On September 1, 2021 Hurricane Ida weakened into a tropical depression, but proceeded to dump as much as 10 inches of rain in parts of southeastern Pennsylvania and neighboring New Jersey.
Although the Delaware River rose to flood levels, the damage this time did not come from the river overflowing into the Canal, but from flash flooding in many of the smaller tributaries that flow down the mountainside and into and under the Delaware Canal brought massive volumes of water and erosion debris across River Road and into the Canal.
In Upper Black Eddy, Falls Creek normally flows under the Delaware Canal via a culvert; Storm Ida sent a wall of water crashing through both sides of the Canal, taking approximately 100ft of the towpath with it.
Park Manager Devin Buzard indicated the Delaware Canal State Park staff is still compiling a full inventory of the damage, but at last count there was a list of at least 30 locations with serious problems, including:
A total blowout where 100 ft of the towpath washed away
Damage to aqueducts, culverts, waste-gates, locks, and canal walls
Approximately 1500-2000 cubic yards of debris to be dredged from dozens of locations
Several new sinkholes
Although damage assessment is still underway, Director of Pennsylvania Department Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of State Parks John Hallas expects the damages from Hurricane Ida to approximate $5-8M.
After flooding subsided, canal waters emptied out towards the river via the towpath breach
While this damage is discouraging, there is plenty of reason for hope. Park Manager Buzard expressed optimism that “the repair efforts from the earlier 2000s flooding events have been modestly successful”, and that with the forthcoming round of repairs, “we’re going to take it a step further”. Director Hallas also provided positive signaling that some of the “build back better” funds from the national infrastructure bill would be directed at building more resiliency into the Delaware Canal. Projects initiated and completed by Delaware Canal 21 such as the Vision Study (2017), Stormwater Study (2017) and the Delaware Canal Workbook(2021) have laid out plans that will guide such efforts.
But the most anticipated source hope is Delaware Canal 21’s flagship project: the Delaware Canal Authority Feasibility Analysis (commenced in September 2021 and due to be completed in Summer, 2022) which explores ways to ensure that the Delaware Canal has the financial and engineering resources needed to weather such storms as part of its operational maintenance plan.
Flash flooding in tributaries that flow down the mountainside and into and under the Delaware Canal brought massive volumes of water and erosion debris across River Road and into the Canal.
Across the river in New Jersey, the Delaware and Raritan Canal also encountered damage. But they will be able to rebuild much faster than the Pennsylvania side because they don’t need to wait for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds to be dispersed. That canal is managed by an Authority with a financial reserve fund that enables swift repairs to proceed while reimbursements can be sought later. The Delaware Canal Authority Feasibility Analysis includes investigation into a county-level entity that can provide the same type of financial resiliency for this canal.
