Illinois & Michigan Canal will be rewatered in Ottawa by mid-June, officials talk canal’s future

The Ottawa Canal Association and the city of Ottawa were awarded the Boat Captain’s Award from the Canal Corridor Association for their contributions to the Illinois and Michigan National Heritage Corridor.

Canal Association President Arnie Bandstra said it’s an award for the journey both parties had to take to get the canal rewatered, which will be happening again after repairs are made.

Mayor Dan Aussem said the hope is the canal will be refilled and fully open by the time the America in Bloom judges come to Ottawa in mid-June. The total cost of repairs will be $280,000 but Aussem hopes it’s the end of the road as far as major costs go.

“First and foremost, we need to get the liner in, extend the water discharge to the west, put the standpipe in for the drain and then there’s a number of other things,” Aussem said. “If we get through that, it’ll be successful and I’ll try doing a couple of cartwheels before we work on the next project.”

For that next project, Bandstra wants to put together a master plan for the canal that would include items such as tree planting and landscaping, along with finding out what types of volunteer efforts and donations will be needed.

Bandstra said the plan is to look for historic preservation-types of grants to pay for further portions of the project. His hope is the canal will have a canoe launch, the ability to host fishing derbies and remote control boats, and then turn into an area to ice skate, play hockey or play curling in the winter.

“We all know that maintenance was a problem last year,” Bandstra said. “I think we’ve learned some things and we’re going to do a better job this year and in future years.”

As for now, Aussem said the city just wants to get the canal open, but he will try to set up a meeting to create the plan Bandstra is asking for.

Former Mayor Bob Eschbach also spoke on behalf of the Canal Association, mentioning it’s been in the city’s plan in the past to have the I & M Canal’s trail link up to the Fox River walk. He also would like to see the city redevelop the lot near the lock.

“This location is already ours and it’s open,” Eschbach said. “It could be a great green space, and the old lock is there. That lock, together with the aquaduct, is probably the oldest engineered structure in the city of Ottawa.”

The canal was open once this past summer, but maintenance issues with overgrowth of plants and algae led to it being drained until they could be addressed.