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Chesapeake and Delaware Canal

Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, sea-level canal, 19 mi (31 km) long, 250 ft (76 m) wide, and 27 ft (8.2 m) deep, connecting the head of Chesapeake Bay with the Delaware River. Built in 1824–29, the canal was bought by the federal government in 1919 and later was enlarged and modernized. It is part of the Intracoastal Waterway and can accommodate oceangoing vessels.

See R. D. Gray, The National Waterway (1989).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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