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DIR Return to: Macedon & Palmyra Canal Community Discussion
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#Post#: 1521--------------------------------------------------
Macedon - Palmyra Erie Canal Embankment Breach - You Decide
DIR By: Doug K
Date: May 29, 2021, 10:32 am
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There have been very few news articles on this "near-miss" along
the Erie Canal in Macedon & Palmyra, since half the water
spilled out of the Canal at the Lock 29 & 30 navigation pool.
That happened on May 11th, and the Canal Corporation is still
trying to repair the damage and get the canal waterway back into
operation. Here's one from the local Auburn Pub:
HTML https://auburnpub.com/news/local/erie-canal-levels-lowered-in-macedon-after-creek-bank-collapse/article_5faa6aa3-5f8b-54ec-a618-6d16f3a50713.html
Another from the Finger Lakes Times:
HTML https://www.fltimes.com/news/erie-canal-levels-lowered-in-macedon-after-creek-bank-collapse/article_143fef48-7eec-5523-affe-56f2c145c890.html
The NY Canal Corporation is trying to fill the BREACH with soil,
and will also try using something called a "Aqua Dam" in an
attempt to seal water flow against the newly patched HOLE in the
side of earthen embankment that let go... more on that temporary
solution later.
The Canal Corporation has set the root cause as a "leaky"
aqueduct, that had eroded away the supporting structure over 2
years, and in an instant, the canal went from useable to closed
for travel "until further notice". Maybe the best pictures of
the incident were captured by John Kucko which I have shown here
for reference. You can see the BREACH circled and the escaping
water runoff is shown as well.
[attachimg=1]
It's a very nice picture of a "near catastrophe", and quick
thinking on the NYS Canal Corporation's part, to reduce water
immediately, most likely prevented a much larger breach of this
earthen impoundment.
And John's great drone work also helps show what MOST PEOPLE
seem to be missing when they look at the canal... it's made up
of some very long & tall earthen embankments that are holding
back millions of gallons of water from the surrounding,
low-lying areas.
Let's look just at the LEFT side of that last picture... you
will see the highlights that show the Earthen Dam. It's raised
about 20-25' by the looks of it, and below is a freshly cleared
farm field. Look at the steep slope of that embankment in the
lower left corner of the pictures
[attachimg=2]
What, you say that you can't see the Earthen Embankment Dam?
Well that's probably because it's covered with trees that need
to be cleared, it's hiding underneath them. And those TREES need
to be removed because tall trees also are a hazard to these
"shorter" canal embankments, mostly due to blowdown potential
and root seepage.
Those tree are why the Canal Corporation has been working to
clear the excessive vegetation on these 100 year old dams and
make them safe again. They can't properly inspect these earthen
water impoundments due to the overgrowth, and certainly all that
vegetation hampered their current repairs in this section. They
have a new Dam Integrity PROGRAM being developed & released to
mitigate the embankment safety issue.
HTML https://www.canals.ny.gov/Earthen_Embankment/overview.html
The Macedon / Palmyra Canal repair is still ongoing, more
embankment soil is being brought in and a temporary repair will
be made, using a "portable coffer dam", until the owners of the
Canal System can create a more permanent solution later in the
season.
Take a look at the Aqua Dam, which is "water holding back
water". It's a very unique solution, and more importantly, it
can be installed easily.
[attachimg=4]
HTML https://www.aquadam.net/
And make no mistake.. this is an Earthen Embankment, and it
FAILED due to water erosion, even if some folks don't want to
see it, believe it or acknowledge. So the answer to this
particular "dam failure" is to bring in a "portable dam" that's
worth it's weight in "water"
Here's a picture of that same area, using the NYS Dam Registry
Mapping Tool, that interacts with Google Maps. It shows the
difference in Canal Bank elevation over the surrounding area
best.
[attachimg=3]
If you want to read more about this canal breach, we suggest you
read the following post on our Forum. It will show even more
details about this embankment failure, and also highlight a
group that is still denying safety issues along the Erie Canal,
even when presented with overwhelming evidence to the contrary
like this raised embankment failure.
HTML https://ecna.createaforum.com/the-stop-the-clearcut-argument/facebook's-stop-the-canal-clearcut-founder-has-been-wrong-all-along-nothing-new/msg1485/#msg1485
Hopefully this is a wake-up call to ALL Canal Neighbors about
the "hidden danger" in their own backyards.
It's time to STOP IGNORING the problems of an unsafe NYS Canal
System running through our Towns & Villages
It's time to hold the NYS Canal Corporation ACCOUNTABLE and
demand that they start to CLEAR and REPAIR the Erie Canal and
the rest of the Canal System's earthen dams.
It's time to STAND UP AGAINST those in our community, who would
minimize the SAFETY of New Yorkers in our area, those saying
"shade" is more important than public safety.
It's time for CANAL NEIGHBORS to speak up and SILENCE anyone who
would IGNORE the TRUTH about the sad condition of our NYS Canal
System.
If you are NEIGHBOR of the Erie Canal, if your house or property
lies adjacent to and BELOW the Canal Embankments, it's time you
START THINKING about the SAFETY of your FAMILY & your HOME and
ask the Canal Corporation to REPAIR their safety issues and
RESTORE your "peace of mind".
An Erie Canal Embankment Breach can wash away all your hard
work, and all you hold dear... in an instant.
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