State starts draining canal for emergency repair

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The State Canal Corporation lowered the guard gates in Brockport and Middleport at 6 p.m. on Sunday to begin draining a section of the canal. This photo was taken at about 10 a.m. this morning, showing the Main Street lift bridge in Albion. There was still a lot of water in the canal, but that will soon change.

The canal needs to be drained so emergency repairs can be made to a culvert in Hulberton. The Canal Corporation has hired contractor C.P. Ward of Scottsville. The construction has mobilized and is on site, said Shane Mahar, spokesman for the Canal Corporation.

“We’ll know the schedule of refilling between Middleport and Albion later this week,” Mahar said in an email. “Also, overall project timeline is still TBD – won’t know 100-percent until the contractor actually starts doing the repair.”
The problems with the culvert, about 500 yards west of the lift bridge, were discovered during a routine inspection. The Canal Corporation’s team of experts determined the repairs couldn’t be put off until after the canal boating season, Mahar said.

After the canal is drained between Brockport and Middleport and preliminary construction work is started, the canal between Middleport and Albion will be refilled with water.

However, a 15-mile section of the canal between the Albion Guard Gate (just west of the Village of Albion) and the Brockport Guard Gate (just west of the Village of Brockport) will remain de-watered until repairs are complete.