Residents along Mohawk River sue NY over $4.6M in damage

[hrmjustin]

ALBANY —Some property owners along the Mohawk River have sued the state Canal Corporation, claiming the agency failed to adequately prepare for the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.

A lawsuit listing 57 property owners in the Schenectady County hamlet of Rotterdam Junction was filed Tuesday in the state Court of Claims. It alleges the Canal Corporation was negligent because it failed to protect against flooding that caused more than $4.6 million in damage.

The lawsuit says the state created a task force to address potential flooding along the river after devastating floods in June 2006, but the task force never convened before the 2011 flood.

The Canal Corporation operates a series of dams and locks on the river to create navigable channels. The moveable dams are raised in the fall to allow ice and debris to pass during winter and early spring. When Irene brought torrential rains in August 2011, the lower sections of the dams couldn't be lifted on short notice and debris built up, causing the raging waters to carve new channels through the riverbanks.

Read more at http://www.uticaod.com/latestnews/x863230421/Residents-along-Mohawk-River-sue-NY-over-4-6M-in-damage

[Cooley Hurd]

1. The canal infrastructure is almost 100 years old...

...and in need of upgrading (so they have dams that can be opened/closed quickly), but the Thruway Authority (of which the NYS Canal System is a part of) treats the Canal System like an unwanted stepchild.

I have sailed the length of the system and absolutely LOVE it, but, frankly it's falling apart.

[hrmjustin]

2. I hope they fix it because it is one of the gems of the state.

[Cooley Hurd]

3. me too!

I sailed my 30' cruiser from Albany to the Finger Lakes about 10 years ago and it was truly the trip of a lifetime!