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#Post#: 300--------------------------------------------------
NY Canal Corporation Earthen Embankment Dam Work Zones Redefined
- What is EEIP?
DIR By: Doug K
Date: March 4, 2019, 9:59 am
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What is EEIP?
It stands for Earthen Embankment Integrity Program, and is the
recent brainchild of the NY Canal Corporation to deal with the
aging and deteriorating condition of a 100 year old NYS Barge
Canal waterway system. It is a long-term approach to repairing
the Embankment Dams that line Erie, predominately on the towpath
or trail side but these Earthen dams are also found on the flat.
"berm" side of the Barge Canal. So EEIP will become a more
holistic approach for the NY Canal Corporation (NYCC) to insure
Erie Canal Embankment safety now, and through the 21st Century.
The term Barge Canal is, for all intense and purposes, the same
as Erie Canal but historically the Erie Canal lived from
1818-1918 and with it's last transformation to the size we see
today, it also became the NY State Barge Canal... and has been
dual named from 1918 to present day. Most like the Erie Canal
name more, so we will use that here.
If you are familiar with the original NYCC Earthen Embankment
Repair Project called EERP you might think the two efforts are
the same.. they are not and for very good reasons. EERP was the
initial attempt by the Canal Corp to fix a safety problem on
their existing dam structures but was met with a heavy
"grassroots" resistance. That resistance changed the dialog away
from safety and focused sentiment on the poor trees that were
being "killed". Though the NY Power Authority, known as NYPA and
serve as managers of the NYCC and Erie Canal, tried to show
ample evidence the waterway structures had become unsafe, the
protesters managed to keep the focus on trees and not on safety
where it belonged.
Sadly this protest group cost the project "millions" in extra
taxpayer dollars to prove that these dam structures were
deficient, did need repair and they ultimately had to seek
support from the NY DEC to verify their embankment safety work
was necessary. The protest group did manage to slow the progress
of the Embankment Dam Remediation work, but only so the Canal
Corporation could better define their plans.
And the result is the new EEIP directive.. an "overall" approach
to Erie Canal Earthen Embankment safety that is based on an
environmentally sound principles and a safety program that will
no be stopped by "technicalities" in the future
Where will EEIP be used in New York State on the Erie Canal?
Currently the original canal EERP project is wrapping up after
completing Embankment work in Niagara, Orleans, and W. Monroe
Counties. The end of the EERP work is Zone 42 just west of
Spencerport... it began at Zone 1 near Lockport/Medina area. The
original EER Project had a three phase approach to repairing the
Earthen Embankment Dams... 1) Clear all woody Vegetation, 2)
Restore grass to the Outboard Slope, and 3) Restore the privacy
lost to adjoining neighbors though a Restoration Phase of
barrier plantings.
This last step was made necessary as a result of NOT completing
a State Environmental Quality Review form or a SEQR as it's
known.
The EEI Program will follow were the EER Project ended. It will
have significant changes as well.. a clear case of "lessons
learned" and being applied by the stewards of the Erie Canal
System. Early discussion between the ECNA and the NYCC have made
it clear that the EEIP will run more closely to recommended
Embankment Dam Remediation steps which are 1) Remove all woody
vegetation (trees/brush) & 2) Repair slope and replant grass.
These two steps are all that FEMA outlines, it's all that is
recommended by the US Army Corps of Engineers, and it's all that
is required to insure the safety and INTEGRITY of the Erie Canal
Embankment is maintained.
Restorative barrier planting, seen in the EERP locations, will
most likely become "optional" and only offered to a neighboring
property owners only if the SEQR analysis dictates the need. The
biggest change from EERP to EEIP is exactly what the
"grassroots" protest effort wanted, there will be SEQR forms
completed for each work area, in each county the Erie Canal
touches BEFORE any further Embankments are worked on. That State
Environmental Quality Review process is currently ongoing and
expected completion is October 2019
Here's a map showing approximately more detail.
[attachimg=1]
Here's a list of Erie Canal Embankment Work by County and
current progress
EERP Counties: Niagara, Orleans, Western Monroe
(Expected EERP completion will be late 2019, early 2020; it ends
with the final Barrier Restoration on neighboring property)
EEIP Counties: E.Monroe, Wayne, Seneca, Onondaga, Madison,
Oneida, Herkimer, Montgomery, Schenectady & Albany.
EEIP: Border Counties: Ontario, Oswego, Fulton, Saratoga,
Rensselaer,
(Expected EEIP start will be in late 2019, early 2020; most
likely starting in Eastern Monroe County)
As more EEIP project details are shared by the NY Canal
Corporation we will post them here on the forum for review
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