In 2018, Madison County used FL-LOWPA funds to hire the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to study the Old Erie Canal waterway. The USGS looked at the characterization of the bathymetry, hydrodynamics, water quality, infrastructure, and channel condition of the 30 miles of the Old Erie Canal from DeWitt to its junction with the current Barge Canal in New London. This information will be used be included within the Old Erie Canal LWRP.
Some of the key takeaways of the study included confirmation that the two operationally functional feeders (Butternut and Chittenango) currently provide no water to the canal except in high rain events despite being designed to provide a continuous flow. The report did identify two natural inflows: Pool’s Brook and Meadowbrook. The USGS also installed 9 benchmarks and staff plates along the waterway to measure depths: the average depth of the Old Erie Canal in the section from DeWitt to Durhamville is 3.52 feet while the average depth from Durhamville to the Barge Canal is 1.36 feet.
