Army Corps of Engineers crew digs up truck in swamp canal

An Army Corps of Engineers crew cleaning up debris in the Dismal Swamp Canal Wednesday dug up a 1999 Ford truck.

The truck was found on the west side of the canal near the feeder ditch, according to a news release from the corps. The crew of the corps vessel Elizabeth removed the truck so that it wouldn’t be a hazard to other boats.

The truck had been reported stolen in 2003 from a Portsmouth company, the release says.

The corps plans to resume lock operations on the canal, but a date hasn’t been set, the release says. Operations were suspended in October because a lack of rain caused water levels to drop to 3.6 feet.

The level of Lake Drummond has risen to 4.4 feet with recent rains, the release says. The corps anticipates that more rain forecast for the next two weeks will allow them to reopen the canal.

The canal has been closed 15 times since 1977 because of low lake levels, the release says.