High water closes portion of Erie Canal

WATERFORD, NY (AP) -  A 125-mile stretch of the Erie Canal from the Albany area to central New York is closed because of high water levels caused by heavy rains.

The state Canal. Corp. says the waterway was shut down Tuesday from Lock E-2 at Waterford, just north of Albany, to Lock E-22 at Sylvan Beach, on the eastern end of Oneida Lake in Oneida County. The eastern half of the Erie Canal runs through the Mohawk Valley, where heavy rain fell during the day.

More rain was in the region's forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, with dry conditions expected to return Friday.

The closure comes just 10 days after the state canal system opened for the season.

Canal officials say about a dozen vessels were on the waterway when it was shut down.