The Canaanite tunnel (called tunnel 2 by the French researcher Venson at the beginning of the twentieth century) was apparently dug at the same time that the fortifications of the city were established during the Middle Bronze Age 2 Period (18th Century BCE).  The northern portion is roofed with giant stones while the southern portion is a hollow cave. The waters of the southern spring were channeled through this canal for agricultural purposes.  A few meters past the beginning of the canal, a narrow cave splinters off channeling some of the water westward to the hollowed out pool.  The excess water continued to flow through the Canaanite Canal toward a reservoir in the southern section of the city.

In recent years it was suggested that the southern section of the Canaanite Canal is not from the Middle Bronze Age, but rather from the time of the First Temple.