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DIR Return to: Erie Canal & Embankment Dam Integrity
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#Post#: 2731--------------------------------------------------
NY Canal Authority announces more Earthen Embankment Dam work in
Madison County
DIR By: Doug K
Date: December 12, 2025, 8:00 am
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What if the NY Canal Corporation repaired an aging & unsafe
earthen embankment and nobody showed up to protest?
That's exactly what is going on in Madison County, with the
Madison Reservoir Dam, which is also known as the Lake Moraine
Dam. This earthen dam is part of the "original" Erie Canal
System, and was used to supply water to the now closed Chenango
Canal, that connected towns & Villages to the old Erie Canal.
The repairs have been part of an ongoing effort to address
safety issues with this earthen structure that started in 2019,
and will continue through 2028.
Everything from clearing vegetation to rebuilding both inboard &
outer embankment slopes is being planned, including a two year
lowering of the Lake Moraine water level by some ten feet. That
drop in water level will affect many homeowners and recreational
boaters...in most cases lakefront residents will not have access
to the water from their docks as the water will be quite a
distance away.
Here's information on the Madison Reservoir Dam.
[attachimg=1]
And yes... as unbelievable as it may seem, nobody is protesting
this dam repair project! No one has portrayed the Canal
Corporation as the environmental bogeyman!
There hasn't been any pseudo-environment groups formed with
complaints about how the dam safety work will affect fish life.
No local folks with matching tee-shirts and protest signs
complaining about how the project will prevent them from boating
or fishing. No one bringing lawsuits up, taking the NYS Canal
Corporation to court, to try and stop this Dam Safety project
from happening. Amazingly, the general public is universally
supportive of dam safety repairs being done in Madison County
Somewhere there's a lesson to be learned here, especially for
Monroe County residents who are still ACTIVELY PROTESTING
similar embankment repairs in Fairport, Pittsford & Perinton.
If you are interested in this project it is very well documented
online. There have been several public communication sessions,
and all details of the work are well documented and shared with
the public. Some of this earthen dam work started with the Canal
Authority's Earthen Embankment Integrity Program back in 2019,
which cleared away vegetation on the dam, and repaired some
structural issues through 2020. The bulk of the work is yet to
come, starting in the Spring of 2026 with a major water drawdown
that will last at least 2 years. The Lake will be significantly
smaller during this project while repairs are made to bring the
dam into NY State Dam Safety compliance.
Here's a few websites about Lake Moraine / Madison Reservoir
from the Madison County tourism and the NYS Department of
Environmental Conservation.
[attachimg=2]
HTML https://www.madisontourism.com/listing/lake-moraine/795/
HTML https://dec.ny.gov/places/lake-moraine-madison-reservoir
There is an active Lake Moraine Homeowners Association that has
a website, note that there is no "protest page" as Madison
County folks value the safety of their homes & their community.
They have made a few statements about this project as well.
[attachimg=3]
HTML https://www.lakemoraineny.org/
The project has been well engineered by McMahon & Mann, who have
put their Report up on their website. It has also been
documented on the NYS Dam Registry. This dam has a high hazard
rating and is considered "unsound with deficiencies". The
Village of Hamilton would be in the path of any dam breach or
failure.
[attachimg=4]
HTML https://www.mmce.net/our_projects/lake-moraine-dam/
HTML https://data.gis.ny.gov/datasets/nysdec::dams/explore?location=42.847074%2C-75.536648%2C13.82
The NY Canal Corporation started work in 2019-20, and posted
information online through local government websites, describing
all facets of the dam clearing & dam rehabilitation projects,
all part of the New York Power Authority EEIP program to repair
a hundred years of neglect along the NYS Canal System.
A video of the last public hearing can be viewed here:
HTML https://youtu.be/_rGKxDXMcBk?si=tsgWxTCOLaMB09FB
HTML https://hamilton-ny.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1.17.2020-Madison-Reservoir-Public-Meeting-Slide-Deck.pdf
HTML https://www.canals.ny.gov/Operations-and-Public-Projects/Project-Work/Madison-Reservoir-Dam-Rehab
The local news outlets in Central NY and the Finger Lakes area
have covered the dam work, highlighting the SAFETY aspects of
this project. There haven't been any news stories on protestors
walking the dam to stop work or people stating they will tie
themselves to trees to stop this work, claiming to be
"environmentalist and warriors".
HTML https://www.romesentinel.com/news/city/oneida/dam-not-a-danger-to-public-officials-say/article_5079dfa1-1cd1-56c1-9e6a-78da5b50ee75.html
HTML https://thecolgatemaroonnews.com/63585/news/new-york-plans-rehabilitation-for-lake-moraine-dam/
And even more surprising, there haven't been any Facebook Fools
starting protest movements, or trying to rally the public around
some idea that "dam rehabilitation" is evil and a ploy by New
York State entities to "bring ruin & devastation" to the Canal
System. Imagine that, Facebook folks are supporting the dam
safety work.
HTML https://www.facebook.com/madisoncountyny/posts/-madison-dam-lake-moraine-public-information-sessionsthe-new-york-state-canal-co/1125693529746402/
The Erie Canal Neighbors Association (ECNA) has reached out to
the New York Power Authority for verification that the public
has not brought any lawsuits to try and stop this dam repair or
if any groups/individuals have protested this work to date. We
are waiting their reply. We also noted in that correspondence
that the Oxbow Lake Dam in Perinton is just about the same size
of the Madison Reservoir Dam. Both earthen dams are about 1400'
long, both are about 60' tall, and both have become a high
hazard structure to the surrounding community due to lack of
proper construction & maintenance for over 100 years.
We will update this post if & when they reply to our request for
information.
Finally, a BIG thank you to Madison County residents for showing
the rest of New York State how to address dam rehabilitation
along the Erie Canal System...
Understand that dam safety is not a reason to protest under a
pseudo-environmental banner, and let water impoundment EXPERTS
do their jobs to keep NY communities & Erie Canal Neighbors
safe.
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