Waterways become one at Delaware Canal ‘marriage’
It’s wedding time for a portion of the Delaware Canal, so save the Oct. 31 date.
And, it’s not a costume wedding.
To celebrate the end of nearly a year of work to the canal, and years of working to secure funding, the Friends of the Delaware Canal will host a breakfast at 9 a.m. at the Black Rock Picnic Area in Yardley. Executive Director Susan Taylor said the $3 million project was to alleviate flooding, a problem in the area.
“The culvert that was in existence was undersized, so it served as a dam … rather than something through which water flows,” Taylor said with a slight laugh.
To remove the “dam,” the project replaced the Black Rock Road culvert with a larger-diameter opening, created a bike lane, and dredged the silt from the canal from Lock 5 in Yardley to Ferry Road in Morrisville, which had been silted to the point where its holding capacity had been diminished. Though the section of canal still doesn’t have water from the Delaware River, there is water in the canal from nearby streams, which Taylor said has filled the canal quite nicely. She added that there may be water from the Delaware River within a month.
A former Yardley Borough Council member, and with the Friends organization for 18 years, Taylor said the months of repairs cancelled peoples’ park plans, but residents seem to be happy with the outcome.
“A lot of the residents use it as their daily dose of park,” Taylor said. “They use it to walk and run, and the people who live nearby and use that access area were very pleased to get the walkway and the bike lane because crossing over the culvert area was narrow, and you didn’t feel particularly safe doing it.”
And with the area retuning to normal, she suspects to see the return of fishing, boating and perhaps even ice skating. And, of course, the area serves as a wildlife habitat.
As for the wedding … representatives from the Friends will be bringing water from the northern completed section of the canal, which is Lehigh River water, and will unite it with water in Yardley. The northern canal water was collected several weeks ago during a canal walk — and was placed in a jar. Taylor said, fortunately, the water was really clear.
“It’s sort of an old canal tradition where you unite the waters from two different areas — which is what canals do,” she said with a laugh.
The breakfast will also honor former State Rep. David Steil, whom Taylor said was instrumental in securing the funds from the state capital budget funding.
The Friends also hosted a canal wedding of the waters ceremony Oct. 3 at the Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area, between Raubsville and Riegelsville, capping off a $10 million project that lasted over a year to repair damage by three Delaware River Floods.
The breakfast at Black Rock Road Picnic Area in Yardley starts at 9 a.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, call 215-862-2021; e-mail friends@fodc.org; or visit www.fodc.org.
To celebrate the end of nearly a year of work to the canal, and years of working to secure funding, the Friends of the Delaware Canal will host a breakfast at 9 a.m. at the Black Rock Picnic Area in Yardley. Executive Director Susan Taylor said the $3 million project was to alleviate flooding, a problem in the area.
“The culvert that was in existence was undersized, so it served as a dam … rather than something through which water flows,” Taylor said with a slight laugh.
To remove the “dam,” the project replaced the Black Rock Road culvert with a larger-diameter opening, created a bike lane, and dredged the silt from the canal from Lock 5 in Yardley to Ferry Road in Morrisville, which had been silted to the point where its holding capacity had been diminished. Though the section of canal still doesn’t have water from the Delaware River, there is water in the canal from nearby streams, which Taylor said has filled the canal quite nicely. She added that there may be water from the Delaware River within a month.
A former Yardley Borough Council member, and with the Friends organization for 18 years, Taylor said the months of repairs cancelled peoples’ park plans, but residents seem to be happy with the outcome.
“A lot of the residents use it as their daily dose of park,” Taylor said. “They use it to walk and run, and the people who live nearby and use that access area were very pleased to get the walkway and the bike lane because crossing over the culvert area was narrow, and you didn’t feel particularly safe doing it.”
And with the area retuning to normal, she suspects to see the return of fishing, boating and perhaps even ice skating. And, of course, the area serves as a wildlife habitat.
As for the wedding … representatives from the Friends will be bringing water from the northern completed section of the canal, which is Lehigh River water, and will unite it with water in Yardley. The northern canal water was collected several weeks ago during a canal walk — and was placed in a jar. Taylor said, fortunately, the water was really clear.
“It’s sort of an old canal tradition where you unite the waters from two different areas — which is what canals do,” she said with a laugh.
The breakfast will also honor former State Rep. David Steil, whom Taylor said was instrumental in securing the funds from the state capital budget funding.
The Friends also hosted a canal wedding of the waters ceremony Oct. 3 at the Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area, between Raubsville and Riegelsville, capping off a $10 million project that lasted over a year to repair damage by three Delaware River Floods.
The breakfast at Black Rock Road Picnic Area in Yardley starts at 9 a.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, call 215-862-2021; e-mail friends@fodc.org; or visit www.fodc.org.
