BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The state of Vermont and the Lake Champlain Transportation Company are dropping plans to sink a century-old ferry in Lake Champlain where it could have been used as an underwater scuba diving destination.

The Vermont Division of Historic Preservation and the ferry company are now in the process of withdrawing the permit that had been issued for the project.

“This decision was made because of the increasing public opposition to the proposal and the additional costs and possible time delay of the project related to the appeal of the Lake Encroachment permit,” Vermont Historic Preservation Officer Laura Trieschmann said in an email.

Rather than being scuttled, the now-retired ferry Adirondack, which was constructed in 1913, will be scrapped.

The Adirondack first began sailing on Lake Champlain in 1954, traveling between Burlington and Port Kent, New York.

The ferry company had planned to sink the ferry after it was thoroughly cleaned of all oil, grease and other potential pollutants. It would have become part of an underwater historic preserve in Lake Champlain that includes nine other vessels.