The Eisenhower Locks in Massena, NY.

The St. Lawrence Seaway is the common name for a system of canals that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes as far as Lake Superior. Legally it extends from Montreal to Lake Erie, including the Welland Canal and the Great Lakes Waterway. The seaway is named after the Saint Lawrence River, which it follows from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean. Image File history File links Eisenhower_Locks. ... Image File history File links Eisenhower_Locks. ... Massena is a town located in St. ... The Canal du Midi, Toulouse, France Canals are artificial channels for water. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. ... Lake Superior, bounded by Ontario, Canada and Minnesota, USA, to the north and Wisconsin and Michigan, USA, to the south, is the largest of North Americas Great Lakes. ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ... Lake Erie (pronounced ) is the eleventh largest lake on Earth[2] and, of the five Great Lakes of North America, it is the fourth largest by surface area, the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume. ... A ship transits the Welland Canal, with the Homer Lift Bridge and Garden City Skyway in background. ... The Great Lakes Waterway is a system of channels and canals that makes all of the Great Lakes accessible to oceangoing vessels. ... TheSaint Lawrence River (In French: fleuve Saint-Laurent) is a large west-to-east flowing river in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. ... Lake Ontario, bounded on the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south by Ontarios Niagara Peninsula and by New York State, USA, is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. ...

Route

The seaway begins at Montreal with the South Shore Canal (Saint-Lambert and Sainte-Catherine locks) bypassing the Lachine Rapids and replacing the historic Lachine Canal. Passing through Lake Saint-Louis, it then passes the Beauharnois power dam via the 2-lock Beauharnois Canal. Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ... The Lachine Rapids are a series of rapids on the Saint Lawrence River, between the Island of Montreal and the south shore. ... The Lachine Canal in 1920 The Lachine Canal (Canal de Lachine in French) is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, through the boroughs of Lachine and Le Sud-Ouest on land originally granted by the King of France to the Sulpician Order. ... Location map of Lake St-Louis. ... Beauharnois is a city located in southwestern Quebec, Canada. ... The Beauharnois Canal is a Canadian canal located in southwestern Quebec. ...

Beginning in the Saint Lawrence River, the seaway leaves Quebec through Lac Saint-François, passing through the Akwesasne Mohawk First Nation. At Cornwall and Massena, the river and seaway form an international waterway, with Ontario on the northern shore and New York State on the southern shore. Cornwall and Massena are joined by an international bridge over the St. Lawrence, the Seaway International Bridge, named for the seaway. , Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Official languages French Government - Lieutenant-Governor Pierre Duchesne - Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 75 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area  Ranked 2nd - Total 1,542,056 km² (595... Lac Saint-François (Lake Saint Francis) is a lake which borders southeastern Ontario, southwestern Quebec and northern New York State. ... Languages English, Mohawk Religions Christianity, Longhouse Related ethnic groups other Iroquoian peoples The Mohawk (Kanienkeh, Kanienkehaka or Kanien’Kahake, meaning People of the Flint) are an indigenous people of North America originally from the Mohawk Valley in upstate New York to Southern Quebec and Eastern Ontario. ... Cornwall. ... There are two places named Massena in St. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area [1] Ranked... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... The Seaway International Bridge is a bridge over the St. ...

Between Cornwall and Massena, the seaway diverges south of the river, passing through New York's Wiley-Dondero Canal, containing the Snell and Eisenhower locks. This route bypasses the Moses-Saunders hydroelectric dam before passing through the short Iroquois Lock on the Canadian side of the river, permitting vessels to bypass the Iroquois water level control structure. West of the Iroquois Lock, the seaway follows the St. Lawrence River through the Thousand Islands and into Lake Ontario. Altogether there are seven locks in the Montreal–Lake Ontario section (five Canadian, two American). Iroquois is a community of 1,200 located on the Saint Lawrence Seaway between Brockville and Cornwall, Ontario, just east of the Thousand Islands and an hour south of Ottawa. ... Sunset over one of the smallest islands. ... Lake Ontario, bounded on the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south by Ontarios Niagara Peninsula and by New York State, USA, is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. ...

The heads of state of Canada and the United States, Queen Elizabeth & President Eisenhower, at the official opening of the Seaway.

The Welland Canal (eight locks) links Lake Ontario (surface elevation 74m) to Lake Erie (surface elevation 173m), bypassing the formidable barrier of Niagara Falls. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... A ship transits the Welland Canal, with the Homer Lift Bridge and Garden City Skyway in background. ... Lake Erie (pronounced ) is the eleventh largest lake on Earth[2] and, of the five Great Lakes of North America, it is the fourth largest by surface area, the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume. ... Niagara Falls (French: ) is a set of massive waterfalls located on the Niagara River, straddling the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. ...

West of Lake Ontario in the Great Lakes Waterway the Soo Locks in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan bypass the rapids on the St. Marys River, connecting Lake Superior (surface elevation 183m) with Lake Huron (surface elevation 176m). This short canal is operated toll-free by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,[1] not by the joint U.S.-Canada Saint Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. They are often not considered part of the St. Lawrence Seaway, although they are an integral part of the system. Lake Ontario, bounded on the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south by Ontarios Niagara Peninsula and by New York State, USA, is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. ... The Great Lakes Waterway is a system of channels and canals that makes all of the Great Lakes accessible to oceangoing vessels. ... A Soo Lock vacant of ships The Sault Locks (usually called the Soo Locks) allow ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. ... Sault Ste. ... The St. ... Lake Superior, bounded by Ontario, Canada and Minnesota, USA, to the north and Wisconsin and Michigan, USA, to the south, is the largest of North Americas Great Lakes. ... Ipperwash Beach, Lake Huron. ... The USACE gold castle insignia, worn by officers of the Corps The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military men and women. ... The St. ...

The seaway was first used on April 25, 1959, although it was not officially opened until June 26, 1959, by Queen Elizabeth II and President Dwight D. Eisenhower. At the time of its construction, the seaway project was considered by some to be the largest work of engineering of all time. is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a Commonwealth Realm with Queen Elizabeth II as its reigning monarch and head of state. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... Dwight David Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American General and politician, who served as the thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953–1961). ...

Consequences of Construction

To create a navigable channel through the Long Sault rapids and to allow hydroelectric stations to be established immediately upriver from Cornwall, Ontario and Massena, New York, an artificial lake had to be created. Called Lake St. Lawrence, it required the flooding on July 1, 1958 of ten villages in Ontario, now collectively known as "The Lost Villages". There was also inundation on the New York side, but no communities were affected. Long Sault is one of two towns in the Canadian province of Ontario (Ingleside is the other) built to replace The Lost Villages, which were flooded by the construction of the St. ... Cornwall. ... There are two places named Massena in St. ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Lost Villages are ten communities in the Canadian province of Ontario, in the township of South Stormont near Cornwall, which were permanently submerged by the creation of the St. ...

The creation of the seaway also led to the introduction of foreign species of aquatic animals, including the sea lamprey and the zebra mussel, into the Great Lakes watershed. These organisms were introduced in the bilge water from oceanic vessels. Subfamilies Geotriinae Mordaciinae Petromyzontinae A lamprey (sometimes also called lamprey eel) is a jawless fish with a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. ... Binomial name Dreissena polymorpha Pallas, 1771 The Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a bivalve mussel native to freshwater lakes of southeast Russia. ...

The seaway provides significant entertainment and recreation such as boating, camping, fishing, and scuba diving. Of particular note is that the seaway provides a number of divable wrecks within recreational scuba limits (shallower than 130 ft.). Surprisingly, the water temperature can be as warm as 70°F with little or no thermocline during the mid to late summer months. The thermocline is a layer within a body of water where the temperature changes rapidly with depth. ...

Lock and channel dimensions

The size of vessels that can traverse the seaway is limited by the size of locks. Locks on the St Lawrence and on the Welland Canal are 766 feet (233.5 m) long, 80 feet (24 m) wide, and 30 feet (9.1 m) deep. The maximum allowed vessel size is slightly smaller: 740 feet (225.6 m) long, 78 feet (23.8 m) wide, and 26 feet (7.9 m) deep; many vessels designed for use on the Great Lakes following the opening of the seaway were built to the maximum size permissible by the locks, known informally as Seaway-Max. Large vessels of the lake freighter fleet are built on the Lakes and cannot travel down the seaway to the ocean. The only lock on the Great Lakes Waterway is 1,200 feet (357 m) long, 110 feet (33.5 m) wide and 32 feet (9.8 m) deep, but the channels are not kept that deep. A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... ‹ The template below (Unit of length) is being considered for deletion. ... The term Seawaymax refers to vessels which are the maximum size that can fit through the canal locks of the St Lawrence Seaway. ... The ill-fated SS Edmund Fitzgerald, built in the classic dual superstructure style with her wheelhouse up near the bow. ... The Great Lakes Waterway is a system of channels and canals that makes all of the Great Lakes accessible to oceangoing vessels. ...

Water depth is another obstacle to vessels, particularly in connecting waterways such as the St Lawrence River. The depth in the channels of the seaway is 41 feet (12.5 m) downstream of Quebec City, 35 feet (10.7 m) between Quebec City and Deschaillons, 37 feet (11.3 m) to Montreal, and 28 feet (8.2 m ) upstream of Montreal. Channels in the Great Lakes Waterway are slightly shallower: 25 to 27 feet (7.62 to 8.2 m). Motto: Don de Dieu feray valoir (I shall put Gods gift to good use; the Don de Dieu was Champlains ship) Coordinates: , Country Province Agglomeration Quebec City Statute of the city Capitale-Nationale Administrative Region Capitale-Nationale Founded 1608 by Samuel de Champlain Constitution date 1833 Government  - Mayor...

Channel depths and limited lock sizes mean that only 10% of ocean-going ships can traverse the entire seaway. Proposals to expand the seaway, dating from as early as the 1960s, have been rejected as too costly, and environmentally and economically unsound. Lower water levels in the Great Lakes have also posed problems for some vessels in recent years. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...

Earlier canals

In 1862, locks on the St Lawrence allowed transit of vessels 186 feet (57 m) long, 44½ feet (13.6 m) wide, and 9 feet (2.7 m) deep. The Welland Canal at this time allowed transit of vessels 142 feet (43 m) long, 26 feet (7.9 m) wide, and 10 feet (3.0 m) deep. These were generally too small to allow passage of larger ocean-going ships.

References

• Seaway Handbook issued by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, (Head Office, 202 Pitt Street, Cornwall, Ontario, Canada K6J 3P7) 2006.

External links

• Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway System web site
• The St Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
• The Lost Villages Historical Society
• Excerpt from the Illustrated London News, January 11, 1862 describing the Canals of Canada.
• Exchange of Notes, amending 1959 Agreement of Application of Tolls
• CBC Digital Archives — The St Lawrence Seaway: Gateway to the world
• Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law See Great Lakes; St. Lawrence River and Seaway. Peace Palace Libray