List of canals in the United States

The following is a list of canals in the United States:

Transportation canals in operation

This list includes active canals and artificial waterways that are maintained for use by boats. Although some abandoned canals and drainage canals have stretches that can be paddled in a small craft, such as a canoe, they are not included in this list.

Name Place State Navigable length Notes Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal Chesapeake VA Two canals apart in two states Currituck County NC Alligator–Pungo Canal Hyde County, Tyrell County NC Assawoman Canal Sussex County DE Part of the Intracoastal Waterway Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway East Coast Part of the Intracoastal Waterway Augusta Canal Augusta; Columbia County GA Not navigable to other waterways Bricktown Canal Bricktown OK Has water taxi service. Not navigable to other waterways Barkley Canal Lyon County KY Cal-Sag Channel Cook County IL Part of the Illinois Waterway Calcasieu Ship Channel Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish LA Canaveral Barge Canal Merritt Island FL Cape Cod Canal Barnstable County MA Part of the Intracoastal Waterway Cape May Canal Cape May County NJ Part of the Intracoastal Waterway Cayuga–Seneca Canal Seneca County NY Chain of Rocks Canal Madison County IL The most downstream lock on the Upper Mississippi River Champlain Canal Upstate New York NY Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Cecil County MD Part of the Intracoastal Waterway New Castle County DE Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Cook County, Will County IL Part of the Illinois Waterway Clam Lake Canal Cadillac MI Corpus Christi Ship Channel Corpus Christi TX Cumberland and Oxford Canal Naples ME Only the Songo Lock is still in use Delcambre Canal Iberia Parish LA Dismal Swamp Canal Chesapeake VA Part of the Intracoastal Waterway Camden County NC Duluth Ship Canal Duluth MN Erie Canal Upstate New York NY Galveston and Brazos Canal Brazoria County TX Gowanus Canal Brooklyn NY Great Lakes Waterway Great Lakes region Has many branches. Reaches into Canada Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Gulf Coast Part of the Intracoastal Waterway Harlem River Ship Canal New York NY Now indistinguishable from the Harlem River Haulover Canal Brevard County FL Part of the Intracoastal Waterway Houston Ship Channel Houston TX Illinois Waterway Northern and Central Illinois IL Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal East Chicago IN Has two branches Industrial Canal (Inner Harbor Navigation Canal) New Orleans LA Intracoastal Waterway Consists of many canals and natural waterbodies Keweenaw Waterway Houghton County MI Lake Washington Ship Canal Seattle WA Lauritzen Canal Richmond CA Lechmere Canal East Cambridge MA Lewes and Rehoboth Canal Sussex County DE Part of the Intracoastal Waterway Louisville and Portland Canal Louisville KY Matagorda Ship Channel Matagorda County TX McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System AR Eastern Oklahoma OK Ogden Slip Chicago IL Okeechobee Waterway South Florida FL Oswego Canal Oswego County NY Point Pleasant Canal Point Pleasant NJ Part of the Intracoastal Waterway Port Townsend Ship Canal Jefferson County WA Portage Lake Canal Houghton County MI Part of Keweenaw Waterway Sabine–Neches Waterway Southeast Texas TX Calcasieu Parish LA Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel Solano County, Yolo County CA Smith Canal Stockton CA St. Clair Flats Canal Clay Township MI St. Lawrence Seaway Jefferson County, St. Lawrence County NY Spans into Canada St. Lucie Canal (C-44) Martin County FL Part of the Okeechobee Waterway Stockton Channel Stockton CA Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel San Joaquin County, Contra Costa County CA Shinnecock Canal Hampton Bays NY St. Marys Falls Canal (Soo Locks) Sault Ste. Marie MI Part of the Great Lakes Waterway Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Door County WI Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway Northeast Mississippi MS Southwest Alabama ALVictoria Barge CanalVictoria County, Calhoun CountyTX35 mi (56 km) West Neebish Channel Chippewa County MI Part of the Great Lakes Waterway Wiley-Dondero Canal St. Lawrence County NY Part of the St. Lawrence Seaway

The United States also built the Panama Canal on territory it controlled.

Abandoned transportation canals

Name State Opened Closed Length Notes Alexandria Canal VA 1843 1886 Bald Eagle and Spring Creek Navigation PA 1837 1865 Baillie-Grohman Canal WA 1889 1902? Bank's Canal VA Beardstown and Sangamon Canal IL Beaver and Erie Canal PA 1844 1872 Part of the Pennsylvania Canal Bellows Falls Canal VT 1802 1858 Black River Canal NY 1855 1925 Blackstone Canal RI 1828 1848 MA Brunswick–Altamaha Canal GA 1854 1860 Cascade Locks and Canal OR 1896 1938 WACelilo Canal OR 1915 1957 WA Chemung Canal NY 1833 1878 Chenango Canal NY 1836 1878 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal MD 1830 1924 DC Clinton–Kalamazoo Canal MI 1843 Partially completed Codorus Navigation PA 1832 1850 Colbert Shoals Canal AL Flooded by Pickwick Lake Columbia Canal SC 1824 Now used for hydroelectic power Conestoga Navigation PA 1826 Conewago Canal PA 1797 Cross Florida Barge Canal FL Partially completed Culpeper Gold Mine Canal VA Cumberland and Oxford Canal ME 1832 1873 Songo Lock remains open Deep Run Canal VA Delaware and Hudson Canal PA 1828 1917 NY Delaware and Raritan Canal NJ 1834 1932 Delaware Canal PA 1832 1931 Part of the Pennsylvania Canal Des Moines Rapids Canal IA Enfield Falls Canal CT 1829 Farmington Canal (New Haven and Northampton Canal) CT 1828 1847 Continued into Massachusetts as the Hampshire and Hampden Canal Ficklin's Canal VA Fox–Wisconsin Waterway WI Partially restored Franklin Line PA 1833 1837 Part of the Pennsylvania Canal Fredericksburg Canal VA Genesee Valley Canal NY 1840 1878 Hampshire and Hampden Canal MA 1847 Continued into Connecticut as the Farmington Canal Hennepin Canal IL 1907 Hocking Canal OH 1841 1890 Illinois and Michigan Canal IL 1848 1933 Indiana Central Canal IN Partially completed James River and Kanawha Canal VA Only Virginia portion completed Junction Canal PA 1854 1871 NY Landsford Canal SC 1823 Lehigh Canal PA 1821 1942 A mule-drawn tourist barge operates at the National Canal Museum Leiper Canal PA 1829 1852 Love Canal NY Main Line of Public Works PA Miami Canal FL Miami and Erie Canal OH 1844 1913 Middlesex Canal MA 1803 1851 Milan Canal OH 1839 1868 Mississippi River–Gulf Outlet Canal LA 1968 2009 Morris Canal NJ 1829 1924 Muscle Shoals Canal AL Drowned under Wilson Lake? Ohio and Erie Canal OH 1827 1913 Patowmack Canal (Potomac Canal) MD 1795 1828 Consists of the Little Falls Canal, Great Falls Canal, Seneca Falls Canal, Payne's Falls Canal, and House Falls Canal VA Pawtucket Canal MA 1796 Pennsylvania Canal PA Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal PA 1840 1877 OH Portage Canal WI 1876 1951 Powell's Canal VA Rapidan Dam Canal of the Rappahannock Navigation VA Sandy and Beaver Canal PA 1848 1852 OH Santee Canal SC 1800 1865 Savannah Ogeechee Canal GA Schuylkill Navigation PA 1825 1931 Schuylkill and Susquehanna Navigation Company PA Delaware and Schuylkill Navigation Company PA Skinker's Canal VA Snake Castle Canal VA South Hadley Canal MA 1795 Spring Valley Canal VA Susquehanna Canal MD 1802 1840 Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal PA 1840 1894 MD Suwannee Canal GA Taylor's Canal VA Union Canal PA 1828 1885 Wabash and Erie Canal OH 1843 1874 IN Walhonding Canal OH 1842 1896 Warren County Canal OH 1840 1848 Washington City Canal DC 1815 Wheatley's Canal VA Whitewater Canal IN 1839 Wiconisco Canal PA 1845 1889

Irrigation, industrial, and drainage canals Alaska Davidson Ditch

Arizona Central Arizona Project Salt River Project Canals Arizona Canal Yuma Project Canals

California All-American Canal Back Channel Beardsley Canal Buena Vista Canal California Aqueduct Calloway Canal Carrier Canal Coachella Canal Colorado River Aqueduct Contra Costa Canal Corning Canal Delta–Mendota Canal Eastside Canal Folsom South Canal Friant-Kern Canal Glenn Colusa Canal Inter-California Canal Kern Island Canal Los Angeles Aqueduct Madera Canal Orland South Canal Orland North Canal Pioneer Canal Putah South Canal Stine Canal Tehama Colusa Canal

Florida Hillsboro Canal Miami Canal North New River Canal Tamiami Canal West Palm Beach Canal

Hawaii Ala Wai Canal, Honolulu Waiolama Canal, Hilo

Idaho New York Canal

Illinois North Shore Channel (popular for canoeing and kayaking)

Louisiana 17th Street Canal Carondelet Canal Florida Canal London Avenue Canal New Orleans Outfall Canals Orleans Canal Washington-Palmetto Canal

Massachusetts Holyoke Canal System Lowell Power Canal System

Michigan Edison Sault Power Canal

Montana Billings Bench Water Association Canal Huntley Project

Nebraska Loup Canal

New Jersey Cape May Canal Delaware and Raritan Canal Dundee Canal Morris Canal Point Pleasant Canal Raritan Water Power Canal Washington Canal

Texas American Canal Franklin Canal Riverside Canal (El Paso) Texas Irrigation Canals

Washington Banks Lake Feeder Canal Centralia Canal Tieton Main Canal Yelm Ditch (defunct)

Natural inlets called canals Behm Canal, Duncan Canal, Lynn Canal, and Portland Canal in Alaska, and Hood Canal in Washington are natural inlets that use the name canal.

Canals by state

These are man made canals in each state that have been given a name and may consist of a narrow irrigation or drainage ditch to a large ship, municipal water and/or irrigation canal. States with extensive agricultural acreage may have many hundred to thousands of canals. USGS Topographical map numbers and latitudes and longitudes of each canal, usable as inputs into Google, Bing, etc. maps, are usually given.

Canals in each stateStateNumber of canalsRef.StateNumber of canalsRef.Alabama21Montana858Alaska23Nebraska209Arizona289Nevada263Arkansas6New Hampshire10California2,903New Jersey41Colorado1,888New Mexico69Connecticut8New York116Delaware54North Carolina151Florida245North Dakota69Georgia25Ohio22Hawaii125Oklahoma9Idaho1,540Oregon661Illinois278Pennsylvania11Indiana2,239Rhode Island3Iowa299South Carolina33Kansas27South Dakota91Kentucky62Tennessee61Louisiana45Texas299Maine7Utah575Maryland44Vermont1Massachusetts26Virginia59Michigan1,668Washington237Minnesota1,451West Virginia2Mississippi185Wisconsin89Missouri287Wyoming1085Total canals18,241

See also List of canals Sheep Creek

References