In spite of repair and maintenance work, Lehigh River water made it to Centre Bridge by late September, just three miles short of the Lock 11 goal. Late summer news about the Canal from New Hope south to Bristol Borough hasn’t been as good.

The major repair to the stone wall at Lock 20 south of Kintnersville has been completed, sinkholes have been filled, the Park maintenance staff has done some prism clearing, and there are no impediments to having the Lehigh River water flow down the Canal. Knock on wood!

Thanks to generous year-end contributions from our members, the Friends have been able to contract with T&T Tree Service for the removal of some of the most problematic trees along the Canal.

Three projects that have been on the books or in progress throughout 2018 will be complete before the first daffodils start to bloom this spring: a pedestrian passageway south of Morrisville, a new bridge over the Canal at Phillips’ Mill and the Centre Bridge Pump.

The summer of 2018 will be remembered for its seemingly unrelenting heat and its abundant rainfall that came down in torrents or tropical showers. The rain both helped and hurt the Canal.

The Delaware Canal can be “challenging”, and, for the most part, 2018 has been a good illustration. Some projects, like the complicated Phillips’ Mill Bridge replacement, are making headway, yet the Canal is plagued by issues created by the season’s heavy storms.

The red argillite stone surface of the Canal towpath is showing its age, deteriorating to dust leaving behind an earthen surface punctuated with holes, ruts, and humps. On a sunny day, walking and bicycling require watchfulness. On a rainy day, be prepared for mud and deep puddles.