie Canal. In
a 15 mile span there are over 20 different sections of earthen
canal embankments spread along BOTH sides. So this section has a
high concentration of population as well as a high density of
what the Canal Corporation has termed "high hazard" earthen
embankments (or dams which is what NYSDEC calls them).
[attachimg=3]
HTML https://canals.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=42703bd1c0504a14933d2010ce739043
So if you look very simply at this change (in Guard Gate
Operation) the answer may be clear. Lowering ONE gate allows
traffic to flow but also serves to limit water flow overall.
In the event of a Canal Embankment breach there would be a need
to only LOWER the SECOND GATE to stop water flow completely. And
the amount of water flowing would be less with a restricted flow
in the main channel width. It takes about 30 minutes or more to
lower these gates, and in that time water flows very quickly
though a hole in ANY earthen dam break. Having one gate down
would simply mean less water available to devastate the
surrounding area BEFORE the water can be completely shutoff.
It could just be a precautionary measure to help reduce the risk
or damage of a potential canal flooding event, or it could be
the only lever left to the NYS Canal Corporation (NYSCC) to
pull, to help maintain a somewhat safe Canal System.
After 5 years of being thwarted from carrying out the Earthen
Embankment Integrity Program, known as EEIP, by a local group
spreading mis-information on Facebook, the NYSCC must be nearing
a point where another embankment breach may be ready to happen,
despite their attempts to fix these aging earthen embankments.
This is the same protest group that still believes all these
measures to reduce canal breach risk are "just fear-mongering"
by New York State. They spread mis-information & lies about
canal operation, including wild conspiracy theories about canal
work kickbacks and mismanagement.
Their leader posts pictures of Canal Repairs and thinks the
flowers growing along the towpath are more of a topic to discuss
than the repairs and sinkholes being done on what has been
described as unsafe, high-hazard earthen dams by NY State. This
is a recent picture posted by the group's leader, Elizabeth
Agte, who still spreads mis-information about this whole Canal
Integrity issue. Of course she FAILS to mention the rather large
SINKHOLE that appears to be right next to this cement lining
repair in the Perinton - Pittsford area
[attachimg=4]
Ms. Agte's wrote this on April 18 at 9:27 PM:
Surprise! A cold windy grapple walk on the canal. A lovely patch
of daffodils on the path leading to Pittsford from the Great
Embankment. This steel embankment patch appears new, we don’t
remember seeing it before.
While Ms. Agte and her group disparage all this Canal Integrity
work, the NYS Canal Corporation and parent New York Power
Authority have been trying to repair "Canal Slopes", but due to
social media pressure they have been limited to working OUTSIDE
of Monroe County for awhile. Here's a post we did recently
showing significant repair work being done in several locations,
all of them outside the Rochester area, and away from the
scrutiny of Ms. Agte and here group.
HTML https://ecna.createaforum.com/erie-canal-embankment-integrity-program-(eip)/erie-canal-embankment-integrity-trail-safety-work-continues-just-not-in-monroe-c/
So you decide... Are lowered guard gates and reduced water
depths the REAL answer here? Is the Erie Canal safe for
operation, or should the NYS canal Corporation say "ENOUGH" and
shut it down until proper maintenance can be performed?
New York State LAW says the Canal Corporation has to maintain
the NYS Erie Canal System & keep it open. The Law doesn't say
that it has to be open if the PUBLIC is in jeopardy from that
same Canal System. The Law doesn't say that it has to be open if
the PUBLIC IS AT RISK of FLOODING or DEATH from an aging,
unmaintained canal system. The law states that it needs to be
SAFE, and right now it is NOT safe... not my words, those are
from the folks at the NYS Canal Corporation.
HTML https://youtu.be/bbuJ31xvoOA
The NYS Canal System has passed from being an asset to NY, and
has now become a BIGGER RISK than a benefit, due to an aging
infrastructure, an agency that is intimidated by social media
influence, and a local group who's determined to stand in the
way of public safety.
Is it time to CLOSE the Canal until further notice, unless NYS
is allowed to PROPERLY REPAIR the canal system and stop using
bandaids to skirt their responsibility?
I bet the answer to these questions would be very different if
someone asked RIGHT AFTER another embankment breach occurs and
someone loses their house, or their life... just saying.
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