A front-end loader scoops out the sediment choking the Haxall Canal in Downtown, whose waters once powered an electric plant. The work to dredge the canal from Brown’s Island to 12th Street began Jan. 15 and is expected to take four months, according to the city Department of Public Utilities, which is managing the job. Cost: $1.5 million.
The water in the canal also is being drained, above, the department said, adding it is working with the state to save the fish that will be affected.
The canal, which receives its water and sediment from the James River, was last cleaned in 2008. The work is needed every 10 to 15 years, according to DPU officials, to protect the equipment that controls the level of water in the canal and to improve the flow.
The department briefly drained the canal last summer to conduct a survey in preparation for this work. The canal also is drained periodically to remove sediment that accumulates at the head gates, DPU officials stated. (Ava Reaves)
