Increased traffic expected along Dismal Swamp Canal May 1

Posted April 27, 2010
By Brittany Brown
Norfolk District Public Affairs

04/26/2010 - NORFOLK, Va. — Increased vessel traffic is expected along the Dismal Swamp Canal May 1 from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Delays may be experienced by motorized boats navigating on the Dismal Swamp Canal as more than 300 paddlers participate in the 7th Annual Paddle for the Border event.

The annual event, sponsored by the Dismal Swamp State Park, Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and City of Chesapeake Parks and Recreation Department, gives participants an opportunity to paddle 7.5 miles from the Dismal Swamp State Park in North Carolina to the Great Dismal Swamp Boat Ramp in Chesapeake, Va.

"We are pleased at the overwhelming response to Paddle for the Border each year," said Gail Bradshaw, special programs coordinator for the City of Chesapeake Parks & Recreation department.

Paddlers will be traveling from several states, as well as localities throughout North Carolina and Virginia to participate in the event.

"This year, we have about 30 more participants than last year. It is important that everyone be mindful of the increased water traffic so it is an enjoyable, safe and hazard- free experience," continued Bradshaw.

Paddlers have been advised to move to the side of the Canal when a motorized boat approaches. However, motorized boats are advised to proceed slowly and with extreme caution.

Park Rangers from three different jurisdictions will provide on-water boat operations in support of the event while the Chesapeake fire department community emergency response team unit plans to provide on-bank observations and emergency medical services.

Did you know?

The Dismal Swamp Canal was inspired by George Washington, who as a surveyor of rural lands, made his first visit to the Great Dismal Swamp in May 1763. Washington, along with other prominent Virginians and North Carolinians, suggested draining the swamp and digging a north-south canal through it to connect the waters of Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. In 1805, after 12 years of back-breaking construction, the 22 mile long Dismal Swamp Canal was finally completed. Since 1929, the Corps' Norfolk District has held the responsibility for maintaining and operating the Dismal Swamp Canal, which has the distinction as the oldest continually operating man-made canal in the United States.