C&O Canal discussion
Paul.C...@em.doe.gov
site. The question I have, and I have not seen it estimated anywhere
except in the Post after the first day of flooding, is
WHEN DOES THE PARK SERVICE, BABBIT, POTOMAC CONSERVANCY, ANYONE WITH
AN EDUCATED GUESS, THINK THE CANAL WILL BE OPEN AGAIN?
The annual Bike Aid trip uses the canal path during the final days of
its ride. I have alerted them to the situation, but can't really
predict if things will be OK by August. Each day it seems to cost
more and look worse. . .
Any guesses??
Paul
71324...@compuserve.com
I read in the paper (I think) in the last couple of days that they were
talking $20million and 3 years. I think we'd all better get our check-
books out.
Bruce Johnson
Paul.C...@em.doe.gov
Does this mean 3 years for "back to normal" or three years until
usable
and open again, portions or entire?
Paul
ps- the web site on this mentioned that some mountain bike groups
were
lobbying for early access, prior to others being allowed back in /
on
the park. Outrageous!!!!!!
______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
Subject: Re: C&O Canal discussion
Author: 71324...@compuserve.com_at_INTERNET at X400PO
Date: 2/7/96 3:09 PM
X-Conference: dc.biking
X-Gateway: conf...@igc.apc.org
Errors-To: owner-...@igc.apc.org
Precedence: bulk
Lines: 8
From: "Bruce A. Johnson" <71324...@compuserve.com>
I read in the paper (I think) in the last couple of days that they were
talking ?20million and 3 years. I think we'd all better get our check-
books out.
Bruce Johnson
webm...@canal.com
WHEN DOES THE PARK SERVICE, BABBITT, POTOMAC CONSERVANCY, ANYONE WITH
AN
EDUCATED GUESS, THINK THE CANAL WILL BE OPEN AGAIN? ANY GUESSES?
Our reply:
The infant Web site at http://www.canal.com is ours (The Potomac
Conservancy). How long will it take? At yesterday's C&O Canal
Restoration
Rally at Great Falls Tavern, C&O Canal Superintendent Doug Faris said
it may
take as long as four years. Since the area from Georgetown to Great
Falls
is being given priority (that's where 90% of use occurs), I think an
estimate of one year would be reasonable for the stretch lying in the
Potomac Gorge.
The first NPS project will be to restore the canal from Lock 5 down to
Rock
Creek. The reason is that Lock 5 feeds the water that is necessary to
float
the canal boat in Georgetown. Lock 10 to Angler's Inn is open. The
Widewater area between Angler's and Great Falls is devastated and will
take
some time to repair.
The Potomac Conservancy is eyeing several projects, and I'll be
meeting with
Superintendent Faris in Sharpsburg tomorrow to discuss our plans. We
have
several contractors who are donating services and equipment and who
will
provide supervision for the many volunteers who have stepped forward.
If we
receive conceptual approval from NPS, we'll begin to organize our work
parties. Just to give a preview, the Potomac Conservancy is analyzing
targets of opportunity between Locks 5 & 10 and hopes to restore the
Olmsted
Island bridges and the Great Falls, MD park downriver to Lock 15.
Widewater
will require heavy equipment and will have to go to contract.
We already have a contractor donating services to restore Lock 6 near
Brookmont. We've got a 20-yard blowout in the canal bank there, the
footbridges are out, and a variety of other items need to be fixed.
We are
also receiving foreign aid and have a pair of talented stone masons
scheduled to arrive from Canada in early March to repair damage to
stonework.
The basic problem right now is that earthwork can't be performed until
the
ground and fill material dry out sufficiently to be properly
compacted.
That may not happen until late March. We have identified several
tasks that
may be performed in the interim. These include removal of down trees
and
rebuilding of foot bridges (bridges at Locks 10 and 7 are intact, 6 &
8 are
in the wrong place but are repairable, and the bridge at Cabin John
Creek
was completely destroyed and is wrapped around trees downriver at Lock
7).
We have a landscaping contractor donating a crew with a truck and
chain saws
over the next six weeks to remove trees in conjunction with
volunteers. All
of this needs NPS approval and there are many layers of review for
legal
compliance (historical, environmental, etc.).
It also must be kept in mind that a complicated logistical
infrastructure
must be in place before work can begin. Damage is estimated at $20
million+, Congress has appropriated only $2 million, and over $400,000
has
been raised privately in the last two weeks. So we're having to do a
lot
with limited resources. Even though Tri-State is donating several
hundred
thousand yards of dirt and gravel, over 500 dump trucks need to be
found to
haul it. Before that can happen, stockpile sites must be in place
and,
quite frankly, very few sites are suitable and available below Swains
Lock.
The Potomac Conservancy is putting its expertise as a land trust to
work to
help NPS obtain suitable stockpile sites. We are close to an
agreement with
the Navy to use the David Taylor facility at the Beltway, and are
looking at
other opportunities that cannot presently be discussed. From the day
floodwaters receded, the Conservancy has been working to fix the
canal. Our
damage assessment photographs taken, processed and FEDEX'd that day to
Superintendent Faris have proved invaluable in his briefings to
members of
Congress and to other delegations and groups. We also arranged for
donation
of cellular phones from Bell Atlantic Mobile/NYNEX for the 15 damage
assessment teams, brought in engineers and equipment from Trimble
Navigation
to provide Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) receivers to quickly
pinpoint
damaged areas, recruited ESRI to get NPS's mapping software and
hardware
humming, and arranged for Protocall Communications of Beltsville, MD
to set
up an (800) number with 24-hour a day operators at its call center for
donations and volunteers. Among other things. There's a lot going on
backstage to make the restoration happen.
As soon as we can find time to write this stuff up, we hope to share
some of
these stories with the public through our Web page. Though the
"infant" Web
page is a bit primitive at the moment, it will evolve on a daily basis
and
will provide a definitive source of news and education for the public.
The
Web page is a story in its own right, considering it came together in
less
than a week. Special thanks are owed to its architect and Webmaster,
Owen
Mitz of Somerset Systems, to Virtual Networks, Inc. (VNI) which is
hosting
the page on its server at no charge, and to Goldpages which is
providing
design services and URL registration.
Though we realize there is a sense of urgency to get the job done, we
ask
for everyone's patience and understanding. If you recall the war in
Iraq,
it took six months to get the logistical tail in place to support the
invasion. Restoration of the canal is a major undertaking and a
similar but
smaller process must take place before the restoration machine shifts
into
high gear. Please be assured that many, many people are already hard
at
work in the background to lay this foundation, both at NPS and as
volunteers.
The Potomac Conservancy is a two-year old group with roughly 500
members.
Though our track record is impressive, I am the only staff member
until our
new program associate comes on board in March. We've had to hire
temporary
employees just to manage the flood of phone calls and Internet
messages we
are receiving. We've been blessed with several recently retired civil
engineers who are donating substantial amounts of their time to
coordinate
construction projects. I've put in a number of 14-20 hour days and
don't
mind continuing to do so. While all this is falling into place, one
of the
best things folks can do is give us a financial boost to defray some
of the
huge phone bills and other expenses we are quickly amassing. Keep in
mind
that we were the first group on the ground and will continue to be on
the
front lines. None of this is in our budget. We didn't hesitate for
an
instant in stepping forward to hold down the fort until the cavalry
arrived,
and we will continue to do so until the canal is restored. We're
confident
we'll figure out a way to cover the overhead in due course. We just
ask
that those of you who treasure this resource give us a hand in doing
so.
To those of you who wish to contribute or volunteer, check out the web
page
(http://www.canal.com) for instructions or for on-line registration.
Lastly, I'd like to address something that has remained unspoken to
date.
The reality is that the overwhelming bulk of the Potomac River Basin's
population and economic resources are in the metro area. Yet the
canal runs
185 miles to Cumberland. A substantial risk exists that once Great
Falls to
Georgetown is fixed everybody will go back to sleep and our upriver
neighbors will be shortchanged. We have a collective responsibility
to see
that this doesn't happen. To those of you who are volunteering, keep
in
mind that we may have a surplus of metro area volunteers and reflect
on
whether you might work upriver for the common good. A volunteer cell
is
forming in Harpers Ferry, I'll be walking the towpath later today with
people from Shepherdstown, WV, and am talking with folks from the
Frederick,
MD area to get a feel for the problems they face. Let us not forget
the
towpath is a continuum whose total integrity is as vital to all of us
as is
the heavily used Potomac Gorge segment. The job won't be done until
the
full 185-mile length is intact and restored.
I would be remiss if I didn't add a special note of thanks to
everybody at
the Washington Area Bicyclist's Association, Capital Crescent Trail
Coalition, Canoe Cruisers Association, American Whitewater Affiliation
and
the many other groups who have expressed their concern and support and
who
stand ready to assist. Please bear with us and join in any way you
can to
contribute in a positive way to this tremendous undertaking.
Paul Rosa
Executive Director
The Potomac Conservancy
pr...@potomac.org OR pr...@crosslink.net
(703) 642-9880/FAX -9881
The Potomac Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust dedicated to
conserving
and enhancing the scenic, natural, recreational and historic qualities
of
the Potomac River and its landscape.