Editing Canal (section)

===Modern uses===
[[File:Viewing man-made canals in the marsh in Louisiana, Barataria Basin.jpg|thumb|Canals can disrupt water circulation in marsh systems.]]
Large-scale ship canals such as the Panama Canal and Suez Canal continue to operate for cargo transportation, as do European barge canals. Due to [[globalization]], they are becoming increasingly important, resulting in expansion projects such as the [[Panama Canal expansion project]]. The expanded canal began commercial operation on 26 June 2016. The new set of locks allow transit of larger, [[Post-Panamax]] and [[New Panamax]] ships.<ref name=NYT062016>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/06/26/world/americas/ap-lt-panama-canal-expansion.html?ref=world&_r=0 | title=Panama Canal Opens $5B Locks, Bullish Despite Shipping Woes | agency=Associated Press | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=26 June 2016 | access-date=26 June 2016}}</ref>

The narrow early industrial canals, however, have ceased to carry significant amounts of trade and many have been abandoned to navigation, but may still be used as a system for transportation of untreated water. In some cases railways have been built along the canal route, an example being the [[Croydon Canal]].

A movement that began in Britain and France to use the early industrial canals for pleasure boats, such as [[hotel barge]]s, has spurred rehabilitation of stretches of historic canals. In some cases, abandoned canals such as the [[Kennet and Avon Canal]] have been restored and are now used by pleasure boaters. In Britain, canalside housing has also proven popular in recent years.

The [[Seine–Nord Europe Canal]] is being developed into a major transportation waterway, linking [[France]] with [[Belgium]], [[Germany]], and the [[Netherlands]].

Canals have found another use in the 21st century, as [[easement]]s for the installation of [[fibre optic]] [[telecommunications]] network cabling, avoiding having them buried in roadways while facilitating access and reducing the hazard of being damaged from digging equipment.

Canals are still used to provide water for agriculture. An extensive canal system exists within the [[Imperial Valley]] in the Southern California desert to provide irrigation to agriculture within the area.