Yearly Archives: 2020

New York DEC explains problems with Trees and Brush near Dams

New York DEC explains problems with Trees and Brush near Dams
Trees and brush may be aesthetically pleasing and provide other benefits; however, the growth of woody vegetation on and near dams, including the downstream toe area, can lead to serious problems. Sudden uprooting of trees by strong winds can result in the movement of a relatively large amount of embankment material and create large voids…
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Hazard Creep on Embankment Dams Explained

Hazard Creep on Embankment Dams Explained
Here is a great explanation of how urban development outstrips the original design intent of many embankment dams in the USA https://youtu.be/5CcVSVhAYvA This could easily be what happens at The Oxbow in Fairport, Bushnell’s Basin Dam in Brighton or the tallest Canal Dam in Albion/Hulberton area.  
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A Comparison with The Netherlands

A Comparison with The Netherlands
It was pointed out a while ago that The Netherlands had many more canals and dams than we have on The Erie Canal, and consequently, they have more experience. So, lets look at the facts here. See http://dutchdikes.net for more details The Netherlands’ dike network extends for over 22,000 kilometres (including dikes that do not serve as…
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Is it an Embankment, a Dam, a Levee, a Ditch or Dike?

Is it an Embankment, a Dam, a Levee, a Ditch or Dike?
If you check your favorite dictionary, you’ll find a tremendous overlap in the terminology, so here we’ll define the different aspects for the sake of this discussion. A DAM is a length of the canal where one side is constructed to contain the water over a low level area.  You could call it an embankment or…
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