Workers fill massive hole at canal wall

ALBION, N.Y. (WIVB) - Late Monday night, a News 4 viewer tipped us off to a very unusual situation, a hole in the Erie Canal.

Inspectors found that parts of the Erie Canal Wall in Orleans County had eroded away. Thanks to some quick action by county officials, the hole didn't become a huge problem.

Orleans County Chief Administrator Chuck Nesbitt described how a quick response kept the damage from being much worse. Nesbitt said, “If it wasn’t for him finding it at that time, it could have been a much more dangerous situation for somebody driving down through here.“

What started as a small breach around 9:30 p.m. quickly grew to a 16-foot-deep hole.

Orleans County workers along with Village of Albion workers quickly began to fill the hole, but Albion-Eagle Harbor Road, between Gaines Basin Road and State Street, will be closed for some time.

In fact, a ten-mile stretch of the canal between Albion and Holley was closed to keep the damage from being any worse.

Nesbitt says the quarry stone was brought to the canal to help fix the hole. Engineers will arrive later to examine the problem and create a permanent solution.