Kingston Canal House Gets A Maintenance Makeover
MARCH 22, 2023
The Kingston Canal House (a former bridge & lock house) has had a much needed “maintenance makeover.” With funding from from the Canal Society of New Jersey and in partnership with the Kingston Historical Society, the side entrance door was replaced in kind, a new gutter was installed and the entire water damaged facade received several much needed fresh coats of paint. The park extends its thanks and gratitude to Canal Society of NJ, the Kingston Historical Society and Chris Riley who did a fantastic job on the repairs and “facelift” for this historic canal house.
It is partly with the help and support of our partner organizations that much needed projects such as this can be addressed. We are grateful for their willingness to help fund such projects and for their commitment to support the park’s mission of resource stewardship. If you also support that mission, then by all means consider becoming an active member of one of our many affiliated groups; get off the bench, get involved and become a D&R Canal State Park stewardship champion! New members and volunteers are ALWAYS needed and welcome!
Farewell To Superintendent Kallesser
MARCH 17, 2023
It is with a heavy heart that the staff at D&R Canal State Park announces the impending departure of Superintendent Patricia Kallesser; her final day as supervisor will be March 31st. After a tenure of sixteen years with the park, she will be handing the reins over to the next Superintendent tasked to lead the team here. Lauren Rojewski, relatively new to NJ State Parks, and formerly of Spruce Run Reservoir Recreation Area, will step into the Superintendent position at D&R on April 1st. She has big shoes to fill! We all look forward to working with her - WELCOME SUPERINTENDENT ROJEWSKI!
Superintendent Kallesser has led the charge at D&R for the past sixteen years with enthusiasm, a keen sense of dedication, patience and flexibility. She has been an effective and successful multi-tasking project manager who worked every day in cooperation with our partner agencies, friend organizations and volunteers as well as the many municipal and county departments that interconnect/interact with the park.
Overseeing this 70+ mile linear park and the additional properties under the D&R Canal State Park’s management is no simple task. Managing a complicated park such as this can quickly become overwhelming with the many ongoing multi-agency projects, daily maintenance concerns and unexpected issues that often surface especially those repeated flood events. And yet, Superintendent Kallesser stepped-up to that challenge and always attempted to handle the load with professionalism, quick action when needed, attention to detail and thoughtful consideration.
Although the staff is sad to see Superintendent Kallesser move on, we certainly wish her well as she continues her career with NJ State Parks first at Round Valley Recreation Area this spring and summer and then at Spruce Run Recreation Area.
GOOD LUCK Patricia. We all thank you. Congratulations for a job well done! You will be missed but not forgotten and will forever be a part of the D&R Canal legacy!
STORM DAMAGE UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2021
(Current as of FEBRUARY 2023)
PLEASE CONTACT THE PARK OFFICE TO REPORT ANY DOWNED TREES OBSTRUCTING THE PATH (609.924.5705).
SEE UPDATES, CLOSURES AND ADVISORIES BELOW:
CLOSED: Canal bridge over the Wichecheoke Creek in Stockton and a closure of the path behind the Prallsville Mills in Stockton due to undermining of the towpath.
OPEN: Canal bridge over Alexauken Creek in Lambertville.
OPEN: The towpath is now repaired and OPENED in Lawrence Township, Mercer County in the vicinity of the Port Mercer Bridge Tender's House (along Quaker Road which has also been repaired and reopened).
OPEN: The towpath is now RESURFACED and REPAIRED along the main stem of the canal from LANDING LANE to ROCKY HILL at ROUTE 518.
OPEN: Delaware River boat launches.
OPEN: Bulls Island Day Use Area - picnic area and playground.
OPEN: D&R Canal Towpath Trail is accessible and open between:
Frenchtown to Bulls Island;
Updates will be posted here and on our Facebook page. We thank you for your cooperation and patience as we continue to recover from this storm.
Prallsville Mill (Stockton) to Trenton;
The main canal from Demott Lane to Trenton
(Landing Lane Spillway
is currently under construction through the Spring of 2023
and will be inaccessible during the project).
Path closure at Prallsville Mills in Stockton.
Path closure at Prallsville Mills in Stockton.
REPAIRS TO PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE OVER ALEXAUKAN CREEK UNDERWAY
JANUARY 12, 2023:
We are relieved to report that repairs to the pedestrian bridge over the Alexauken Creek north of Lambertville have begun. Contractors will be on-site making the repairs needed to reopen this section of the trail damaged by Tropical Storm Ida in September of 2021. Should the weather cooperate, this project is expected to be completed by the end of January 2023. Please DO NOT TO CROSS FENCES OR CONSTRUCTION BARRIERS while this much anticipated project is underway.
As always, we appreciate our visitor's cooperation and patience while we work to get this trail connection safely back online!
UPDATE - JANUARY 25, 2023:
We are happy to report that the repairs to the Alexauken Creek pedestrian bridge are complete. The crossing is now open for public use. Thank you for your patience while we worked to get this repair properly completed.
NJ WATER SUPPLY AUTHORITY'S TREE MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
OCTOBER 26, 2022:
Tree management is an important element of routine maintenance, especially considering the age of
the Canal (hand dug in the 1830’s) and its earthen embankment and clay bottom construction. Tree
maintenance activities include removing fallen trees from the Canal and cutting trees that have rooted
in structures. Trees that have rooted in structures pose a threat to the integrity and stability of the
structures including the embankment itself, retaining walls, spillways, waste gates, culverts, aqueducts,
and other flow control structures. Additionally, trees are trimmed along the towpath to allow for the
safe passage of the general public and for the vehicles that the Authority and the D&R Canal State Park
Service need to maintain the canal and towpath.
Why does the Authority cut down trees along the Canal if they aren’t diseased or dead?
Tree root systems threaten the structural integrity of the Canal and therefore the Authority’s ability to deliver water. Tree roots loosen embankment soils and create seepage paths for water. Seepage paths can develop quickly into large leaks or breaches of the embankments.
The larger the trees become, the bigger the threat they pose. Large trees can be uprooted during
windstorms, which can displace a large amount of soil, making the embankment vulnerable to
breaching. A breach in the embankment impacts the Authority’s ability to deliver water downstream in the Canal.
Tree roots also damage the historic structures of the canal. For example, in many areas the historic stone armoring of the Canal has been lost due to tree roots dislodging stones. These stone structures were constructed to protect the embankments.
One of many examples of damage caused by trees occurred in recent years in Lambertville on the multi-use trail directly adjacent to "It’s Nutts On the Canal" (formerly Lilly’s on the Canal), where several trees fell into the canal and collapsed a retaining wall. The cost to repair that wall was more than $280,000.
More than 1,000,000 people rely on the canal for water and the Authority is obligated to move an
average of 100 million gallons per day of water through it, as measured at Port Mercer. The Authority must take every reasonable measure to properly maintain the canal’s infrastructure in order to protect
our ability to continue to deliver water through it.
