Dundee Canal, Lock and Dam
Passaic River - Passaic - Clifton, NJ.
The Dundee Lock and Dam were completed in 1861 as part of the Dundee Canal which ran only about a mile through the cities of Clifton and Passaic, on the Passaic River in New Jersey. Due to clever planning, the canal was completed just as the railroad arrived and only one single barge ever traversed the lock before the canal went bankrupt and was abandoned.
Today, much of the Lock has been refaced and converted into a source of cooling water for the nearby Marcal Paper factory. The dam appears in the background.
The Dam is about 20 feet high and dumps tons of water into the lower tidal section of the Passaic River, where the water becomes brackish.
Looking north, the dam makes a pretty picture, with the lock on the far left.
The only section of the Dundee Canal still existing, is this lovely little cess-pool, filled with a varied assortment of old tires, trash and algae, jammed between Route 21 and the slum section of Passaic. The rest of the canal is now buried under Route 21. Numerous pipes from the city storm drains cross the canal.
Canal History
Tug 44
No comments:
Post a Comment