One of the first visitors to the Augusta Canal’s upper towpath trail when it reopened Monday, Courtland Stephens was ecstatic.
“I’ve been dying for this to be opened. I come down here all the time and walk around,” Stephens said. “This is like a staple of the community.”
Three-and-a-half miles of the popular towpath trail, from the headgates by Savannah Rapids Park to the raw water pumping station, have been closed for more than a year since Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on the canal banks.
During the closure, Stephens said he walked the lower sections of trail “as far up to the pumphouse as I could,” then turned around.
Monday he was able to start his walk at the headgates where the canal begins near his home.
Rep. Mark Newton, who helped coordinate efforts to get the section of trail reopened ahead of full-scale repairs, said the goal was to give the public back what was safe while it was possible.
“There’s got to be a way to get the prettiest spot in a multicounty area back open before work starts in January,” Newton said. “We were like, let’s get open what we can — what’s safe to open now.”
The public may now get on the trail at Savannah Rapids Park and follow it 1.5 miles almost to its crossing under I-20, a three-mile round trip, Newton said.
Savannah Rapids Pavilion at the park was surrounded by fence Monday, not yet recovered from the storm. Columbia County plans to start by year’s end an $8-10 million overhaul of the event venue that will take about 18 months, Newton said.
Recreational users of the reopened trail section are expected to stay within designated areas, not cross safety barriers and obey all signage, according to a statement from Mayor Garnett Johnson’s office.
Heavy equipment work remains to be done on the section that remains closed, officials said. Numerous fallen trees and the stumps they leave behind weaken the canal banks, which are like dams holding up each side of the canal. The work all must be performed under oversight by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission due to the canal’s use for hydropower.
Augusta Utilities is finalizing plans for the repairs and has met with FERC numerous times, said Utilities Director Wes Byne. Soon, it will be reviewing bids to perform the work, and hopes to begin construction around the first of the year, he said.
Augusta owns and is responsible for the entirety of the canal, while it leases the land used for Savannah Rapids Park to Columbia County.
Commissioner Francine Scott, who attended the reopening Monday, said the weather was perfect for a stroll in the beautiful area, but visitors need to know the opening is partial and obey the signs.
