POTSDAM -- An engineering and environmental firm began test borings Thursday in preparation for renovating the village’s flood-prone Cross Town Canal next year.

In 2010, a serious storm that was preceded by 28 days of measurable rainfall led to widespread flooding affecting about 50 homes in the Leroy and Clinton street neighborhood and around Pleasant Street between Waverly and Market streets, according to Village Administrator Greg Thompson.

Residents of the area said that was the worst of the flooding, but that the area was and continues to be susceptible to flooding.

The borings taken Thursday were to look specifically at two areas where water and sewer lines pass through the canal, and to determine the nature of the soils and bedrock there.

The decades-old canal was originally put in to drain an area of farmland at Lawrence Avenue, diverting the water to the Raquette River.

Since he major flooding event, “the village has ben diligent in minimizing new stormwater flows into the Cross-Town Canal,” Thompson said.

Environmental engineering firm GHD took a look at the canal after the major floor and found several problems, the most significant being then “utility conflicts” at Leroy and Pleasant streets.

The village has secured a New York State Community Development Block Grant for $507,500 and a $40,000 grant through the St. Lawrence Valley Redevelopment Agency to put toward the total estimated rehabilitation cost of $725,000. The remainder will be borne by the village, Thompson said.

Once GHD has a design and a plan in place, they will be reviewed by the state Department of Health and the DEC for health code compliance, according the village Superintendent of Public Works Bruce Henderson. With their approval the village can advertise for bids for the work.

“We will most likely remove the old utility lines, patch the canal’s walls and directional bore under the canal, installing siphon pumps to provide water and sewer service,” Henderson said.

The belief is that the bids can be solicited in early spring and the work can be done in the summer of 2017.