GPS- 43.075774, -76.424109
Now that we have passed the halfway point,
no matter which version of the canal you are on, we continue down the Towpath.
As you glance at the water-filled ditch,
there might be a lingering question somewhere in the back of your mind.
If feeders add water to the canal when there isn't enough water,
what do you do if there is too much?
Enter, or should I say, exit (via) the Waste Weir!
More about its specs here:
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So first off, who was Carpenter?...the second settler of Elbridge...
he ran a tavern by a brook that would later be named for him...our ancestors were quite clever in their naming 😉
Today while there is no longer a tavern nearby , there a plenty of fish to tell tales of at a tavern
So we know that a canal is, in its basic form, a ditch with water. Then you need to add water by means of feeders. You need aqueducts to carry the canal over streams and creeks. Culverts to divert unneeded water. And you need locks to lift or lower the boat as needed in the elevation change.
But what are waste weirs? Overflow protection!
It's not nice to flood the neighbors!
About waste weirs:
Here is a picture of the Carpenter's Brook Waste Weir
during canal days
All of the trees today along the towpath, and in the canal have grown up
since the canal was abandoned.
Maintenance workers working in this section would
never have allowed trees to grow up along the canal and its prism.
Tree roots would have undermined canal structures,
risking canal wall breaches and canal structure failures.
In the winter, the canal would be drained back for maintenance.
Work was easier on the frozen ground.
Debris would be cleared and repairs made.
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And then refilled in the spring, using feeders.
Here is a view of the north wall and support structures of the
waste weir.
A video of another waste weir still extant, this one on the Long Level near Rome
by Historic Erie 350
If water levels got too high due to rain,
the run off could harmlessly drain into the creek or brook below
Waste weirs channeled the water carefully down a stone channel
to prevent overflowing water from eroding the canal prism and structures
Then the water entered the creek where
it could flow downstream away from canal structures to the river
Water from the Carpenter's Brook was also diverted originally in a culvert under the canal...part of that remains today as the opening in the center under the towpath
But as the canal went from 4 ft/40 ft to 7ft/70ft, the need for water tripled. The Jordan Level, being basically a giant swimming pool on a plateau from Lock 50- 51, suddenly needed even more water to fill it...enter another feeder...the Carpenter's Brook Feeder.
Located just east of here on private land, this feeder helped maintain water levels by taking water from upstream and filling the canal as necessary.
The Carpenter's Brook Feeder is visible
just east of the waste weir on these maps
Some pics of the Carpenter's Brook Feeder,
which is on private land today.
pic by Ted Olsen
So in the end, there was a way to add water,
subtract water and divert water all in the same area!
As it has been a dry summer in our imaginary journey, the feeder, not the waste weir,
has been more essential in helping keep the water levels navigable in the Jordan Level
on our imaginary summer trip on our packet boat.
And as our mules cross this Waste Weir,
we know the next town is not far off now,...
We head on to our next stop...
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