Canal News – Winter 2017

Four Restored – One in Progress – One to Go

When the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania dug the 58.9-mile-long Delaware Canal between 1827 and 1831, it was responsible for connecting the private properties that the new ditch divided. Thus, more than 100 bridges were built, most of which were camelback bridges. A camelback bridge is a modified Queen Post Truss bridge, perfectly adapted for canal use since it has a hump in the middle, which allowed canal boats to more easily pass underneath.

Today the successors to the original camelback bridges are the Delaware Canal’s signature structures exemplifying the waterway’s history. Over the years, changes in vehicle types and traffic requirements have caused most of the bridge to be replaced with larger, hefty versions, but six authentic camelbacks still remain.

For over a decade, the Friends have been on a quest to ensure that these last six genuine pieces of history are restored. Not only are they vital factors to the Canal’s National Historic Landmark status, but their delicate design guides new construction. The Friends are directly responsible for the successful restoration of three of the camelbacks and were instrumental in the preservation of the fourth. Our volunteers perform continuing maintenance, such as painting and vegetation removal.

Two camelbacks are still in need of work – Woody’s Bridge south of Easton and Spahr’s Bridge in Bridgeton Township. This fall, the stars aligned in favor of Woody’s. It needed significant repairs so that it could continue to carry pedestrians, but was not so deteriorated that it needed a complete rebuild.

Contractor Randy Myer is determined to get the restoration of Woody's Camelback Bridge done this winter. — Contractor Randy Myer is determined to get the restoration of Woody’s Camelback Bridge done this winter.

The Friends have partnered with the Delaware Canal State Park to get the job done now while the water is out of the Canal for other maintenance projects. Fundraising to cover the $31,800 labor cost is underway, and the Park has committed to pay for the materials. In the spirit of getting the job done this winter, Randy Myer of R-Shell Exteriors, Lancaster, PA is already at work. (Randy is a seasoned camelback restoration contractor having already completed the work on the Hazzard’s, Thompson-Neely, and Goat Farm bridges.)

So far, the Friends have raised $20,000 for this project thanks to generous contributors who want the Canal’s history preserved. Now we need your help to raise the balance of the needed funds. You may contribute on-line at www.fodc.org or send a check to Friends of the Delaware Canal, 145 South Main Street, New Hope, PA.

Please help restore Woody’s Bridge, the best example of how camelback bridges once were – delicate, graceful, utilitarian, and very beautiful.

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Get on the CAT List

The Friends’ Canal Action Team (CAT) has been tackling a wide variety of projects since it was formed in the winter of 2014. Everything from removing vegetation from stone walls to bridge painting to replacing interpretive signs to pulling out cattails is fair game.

As 2017 begins, we would like to reinvigorate our list of volunteers who are interested in working on the CAT.

WHO: Anyone who wants to and can be physically active. Especially needed are people who like to paint bridges and those who would like to lead a crew.

When: CAT projects can be undertaken both on weekdays and weekends. Usually they take no longer than 3-4 hours.

Where: Work sites are determined by the urgency of the job and the location and number of available volunteers.

The Plan: If you want to be part of CAT, please call 215-862-2021 or e-mail friends@fodc.org and give us your contact info and your preferred work locations (north, central, south). When a work day is developed, an e-mail notice containing the job details is sent to all the prospective volunteers about two weeks prior. Those who can help on a particular project just respond to the e-mail and show up on the appointed day.

CAT at work.

Be part of CAT! Get things done along the Canal and enjoy working with your fellow Friends.

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Park Manager’s Report

My first seven months at the Canal have been exciting and full of challenges and successes. We wrapped up 2016 with several wall repair projects. During the maintenance drawdown in October we hired several contractors to make repairs to multiple walls that failed and collapsed along the Canal. Wall repairs have been completed at Lock 5 in Yardley, along Mile Post 21 in the Bowman’s Hill area, adjacent to Lock 22/23 in the Teddy Roosevelt Recreation Area, and at Woody’s Bridge in the Raubsville area. Also during the drawdown, Park and engineering staff were able to inspect several areas of the Canal and develop plans for future projects and maintenance work. Park maintenance crews were also busy repointing walls and waste gates, dredging, fixing additional sink holes ,and working on many other preventative maintenance projects. To close out 2016, the river/weather finally cooperated with us by providing enough rain and higher river levels to start re-watering the southern end of the canal during the middle of December.

2017 will bring its challenges and successes as well. We will be starting the New Year with several projects already in progress. First, in partnership with the Friends, an experienced contractor has been hired to make repairs to Woody’s Bridge in the Raubsville area. We have had another wall collapse in the Kintnersville area by Lehnenberg Road. A contractor has already been mobilized, and repairs to this wall have begun. Finally, the Park has discovered two new sinkholes in the northern section of the Park – one in Smithtown between Bridges 2 and 3 and the second in Williams Township just north of the Easton sewage treatment plant. Repairs to these sinkholes will be forthcoming once the weather decides to cooperate with us.

Also, work on the Lower Limeport Bridge in Solebury Township has begun and is expected to continue through April. We have another bridge project on the horizon as well. The final design work and permitting is being done for the Phillips’ Mill Bridge. We are expecting this project to go out to bid late this winter and to be ready for construction later this spring. Enjoy the Canal!

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At the Annual Meeting

Our members just kept coming through the doors of the David Library of the American Revolution on November 15. The Rose Gallery, where the covered dish dinner was held, was filled with people and great food; and everyone was thankful for the spacious seating and high quality audio visual equipment upstairs in Stone Hall where our presentations were held. We are so appreciative of the Library’s willingness to share their facilities with the Friends.

We were pleased to have a wonderful turnout from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. With us were:

John Hallas, Director of the Bureau of State Parks, who gave a summary of DCNR’s accomplishments and plans
Jason Zimmerman, Manager of Park Region 4
Josh Swartley, Delaware Canal State Park Manager
Bethany Hare, Delaware Canal State Park Assistant Manager
Gene Gelfand, Engineer with DCNR’s Bureau of Facility Design and Construction, who was honored for his dedication to the preservation and improvement of the Canal and its historic structures, particularly its camelback bridges
David Kemmerer, retired Director of the Bureau of State Parks

The after-dinner presentation included some Friends’ Board of Directors business. Retiring Board member Stephanie Garomon was thanked for all her efforts on behalf of our organization, especially in terms of organizing fundraising events. Pam Can, Judy Franlin, Joan Fullerton, Lynn Vogel, and David Scheaffer were all elected to additional Board terms.

The Annual Meeting is always a great time to get together with old and new friends, take stock of the year’s activities, and gear up for the coming year. And that’s just what we did.

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At its January meeting, the Friends’ Board of Directors elected its officers for 2017. Serving will be:

Brett Webber – President
Pam Can – Vice-President
Lynn Vogel – Secretary
Peter Sperry – Treasurer

As always, the Board welcomes your participation and input.

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A Link to the Canal’s Past

Movies taken of the Delaware Canal during the first half of the 20th century and interviews with men and women who worked on the Canal are now available for you to see and hear on your computer, iPad, or phone. These treasures are easily accessible thanks to the efforts of the Solebury Township Historical Society and the cooperation of the National Canal Museum in Easton.

Two members of the Society, who are also dedicated members of the Friends of the Delaware Canal, collaborated with the National Canal Museum to preserve the Museum’s cassette and film collection. Robert McEwan, Society Vice President and archivist, and Elizabeth Carrick, the Society’s web consultant have devoted a tremendous number of hours to evaluating the collection and publishing the best of it on the Solebury Township Historical Society website www.soleburyhistory.org.

To share these valuable pieces of history with more canallers, the Society has very generously invited the Friends to place a link to the material on our website www.fodc.org. The movies and the interviews can be found here.

So, if you’ve wondered what the Delaware Canal was like when mule teams pulled coal-laden boats to market, you can now find out by just clicking.

The Solebury Township Historical Society's new collection of videos and oral histories contains images of Canal sites that have disappeared. This is a John Anderson photograph of Lock 10 in New Hope, now covered by Main Street. — The Solebury Township Historical Society’s new collection of videos and oral histories contains images of Canal sites that have disappeared. This is a John Anderson photograph of Lock 10 in New Hope, now covered by Main Street.

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Canal News – Fall 2016

Working Through It

What a summer! It’s been hot, hot, hot, but that hasn’t stopped the action along the Delaware Canal.

The Good

Hurricane Hermine did not wreak any havoc.

After the discovery of numerous sinkholes in Smithtown and Point Pleasant, areas notorious for leaks, DCNR quickly engaged Bi-State Construction to fill them with clay and regrade the towpath bank. With these sinkholes repaired, it is hoped that the Lehigh River water coming from the north will flow further south than it has since the Kleinhans Aqueduct problem.

No more walking on the shoulder next to whizzing cars thanks to PennDOT’s Route 13 improvement project. Park visitors now can use a sidewalk to get from the towpath to the Green Lane intersection in Bristol Township. Still to come is a pedestrian crossing south of WaWa on Green Lane with pavement markings and flashing signals. This project is being facilitated by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council.

After thorough investigations by DCNR staff, Sanders Power Company, and Campbell Electric, it has been determined that the 6,000 gallon per minute centrifugal pump that the friends purchased in 2003, before the floods, can be installed in the Delaware River at the northern “Bowman’s Hill” section of Washington Crossing Park. This pump can augment the flow in the watered-starved Canal when the River drops below the level of the New Hope inlet. Approval to operate the pump must be secured from the Delaware River Basin Commission.

By relieving DCNR of the purchase of the new pump at Centre Bridge, the Friends have enabled the Park to undertake the following wall projects: the repair of the concrete wall on the east side of Lock 5 in Yardley, the repair of the stone wing wall on the southwest end of Lock 5, the repair of the stone retaining wall north of Locks 22-23 by the Locktender’s House at the Theodore Roosevelt recreation Area in Raubsville, and the repair of the stone retaining wall along the towpath underneath Woody’s Bridge in Williams Township. Woody’s Bridge is one of the remaining six authentic camelbacks. By investing $27,000 in the Centre Bridge pump when the Park most needed it, the Friends have leveraged a $44,000 expenditure in wall repairs by DCNR.

The Not-So-Good

The hope of having water diverted from the Point Pleasant Pumping Station into the Canal has been dashed, at least temporarily, because of the continuing drought and the well contamination problems in Bucks and Montgomery Counties. The Forest Park Water Authority must retain water for its customers.

The Bad

The water levels in the Canal from New Hope south to Bristol range from very low to bone dry. The heat waves and drought have dropped the level of the Delaware River below the level of the New Hope inlet located behind Odette’s. When the gauge measuring the river level at Trenton, NJ reads less than 9 feet, there is no water entering the Canal. Water levels can be checked online at water.weather.gov – National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service. After all that Hermine forecasting hype, it would have been nice to have a moderate amount of rain.

Storm-struck tree at Bowman's Hill — Storm-struck tree at Bowman’s Hill

In July, tornado-like winds ripped through the Bowman’s Hill area. Enormous trees fell – more than a few of them into the Canal. DCNR brought in crews from other parks to deal with the immediate damage, but there is still much cutting and removal to do. Falling trees have plagued the Canal ever since Hurricane Sandy. It seems that a tree clearing contingent might need to be added to the Park maintenance staff or perhaps some assistance from the private sector.

As always, the Friends endeavor to meet the Canal’s challenges – in a multitude of ways.

On the Road to Perfection

redfield-bridge-09042016 — The new Redfield Bridge

The reconstruction of the Redfield Bridge by Bi-State Construction is nearly complete. It crosses the Canal just north of Centre Bridge. Towpath users are ecstatic to be able to travel their PA/NJ Loop Trail again, and the Friends are tremendously pleased to have the reconstruction reflect the years of incremental work that has gone into creating a bridge design that conveys the Canal’s historic character while accommodating 21st century needs.

Bridges have always been of special interest to the Friends. Our organization has restored three of the six remaining authentic camelback bridges. The fourth was restored through the Save America’s Treasures program. At our urging, the DCNR engineers prepared a detailed guidebook for the repair of all six.

Nearly twenty years ago, after seeing each new Canal bridge have a different look, the Friends collaborated with the firm of Simone, Jaffe, Collins on the production of prototype bridge designs that could accommodate different traffic carrying capacities. The basic prototypes influenced PennDOT’s design decisions for five canal-spanning bridges and counting. As each bridge was built, the basic design was evaluated and improvements incorporated into the plans for the next.

Over the past several years, DCNR has been replacing the Canal bridges that it owns and maintains. Generally, the bridges provide required access to private property, either connecting the property to public roadways or other parts of the property itself. Once again design became an issue. The “commonly understood” faux camelback truss and guiderail designs to be used for the new bridges proved not to be so understood. The construction of the bulky Upper Limeport Bridge was a turning point. After the Friends cried “foul,” DCNR agreed to reconsider its design process, especially since several more bridge replacement projects – Redfield, Lower Limeport, and Phillips’ Mill – were in the pipeline. DCNR hired the Wilson Consulting Group of Mechanicsburg, PA to undertake the development of a different, more historically and contextually correct bridge design. Bill Wilson, principal of the firm, undertook the task with tenacity and enthusiasm consulting with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the Friends.

One of the key goals of the new design was to have Delaware Canal bridges reflect the delicacy of the original camelbacks while meeting current day requirements. New materials, technology and creativity have allowed that goal to be met. The Redfield Bridge is the first bridge to fully utilize the new design standards, and, although there are still some small wrinkles to be ironed out, Redfield Bridge is, by far, the best yet. The Bi-State Construction masons did a particularly fine job with the stone masonry.

DCNR continues with its bridge replacement projects with the Lower Limeport Bridge next up. Bi-state Construction has won the bid, and installation of the coffer dams and pipes to allow water to flow in the Canal is expected to get underway in late fall or early winter. May this bridge be even better.

Park Manager’s Report

We have been working on several projects over the summer and have recently competed some emergency sinkhole repairs. In the beginning of August, after a heavy rain storm, the Park maintenance crew discovered several large sinkholes between Bridges 2 and 3 to the Smithtown section of the Park. Upon closer inspection it was determined that there were more than a dozen sinkholes, with additional holes in the Mountainside Inn section of the Park. Over the course of three weeks Park maintenance staff and contractors were able to excavate the sinkholes, line them with bentomat, pack them with clay, cover them with topsoil, and reseed the berm of the canal. Repairs were completed the last week of August and the canal has been re-watered.

The Redfield Bridge project is coming to an end. The finishing touches are being made to the towpath, some minor adjustments being made to the trusses, and some clean up and restoration work being completed at the work site. Final inspection of the project should be forthcoming.

There are also two upcoming projects where the bids have been awarded. The Mile Post 21 wall repair project and the Lower Limeport Bridge replacement should be starting within the next few months.

Finally, there will be a maintenance draw down of the Canal during the last week of September. Due to regulations regarding the endangered red-bellied turtle, all de-watering activities must occur prior to October 1st. The draw down will enable the Park to work on several small wall repair projects, to conduct inspections of the canal prism, and to perform preventative maintenance.

Enjoy the Canal!

Good Neighbors Make Good Fences

The growing season is drawing to a close at the Locktender’s House garden in New Hope. Goldfinches and squirrels are squabbling over the sunflowers, and there are enough tomatoes to share with passersby.

When the Friends restored the Locktender’s House in 1993-94, the grand plan included not only the creation of the “Life at the Lock” exhibit inside, but also the creation of a period vegetable and flower garden in front. Since locktenders and their families typically had gardens for their own use and to grow produce that could be sold to canal boat crews, the establishment of a garden seemed a natural. Friends’ volunteers transformed a grass patch into a fine plot surrounded by a white wooden picket fence typical of the period. It has become part of the overall story of “Life at the Lock” and delights visitors who enjoy its beauty and engage the volunteer gardeners in conversation.

Over the years, the white picket fence took beatings from both nature and vandals. Repairs were routinely made, but by last year, it was clear that it was time for a new fence. To the rescue came the Dames of Rocksville Questers, who after hearing about the garden at a Friends’ presentation, selected the fence project as the recipient of their annual preservation grant. In April, members of the group arrived at the Locktender’s House with a $900 check. The funds were promptly spent on fencing materials, and member Josh Gradwohl started to construct the fence from scratch. No premade sections for Josh. New posts were installed, and volunteers spent a morning staining the pickets. Josh and Jerry Taylor then proceeded to make a fence materialize, just in time for the grapevines to call it home.

The Dames of Rocksville Questers visit the Locktender's House — The Dames of Rocksville Questers visit the Locktender’s House

The Friends are very grateful to the Dames of Rocksville Questers for making the fence replacement possible. Half of the $900 grant was provided by the Dames chapter and was matched by the State Quester organization. The Dames of Rocksville Questers originated in Holland, PA and now includes more than 15 members from the Lower Bucks County area. Questers is a non-profit organization which encourages an appreciation for antiques and the preservation and restoration of historic sites.

Our talented and willing volunteers took the contributed materials and transformed them into a handsome, strong fence, and we are very appreciative.

No, It’s Not Algae

Blankets of green appeared on the Canal’s water surface this summer. This green isn’t new, it starts to appear every year around May. Its bright chartreuse hue and abundant growth make it hard to miss.

But what is it?? It’s not algae or slime or an invasive. It’s duckweed – a plant that has many good qualities.

Lesser Duckweed (Lemna minor) is one of the smallest flowering plants in the world. It consists of just two leaves and a root. Duckweed likes to grow in warm, slow-moving, nutrient rich freshwater environments, which makes the Delaware Canal an ideal habitat for this tiny plant.

What is duckweed good for?

Food: Duckweed contains twice the protein, fat, and nitrogen and phosphorus of other similar plants. Its high nutritional content makes it an excellent source of food for waterfowl and fish. (Carp are particularly fond of it.) It is a primary food source for migrating waterfowl.

Shade: A mat of duckweed shades the water below, inhibiting the growth of algae and other plants that can choke nutrient-rich waterways.

Cleansing: Duckweed can help lower water pollution levels by absorbing nitrates, phosphates, and ammonia, which are chemicals found in fertilizers and waste water. It is often used as a biological treatment for waste water from large-scale commercial farms.

Reuse: After it is easily skimmed from the water, duckweed can be fed to animals and poultry and used as compost or fertilizer.

In the height of summer, duckweed can obscure the scenic value of the Canal, but is has its benefits and is far better for the environment than algae and invasive plants. And if you want a great addition to your compost pile, feel free to skim some off and take it home.

Thanks to Ian Kindle, Delaware Canal State Park Educator, for providing this information and photo.

’tis the Season to Buy

Why not benefit, too?

If you are planning to use Amazon for holiday shopping this year, please remember that the Friends of the Delaware Canal is eligible to receive contributions from the AmazonSmile Foundation. Designate the Friends when you make a purchase from Amazon, and the Friends will receive a contribution.

Here’s how it works. Visit AmazonSmile on the internet, and choose Friends of the Delaware Canal as your charitable organization. For eligible purchases, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the Friends. It’s a quick and easy way to spread holliday cheer not only to the peo0ple on your gift list, but to the Friends, too.

As Close as We’ve Come to Going Viral

Nearly 450,000 people have seen this photo of a bald eagle and a great blue heron on the Friends of the Delaware Canal Facebook page. When all the views are in, we may even reach a half million!

Carole Mebus, Friends’ member and photographer extraordinaire, shares her photos with the Friends, and we post them on Facebook. In case, you weren’t among the many who saw the post, here’s the story of her amazing encounter.

On September 3, Carole embarked on a neighborly bird identification mission, but she never got to there because something caught her eye. “Across the River at the northern end of Canal Road in Raubsville was a fascinating sight. I took 96 pictures of a great blue heron and a bald eagle sharing a meal. When I first came on the scene, the eagle was eating the fish and the heron was looking on. They changed positions often from the log to the ground. It seemed like a sizable fish, and eventually the heron had some of it. Two crows even showed up briefly. How do I see things like this? I’m always looking around. And I am really lucky sometimes. It made my day.”

If you would like to see seven of the 96 photos, visit the Friends’ Facebook page, and while you’re there don’t forget to “Like” it. It’s hard to imagine that Carole won’t have more to share.

More Canal Tenders on Task

Three new Canal Tenders answered the call for help in the summer issue of Canal News. Thank you! Jim and Katie Wolf have adopted the Bridge Street to Lock 9 section of the Canal in New Hope. Harry Dozer will be providing weekend assistance to Peter Shaw in taking care of the Bridge 3 to Bridge 2 stretch in Smithtown.

Only 5.4 miles of the Canal are still orphans. Wouldn’t you like to adopt one? Find out how by going to www.fodc.org and clicking on HELP on the navigation bar.

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Canal News – Summer 2016

Trying Times

The days of May were glorious along the Delaware Canal. In Easton, the abundant water being fed from the Lehigh River filled the Canal all the way south to the Virginia Forrest Recreation Area, 1.3 miles north of Centre Bridge. (At this location, the water had to be released into the Delaware River so that the Redfield Bridge replacement construction site was not inundated.)

A new, more efficient pump, purchased by the Friends and New Hope for Our Canal, supplied River water into the Canal filling the Centre Bridge to Lock 11 section in New Hope nicely.

After extensive culvert cleanouts in the southern end, the Delaware River water flowing into the Canal through the New Hope inlet filled the Canal so high that its water was overflowing the coffer dam at the Lagoon in Bristol Borough.

A water-filled Canal in Lumberville on May 8, 2016.

The key word is “filled.” The many sections that typically have had water were brimful. New to the watering scene were Smithtown, Point Pleasant, Devil’s Half Acre, and Lumberville – communities that haven’t seen consistently high water since 2004. The Canal levels from Morrisville to Bristol Borough were also uncommonly high.

Only 1-1/2 miles of dry-ish Canal prism prevented the achievement of our goal of a “fully watered Canal.” So tantalizingly close.

Then came the discovery of a leak in the Kleinhans Aqueduct, which spans Fry’s Run, seven miles south of Easton. The DNCR engineers confirmed that a previously identified issue with several of the structure’s steel beams had become an immediate problem.

Much to DCNR’s credit, it quickly moved forward with the installation of two 60″ diameter pipes and associated coffer dams that allow Canal water to continue to flow through the aqueduct structure without exacerbating the structural problem.

The amount of water coming through the pipes is impressive, but the flow volume through the aqueduct has been reduced. The use of the two pipes, rather than the full rectangular aqueduct structure, has limited the Canal flow to an amount that reached only as far as the north end of Point Pleasant. A donor paid the electricity bill for a week-long experiment to determine whether a boost from the 6,000 gallon per minute Durham pump would push water farther south. The boost seems to have produced a low level of water extending to the northern end of Lumberville, but a final determination of the effect is still in progress. The cost of operating the Durham pump is $180+ per day, so careful evaluation of cost and benefits is necessary.

These pipes are allowing water to flow through the damaged Kleinhans Aqueduct.

The Kleinhans Aqueduct pipes are a temporary fix. Replacement or substantial repair of the aqueduct, which fortunately is the shortest one on the Canal, is the permanent solution. Replacement or repair is the only way to get a significant flow of “free” Lehigh River water flowing through Point Pleasant, Lumberville, Centre Bridge and New Hope again. DCNR has included the project in its 2016-2017 budget.

Another remedy may be the diversion of water form the Point Pleasant Pumping Station into the Canal at the southern end of the village. DCNR and DC21 have been working on an agreement with the Forest Park Water Authority to allow this diversion, which was first tried more than 15 years ago.

Now on to the Canal from New Hope to Bristol. The prolonged lack of rain has caused the Delaware River to drop below the level of the canal inlet located behind the former Odette’s in New Hope. This inlet supplies Delaware River water into the Canal and is the only significant water source for the southern 25 miles of the Canal from New Hope to Bristol. When the River drops below the inlet level, the Canal drops.

Yardley Lack of water — The level of the Canal in Yardley Borough on June 27, 2016.

In earlier issues of Canal News, you have read about the Friends’ investigation into the installation of an Archimedes Screw pump near the inlet location. This investigation continues, but, meanwhile , the feasibility of installing at 6,000 gallon per minute centrifugal pump at the inlet location is also being pursued as a quicker fix to the need for water augmentation.

Another consequence of the dry weather is that evaporation and tree and vegetation absorption are outrunning the Centre Bridge pump’s ability to keep its section reasonably full.

The best and easiest cure for the water woes from New Hope to Bristol is moderate rainfall. Rain dances by all are most welcome.

Work on all the component parts of the Redfield Bridge project is underway.

Bi-State Construction is making good progress with the replacement of the Redfield Bridge just north of Centre Bridge. The project extended beyond its anticipated duration because the east abutment had to be replaced rather than repaired. The project’s completion will be happy news to the bikers and walkers who use this popular Centre Bridge/Lumberville/Bulls Island/Stockton/Centre Bridge canal loop trail.

Additional project updates are included in the Park Manager’s Report. For the latest information, check the Breaking News page.

The Delaware Canal does present its challenges, but we have come so far and the magnitude of the challenges continues to decrease. We always keep on trying during trying times because the glorious days of May have proven that the canal is more than worth our efforts.

Park Manager’s Report

It is truly an honor for me to be named the new Park Manager at the Delaware Canal State Park Complex. I am looking forward to working with the staff, the local communities, and multiple partners seeking to improve the park. This is an excellent opportunity , and I am looking forward to the new challenge in my career.

I began my career with the Bureau of State Parks in 1994 working as a semi-skilled laborer at Neshaminy State Park. I have held positions as a semi-skilled laborer, intern, and DCNR Ranger at several state parks and as a Park Manager trainee at the Park Region 4 Office. In 2005, I was named the Assistant Park Manager at the Hickory Run State Park Complex, and in 2007, I was named as the Park Manager of Neshaminy State Park.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in Recreation from Lock Haven University and will be moving to the Pipersville area with my wife and three children.

We currently have two projects in progress – the culvert replacement on Airport Road in Bristol Township and the Redfield Bridge replacement in Solebury Township. Also, in 2016, a large wall repair will be taking place at Mile Post 21 in Upper Makefield Township. We are anticipating that the replacement of the Phillips’ Mill Bridge and Lower Limeport Bridge, both in Solebury Township, will take place later this year or early in 2017. Also in 2017, we are planning for several projects. They include the tunnel through the railroad embankment just south of Morrisville and a large capital project to replace 12 bridges and culverts along the Canal.

In New Hope, the Bureau has been developing conceptual plans for the relocation of Odette’s and the development of an enhanced visitor services area located by the old mule barge concession.

Finally, work is progressing by PADOT to improve the towpath crossing at Green Lane and Route 13 in Bristol Township. The pedestrian crossing should be completed by the end of the year.

Enjoy the Canal!

Better and Better

More than 350 people turned out this spring for the Friends’ annual Canal Clean-Up Day. Thirty-two coordinators organized coverage of all 58.9 miles of the towpath and waterway. Most of the trash picking and brush clearing took place on showery Saturday, April 2, but some Canal Tenders and other groups chose other days with Falls Township Boy Scout Troop 46 finishing off the effort on May 7.

The volunteers who covered the Green Lane to the Lagoon section of Bristol Borough pose with the fruits of their labor.

THANK YOU ALL!

We were especially pleased to have several new coordinators step up to carry on their predecessors’ traditions of successful group clean-ups – Pam Can in New Hope Borough, Mayor Dave Rivella in Morrisville, and Ed Armstrong of GOAL (Greenbelt Overhaul Alliance of Levittown.)

The very good news is that the Canal Clean-Up Day volunteers say that they find the Canal cleaner every year. In a May 11th Letter to the Editor to the Bucks County Courier Times, Friends’ member Joe Linus of Washington Crossing wrote, “I annually volunteer to clear trash from the Delaware Canal towpath. I am always amazed at how little trash we find. This year, I and four others could not fill even half a trash bag.”

Another validation of “the cleaner the Canal is, the cleaner it stays.”

The High Work

The Locktender’s House in New Hope is a “bank building” set into the canal bank at Lock 11. It rises three stories high on its South Main Street side, and two stories up on its towpath side. This spring three slates fell from the house roof on the towpath side, and the copper gutter on the Main Street side was miserably clogged.

To the rescue came Jeffrey DeFrehn, Sr. and Jeffrey DeFrehn, Jr. of DeFrehn Roofing of Langhorne. They offered to fix the slate roof and clean the gutter at no charge because “we love historic buildings and want to help those who work to preserve them.” We are so thankful to the DeFrehns for this very necessary help. Jeffrey DeFrehn has been in the roofing business for over 40 years, and he and his team handle roofing projects from historic buildings to new construction expertly and efficiently.

Ducks, Ducks, and More Ducks

This year’s Delaware Canal Festival has evolved into a series of summer-long events.

So many ducks to admire at the Delaware Canal Festival! Photo credit: The Advance of Bucks County — So many ducks to admire at the Delaware Canal Festival!
Photo credit: The Advance of Bucks County

On June 17 the Delaware Canal Festival kicked off in Historic Bristol Borough. Lagoon Park and the green at Grundy Mill were filled with people who bought their dinner at a variety of food tracks and then stayed for the fun. The local Irish folk band, The River Drivers, set the rhythm for a parade of decorated boats and paddleboard exercisers who plied the calm waters of the Lagoon. Kids and adults decorated ducks for the big contest, played games, visited the tables of community groups, and sat relaxing on a perfect summer evening.

The Delaware Canal Festival will arrive in downtown New Hope on Saturday, July 30. From noon to 4 p.m. come see plein air artists at work along the towpath, Civil War re-enactors at the Parry Mansion, and performers from the Bucks County Folk Song Society at Ferry Street Landing. There will be duck decorating at the Locktender’s House, a scavenger hunt, a guided walking tour of the Canal and an Instagram contest.

And there will be more duck decorating at the Delaware Canal Festival in Morrisville on Saturday, September 10. The State Park educators will be offering the opportunities to paddle kayaks in the Canal, and there will be plenty of good music, food, and fun, too.

Don’t miss out on the rest of the ducky Canal Festival season!

Canal Walk 2016

October 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29

A blast from the conch shell horn starts each day of the Canal Walk. On October 31, 2015 we had a special helper, who liked hats.

Break in your hiking shoes because the Friends are embarking on their 29th annual 58.0-mile-long Canal Walk this fall. Conducted over five successive Saturdays, the Walk is starting at the Forks of the Delaware in Easton and ending at Waterfront Park in Historic Bristol Borough.

Join in one or all of this year’s walks. The full Canal Walk 2016 itinerary will appear in the fall issue of Canal News and on-line at www.fodc.org. We hope that this is your year to take part in the challenge, the camaraderie, and the fun.

Memories of Canal Walks Past

“I’m thankful that I walked the entire length of the Canal back in the ’90’s. I have the stock certificate framed and hung on my bedroom wall to remind me of the thrill I had taking the walks, and I still recall them when we ride along River Road where the towpath is visible. I feel so proud and happy that I took the walks.”

Pat Jud

Friends of the Delaware Canal member ever since her first Canal Walk

New Canal Tenders Step Up to the Task

Annette Heintz and “The Housewifes of Rolling Hills” have adopted the Uhlerstown to Lock 17 section in Tinicum Township.

Sheree Cote and Tom Lurz are taking care of the Mountainside Inn to Lock 12 section in Plumstead and Solebury Townships.

Monica Hemmers and Steve Heimann are back at work on the Lock 12 to Virginia Forest Recreation Area section in Solebury Township.

Ricki Fisher is covering the Rabbit Run Bridge to Bridge Street section in New Hope.

The work of our Canal Tenders truly makes a difference, and we’re grateful to have these new volunteers. We also thank the people who have taken care of these areas in the past – Joe Cloran, Sally Getchell, Nan Kirstein, and Bill Rorer.

You can be a Canal Tender, too!

Here are the sections of the Canal that need adoption:

Railroad Obstruction to Tyburn Road (Morrisville to Falls Township) – 1.1 miles
Tyburn Road to Wheatsheaf Road (Falls Township) – .6 mile
Levittown Shopping Center to Green Lane (Bristol Township) – 1.9 miles
Green Lane to the Bristol Lagon (Bristol Borough) – 1 mile
Beaver Street to Riverfront Park (Bristol Borough) – .8 mile.

Only 5.9 miles of the Canal’s 58.9 mile length remain orphans – just 10%. Please help to bring our orphan rate down to 9%.

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Canal News – Winter 2017

Canal News – Winter 2017

Four Restored – One in Progress – One to Go

Get on the CAT List

Park Manager’s Report

At the Annual Meeting

A Link to the Canal’s Past

Canal News – Fall 2016

Working Through It

The Good

The Not-So-Good

The Bad

On the Road to Perfection

Park Manager’s Report

Good Neighbors Make Good Fences

No, It’s Not Algae

’tis the Season to Buy

Why not benefit, too?

As Close as We’ve Come to Going Viral

More Canal Tenders on Task

Welcome, New Friends

Canal News – Summer 2016

Canal News – Summer 2016

Trying Times

Park Manager’s Report

Better and Better

The High Work

Ducks, Ducks, and More Ducks

Welcome, New Friends

Canal Walk 2016

October 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29

Memories of Canal Walks Past

New Canal Tenders Step Up to the Task

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