Editing St. Lawrence Seaway

{{Short description|Locks and canals in the US and Canada}}
{{Infobox canal
 |name = St. Lawrence Seaway
 |image = St_lawrence_seaway.jpeg
 |image_caption = 
 |former_names =
 |modern_name =
 |original_owner =
 |engineer =
 |other_engineer =
 |date_act =
 |date_began = 1954
 |date_use = April 25
 |date_completed = 1959
 |date_extended =
 |date_closed =
 |date_restored =
 |length_mi= 370
 |len_ft = 740
 |len_in = 0
 |original_boat_length_ft =
 |original_boat_length_in =
 |len_note =
 |beam_ft = 78
 |beam_in = 0
 |max_boat_draft = 12.5 m (downstream of Quebec City), 10.7 m (Quebec City to Deschaillons), 11.3 m (Deschaillons to Montreal), 8.2 m (upstream of Montreal)
 | max_boat_air_draft      = 12 m
 |original_beam_ft =
 |original_beam_in =
 |beam_note =
 |start_point = [[Port Colborne, Ontario]]
 |original_start =
 |start_note =
 |end_point = [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]]
 |original_end =
 |end_note =
 |branch =
 |branch_of =
 |connects_to =
 |locks = 15
 |original_num_locks =
 |lock_note =
 |elev_ft = 570

 |elev_note =
 |status = Open
 |navigation_authority =
}}

[[File:Eisenhower Locks.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|The Eisenhower Locks in [[Massena (town), New York|Massena, New York]]]]
[[File:St Lawrence seaway 2.jpeg|upright=1.25|thumb|right|St. Lawrence Seaway]]
[[File:Vue aerienne saint laurent.JPG|upright=1.25|thumb|St. Lawrence Seaway separated navigation channel near [[Montreal]]]]
The '''St. Lawrence Seaway''' ({{langx|fr|la Voie Maritime du Saint-Laurent}}) is a system of [[river]]s, [[lock (water transport)|locks]], [[canal]]s and [[channel (geography)|channel]]s in [[Eastern Canada]] and [[Northern United States]] that permits [[maritime transport|oceangoing]] [[watercraft|vessel]]s to travel from the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the [[Great Lakes]] of [[North America]], as far inland as [[Duluth, Minnesota]], at the western end of [[Lake Superior]]. The seaway is named for the [[St. Lawrence River]], which flows straight from [[Lake Ontario]] to the Atlantic [[Gulf of St. Lawrence]]. Legally, the seaway extends from [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], to [[Lake Erie]], and includes the [[Welland Canal]]. Ships from the Atlantic Ocean are able to reach ports in all five of the Great Lakes via the [[Great Lakes Waterway]].

The St. Lawrence River portion of the seaway is not a continuous waterway; rather, it consists of several stretches of [[navigable]] channels within the river, a number of locks, and canals along the banks of the St. Lawrence River to bypass several [[rapids]] and [[dam]]s. A number of the locks are managed by the [[St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation]] in [[Canada]], and others in the [[United States]] by the [[Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation]]; the two bodies together advertise the seaway as part of '''"Highway H<sub>2</sub>O"'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hwyh2o.com/ |title=HWY H2O - Home |access-date=2014-08-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106191523/http://www.hwyh2o.com/ |archive-date=2014-11-06 }}</ref> The section of the river from Montreal to the Atlantic Ocean is under Canadian jurisdiction, regulated by the offices of [[Transport Canada]] in the [[Port of Quebec]].

== History ==
{{more citations needed section|date=June 2015}}
The St. Lawrence Seaway was preceded by several other canals. In 1871, locks on the St. Lawrence allowed transit of vessels {{convert|186|ft|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|44|ft|6|in|abbr=on}} wide, and {{convert|9|ft|abbr=on}} deep. The [[First Welland Canal]], constructed between 1824 and 1829, had a minimum lock size of  {{convert|110|ft|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|22|ft|abbr=on}} wide, and {{convert|8|ft|abbr=on}} deep, but it was generally too small to allow passage of larger oceangoing ships. The [[Welland Canal]]'s minimum lock size was increased to {{convert|150|ft|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|26.5|ft|abbr=on}} wide, and {{convert|9|ft|abbr=on}} deep for the Second Welland Canal; to {{convert|270|ft|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|45|ft|abbr=on}} wide, and {{convert|14|ft|abbr=on}} deep with the Third Welland Canal; and to {{convert|766|ft|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|80|ft|abbr=on}} wide, and {{convert|30|ft|abbr=on}} deep for the current (Fourth) Welland Canal.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brief History of the Welland Canal and the Welland Recreational Canal|url=http://www.canalcorp.ca/files/BriefHistoryoftheWellandCanal.pdf|publisher=Welland Recreational Canal Corporation|access-date=September 1, 2016}}</ref>

The first proposals for a binational comprehensive deep waterway along the St. Lawrence were made in the 1890s. In the following decades, developers proposed a hydropower project as inseparable from the seaway; the various governments and seaway supporters believed the deeper water to be created by the hydro project was necessary to make the seaway channels feasible for oceangoing ships. U.S. proposals for development up to and including the [[First World War]] met with little interest from the Canadian federal government. But the two national governments submitted St. Lawrence plans to a group for study. By the early 1920s, both ''[[The Wooten-Bowden Report]]'' and the [[International Joint Commission]] recommended the project.

Although Canada’s [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] Prime Minister [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]] was reluctant to proceed, in part because of opposition to the project in [[Quebec]], in 1932 he and the U.S. representative signed a treaty of intent. This treaty was submitted to the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] in November 1932 and hearings continued until a vote was taken on March 14, 1934. The majority voted in favor of the treaty, but it failed to gain the necessary two-thirds vote for ratification. Later attempts between the governments in the 1930s to forge an agreement came to naught due to opposition by the Ontario government of [[Mitchell Hepburn]] and the government of Quebec.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}} In 1936, John C. Beukema, head of the Great Lakes Harbors Association and a member of the Great Lakes Tidewater Commission, was among a delegation of eight from the Great Lakes states to meet at the White House with U.S. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] to obtain his support for the seaway concept.

Beukema and St. Lawrence Seaway proponents were convinced a nautical link would lead to the development of the communities and economies of the [[Great Lakes region]] by permitting the passage of oceangoing ships. In this period, exports of grain, along with other commodities, to Europe were an important part of the national economy. Negotiations on the treaty resumed in 1938, and by January 1940 substantial agreement was reached between Canada and the United States. By 1941, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Mackenzie King made an executive agreement to build the joint hydro and navigation works, but this failed to receive the assent of the [[U.S. Congress]]. Proposals for the seaway were met with resistance; the primary opposition came from interests representing harbors on the [[East Coast of the United States|Atlantic]] and [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast]]s and internal waterways and from the railroad associations. The railroads carried freight and goods between the coastal ports and the Great Lakes cities.

After 1945, proposals to introduce [[Toll (fee)|tolls]] to the seaway were not sufficient to gain support for the project by the U.S. Congress. Growing impatient, and with Ontario desperate for the power to be generated by hydroelectricity, Canada began to consider developing the project alone. This seized the imagination of Canadians, engendering a groundswell of nationalism around the St. Lawrence. On September 28, 1951, Canadian Prime Minister [[Louis St. Laurent]] advised U.S. President [[Harry S. Truman]] that Canada was unwilling to wait for the United States and would build a seaway alone; the [[Parliament of Canada|Canadian Parliament]] authorized the founding of the [[St. Lawrence Seaway Authority]] on December 21 of that year. Fueled by this support, Saint Laurent's administration decided during 1951 and 1952 to construct the waterway alone, combined with the [[Moses-Saunders Power Dam]]. (This became the joint responsibility of Ontario and New York: as a hydropower dam would change the water levels, it required bilateral cooperation.)

The International Joint Commission issued an order of approval for joint construction of the dam in October 1952. U.S. Senate debate on the bill began on January 12, 1953, and the bill emerged from the House of Representatives Committee of Public Works on February 22, 1954. It received approval from the Senate and the House by May 1954. The first positive action to enlarge the seaway was taken on May 13, 1954, when U.S. President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] signed the Wiley-Dondero Seaway Act<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greatlakesseawaynews.com/great-lakes-and-saint-lawrence/2009/5/13/wiley-dondero-act-brought-us-to-seaway-project-55-years-ago.html |title=GreatLakesSeawayNews.com |website=GreatLakesSeawayNews.com |access-date=November 25, 2016}}</ref> to authorize joint construction and establish the [[Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation|St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation]] as the U.S. authority. The need for cheap haulage of Quebec-[[Labrador]] iron ore was one of the arguments that finally swung the balance in favor of the seaway. Groundbreaking ceremonies took place in [[Massena, New York]], on August 10, 1954. That year Eisenhower appointed Beukema to the five-member [[St. Lawrence Seaway Advisory Board]].

In May 1957, the Connecting Channels Project was begun by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]]. By 1959, Beukema was on board the U.S. Coast Guard cutter ''Maple'' for the first trip through the U.S. locks, which opened up the Great Lakes to oceangoing ships. On April 25, 1959,<ref>{{cite book |title=The Geography of Transport Systems |first=Jean-Paul |last=Rodrigue |chapter=The St. Lawrence Seaway and Regional Development |publisher=[[Hofstra University]] |url=http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch7en/appl7en/ch7a1en.html |access-date=2015-04-23 |archive-date=2017-07-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709234418/https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch7en/appl7en/ch7a1en.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> large, deep-draft ocean vessels began streaming to the heart of the North American continent through the seaway, a project supported by every administration from [[Woodrow Wilson]] through Eisenhower.

In the United States, [[N. R. Danelian]], worked with the [[U.S. Secretary of State]] on Canadian-U.S. issues regarding the seaway, persevering through 15 years to gain passage by the U.S. Congress of the [[Seaway Act]]. He later became president of the [[Great Lakes St. Lawrence Association]] to promote seaway development to benefit the American heartland. The seaway was heavily promoted by the Eisenhower administration, which had been concerned with a lack of US control.<ref name=js3/>

The seaway opened in 1959 and cost [[Canadian dollar|C$]]470 million, $336.2 million of which was paid by the Canadian government.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/research-recherche/result/alt_formats/pdf/hm05_e.pdf |title=History of the St. Lawrence Seaway |work=Infrastructure Canada |publisher=Infrastructure.gc.ca |access-date=March 27, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080625044719/http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/research-recherche/result/alt_formats/pdf/hm05_e.pdf |archive-date =June 25, 2008}}</ref> [[Elizabeth II]], [[Monarchy of Canada|Queen of Canada]] and President Eisenhower formally opened the seaway on June 26, 1959 with a short cruise aboard the [[royal yacht]] {{ship|HMY|Britannia}} after addressing crowds in [[Saint-Lambert, Quebec]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Queen Heads West On Seaway After Pageant|last=Sinclair|first=Clayton|newspaper=The Gazette|publication-place=Montreal|date=June 27, 1959|page=1}}</ref> 22,000 workers were employed at one time or another on the project, a {{convert|2,300|mi|km|order=flip|adj=mid|-long}} superhighway for ocean freighters.<ref name=js3/> [[Port of Milwaukee]] director Harry C. Brockel forecast just before the Seaway opened in 1959 that "The St. Lawrence Seaway will be the greatest single development of this century in its effects on Milwaukee's future growth and prosperity." Lester Olsen, president of the Milwaukee Association of Commerce, said, "The magnitude and potential of the St. Lawrence Seaway and the power project stir the imagination of the world."<ref name=js3/>

The seaway's opening is often credited with making the [[Erie Canal]] obsolete and causing the severe economic decline of several cities along the canal in [[Upstate New York]]. But by the turn of the 20th century, the Erie Canal had already been largely supplanted by the railroads, which had been constructed across New York and could carry freight more quickly and cheaply. Upstate New York's economic decline was precipitated by numerous factors, only some of which had to do with the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Under the [[Canada Marine Act]] (1998), the Canadian portions of the seaway were set up with a [[non-profit corporation|non-profit corporate]] structure; this legislation also introduced changes to federal ports.<!--such as? how does this affect operations? --><ref name=CmaA>
{{cite news
| url         = http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/acts-regulations/acts-1998c10.htm
| title       = Canada Marine Act (1998, c. 10)
| publisher   = [[Transport Canada]]
}}
</ref>

Great Lakes and seaway shipping generates $3.4 billion in business revenue annually in the United States. In 2002, ships moved 222 million tonnes of cargo through the seaway. Overseas shipments, mostly of inbound steel and outbound grain, accounted for 15.4 million tonnes, or 6.9%, of the total cargo moved.<ref name=js3>{{cite web|last=Egan |first=Dan |url=https://archive.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/98880029.html |title=Sinking treasure |website=Jsonline.com |date=October 30, 2005 |access-date=January 19, 2025}}</ref> In 2004, seaway grain exports accounted for about 3.6% of U.S. overseas grain shipments, according to the U.S. Grains Council. In a typical year, seaway steel imports account for around 6% of the U.S. annual total. The toll revenue obtained from ocean vessels is about 25–30% of cargo revenue.<ref name=js3/> The Port of [[Duluth]] shipped just over 2.5 million tonnes of grain, which is less than the port typically moved in the decade before the seaway opened [[Lake Superior]] to deep-draft oceangoing vessels in 1959.<ref name=js3/>

International changes have affected shipping through the seaway. Europe is no longer a major grain importer<!--why? is it growing or importing from closer nations? -->; large U.S. export shipments are now going to South America, Asia, and Africa. These destinations make Gulf and West Coast ports more critical to 21st-century grain exports. Referring to the seaway project, a retired Iowa State University economics professor who specialized in transportation issues said, "It probably did make sense, at about the time it (the Seaway) was constructed and conceived, but since then everything has changed."<ref name=js3/>

Certain seaway users have been concerned about the low water levels of the Great Lakes that had been recorded between 2010 and 2016.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/great-lakes-low-water-levels-could-cost-19b-by-2050-1.2688415 |title=Great Lakes low water levels could cost $19B by 2050 |work=CBC News |agency=The Canadian Press |date=June 27, 2014 |access-date=October 11, 2016}}</ref>

==Expansion proposal==
[[File:Ship measurements comparison.svg|thumb|upright=1.8|Comparison of [[bounding box]] of Panamax and Seawaymax]]
{{See also|List of crossings of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes}}

The [[Panama Canal]] was completed in 1914 and also serves oceangoing traffic. In the 1950s, seaway designers chose not to build the locks to match the size of ships permitted by the 1914 locks at the Panama Canal ({{convert|965|by|106|ft|m|disp=comma}}, known as the [[Panamax]] limit). Instead, the seaway locks were built to match the smaller locks of Welland Canal, which opened in 1932. The seaway locks permit passage of a ship {{convert|740|ft|m}} long by {{convert|78|ft|m}} wide (the [[Seawaymax]] limit).<ref name=js3/>

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted a study to expand the St. Lawrence Seaway, but the plan was scrapped in 2011 because of budgetary issues.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.csu.edu/cerc/documents/WeighingCostsBenefitsExpandingStLawrenceSeaway.pdf |publisher=University of Chicago |title=Weighing Costs-Benefits of Expanding the St. Lawrence Seaway: An Economic, Environmental and Policy Analysis |last=Muley |first=Sarah Herment |date=May 20, 2005 |access-date=February 14, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |agency=The Canadian Press |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/08/16/report-seaway-expansion-_n_928067.html |title=St. Lawrence Seaway Expansion Plans Nixed: Report |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222001213/http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/08/16/report-seaway-expansion-_n_928067.html |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |website=Huffington Post |date=2011-08-16 |access-date=2016-11-25}}</ref>

== Locks in the St. Lawrence River ==
{{multiple image
 | align = right

 | image1 = Iroquois Locks.JPG
 | width1 = 199
 | alt1 = 
 | caption1  =  Iroquois Locks

 | image2 =  Beauharnois Lock.png
 | width2 = 175
 | alt2 = 
 | link2 = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beauharnois_Lock.png
 | caption2  = Beauharnois Lock

 | image3 = St. Lambert Lock.png
 | width3 = 85 
 | link3 =  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Lambert_Lock.png
 | caption3 = St. Lambert Lock

 | footer =
}}

There are seven [[lock (water transport)|locks]] in the St. Lawrence River portion of the seaway. From downstream to upstream they are:<ref name="SeawayMap">{{cite web |url=http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/navigating/map/index.html |title=Seaway System |website=Greatlakes-seaway.com |access-date=2016-11-25 |archive-date=2010-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612101610/http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/navigating/map/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<!-- only 6 locks listed-->
# St. Lambert Lock—[[Saint Lambert, Quebec|Saint Lambert]], [[Quebec|QC]]
# Côte Ste. Catherine Lock—[[Sainte-Catherine, Quebec|Sainte-Catherine]], QC
# Beauharnois Locks (two locks)—[[Melocheville, Quebec|Melocheville]], QC, at {{coord|45|18|12.6|N|73|55|36.5|W}} and {{coord|45|19|0.1|N|73|55|6.6|W}}
# Snell Lock—[[Massena (town), New York|Massena]], [[New York (state)|NY]]
# [[Eisenhower Lock]]—[[Massena (town), New York|Massena]], NY
# Iroquois Lock—[[South Dundas, Ontario|Iroquois]], [[Ontario|ON]], at {{coord|44|49|48|N|75|18|46.8|W}}

Water Level Elevations:
* Lake Ontario is {{convert|243|ft|1|abbr=on}} above sea level.
* The drop through Iroquois Lock is {{convert|1|ft|1|abbr=on}}.
* Lake St. Lawrence is {{convert|242|ft|1|abbr=on}} above sea level.
* The drop through Eisenhower Lock is {{convert|38|ft|1|abbr=on}}.
* The Wiley-Dondero Canal is {{convert|204|ft|1|abbr=on}} above sea level.
* The drop through Snell Lock is {{convert|45|ft|1|abbr=on}}.
* Lake St. Francis is {{convert|159|ft|1|abbr=on}} above sea level .
* The drop through Upper Beauharnois Lock is {{convert|41|ft|1|abbr=on}}.
* The Beauharnois Canal is {{convert|118|ft|1|abbr=on}} above sea level.
* The drop through Lower Beauharnois Lock is {{convert|41|ft|1|abbr=on}}.
* Lake St. Louis is {{convert|77|ft|1|abbr=on}} above sea level.
* The drop through Côte Ste. Catherine Lock is {{convert|30|ft|1|abbr=on}}.
* Laprairie Basin is {{convert|47|ft|1|abbr=on}} above sea level.
* The drop through St. Lambert Lock is {{convert|15|ft|1|abbr=on}}.
* The drop through the Lachine Rapids is a few feet.
* Montreal Harbour is approximately {{convert|30|ft|1|abbr=on}} above sea level.

==Locks in the Welland Canal==
There are eight locks on the Welland Canal. From the north to the south, there is lock 1 at Port Weller, followed by Lock 2 and then Lock 3, a site with a visitors' information centre and museum in [[St. Catharines, Ontario]]. There are four locks in [[Thorold, Ontario]], including twin-flight locks 4, 5 and 6, with Lock 7 leading up to the main channel. The Lake Erie level control lock sits in [[Port Colborne, Ontario]]. [[File:Welland Canal aerial.png|thumb|Locks 4, 5, 6, & 7 on the Welland Canal]]

== Lock, channel dimensions, and additional statistical data ==
The size of vessels that can traverse the seaway is limited by the size of the [[Lock (water navigation)|locks]]. Those on the St. Lawrence and the Welland Canal are {{convert|766|ft|1|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|80|ft|1|abbr=on}} wide, and {{convert|30|ft|2|abbr=on}} deep. The maximum allowed vessel size is slightly smaller: {{convert|740|ft|1|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|78|ft|1|abbr=on}} wide, and {{convert|26.5|ft|1|abbr=on}} deep. After the opening of the seaway, many vessels designed for use on the Great Lakes were built to the maximum size permissible by the locks, known informally as Seawaymax or Seaway-Max. Large vessels of the [[lake freighter]] fleet are built on the lakes and cannot travel downstream beyond the Welland Canal. On the remaining Great Lakes, these ships are constrained only by the largest lock on the [[Great Lakes Waterway]], the Poe Lock at the [[Soo Locks]] (at Sault Ste. Marie), which is {{convert|1200|ft|1|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|110|ft|1|abbr=on}} wide, and {{convert|32|ft|1|abbr=on}} deep.

A vessel's [[draft (hull)|draft]] is another obstacle to its passage on the seaway, particularly in connecting waterways such as the St. Lawrence River. The depth in the seaway's channels is {{convert|41|ft|1|abbr=on}} (Panamax depth) downstream of [[Quebec City]], {{convert|35|ft|1|abbr=on}} between Quebec City and [[Deschaillons-sur-Saint-Laurent, Quebec|Deschaillons]], {{convert|37|ft|1|abbr=on}} to Montreal, and {{convert|27|ft|1|abbr=on}} upstream of Montreal. Channel depths and limited lock sizes mean that only 10% of current oceangoing ships, which have been built much larger than in the 1950s, can traverse the entire seaway. Proposals to expand the seaway, dating from as early as the 1960s, have been rejected since the late 20th century as too costly. In addition, researchers, policy makers, and the public are much more aware of the environmental issues that have accompanied seaway development and are reluctant to open the Great Lakes to more invasions of damaging species, as well as associated issues along the canals and river. Questions have been raised as to whether such infrastructure costs could ever be recovered. Lower water levels in the Great Lakes have also posed problems for some vessels in recent years, and pose greater issues to communities, industries, and agriculture in the region.

While the seaway is (as of 2010) mostly used for shipping [[bulk cargo]], the possibility of its use for large-scale [[Containerization|container shipping]] is under consideration as well. If the expansion project were to go ahead, [[feeder ship]]s would take containers from the port of [[Oswego, New York|Oswego]] on Lake Ontario in upstate [[New York (state)|New York]] to [[Melford International Terminal]] in [[Nova Scotia]] for transfer to larger oceangoing ships.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf?/base/news-13/122469336925650.xml&coll=1 |first=John |last=Doherty |title=Oswego Considered For Major Container Port: Plan calls for $3M facility to create first Great Lakes site handling global container shipments |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090623124034/http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews-13%2F122469336925650.xml&coll=1 |archive-date=June 23, 2009 |url-status=dead |newspaper=[[The Post-Standard]] |date=October 22, 2008}}</ref>

A website hosts measurements of wind, water, levels and water temperatures.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/R2/jsp/R2.jsp?language=E&loc=EV00.jsp |title=Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System |website=Greatlakes-seaway.com |access-date=November 25, 2016 |archive-date=November 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104081907/http://greatlakes-seaway.com/R2/jsp/R2.jsp?language=E&loc=EV00.jsp |url-status=dead }}</ref> A real-time interactive map of seaway locks, vessels, and ports is available at.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/navigating/map/index.html |title=Seaway System |website=Greatlakes-seaway.com |access-date=November 25, 2016 |archive-date=June 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612101610/http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/navigating/map/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The United States' [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]-funded [[Great Lakes Water Level Dashboard]] compiles statistics on water depth at various points along the seaway.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/wlevels/dashboard/ |website=noaa.gov |title=Great Lakes Water Level Dashboard |access-date=January 26, 2025}}</ref>

==Ecology==
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 (town), New York|Massena, New York]], Lake St. Lawrence was created behind a dam. This required the condemnation and acquisition by the government of all the properties of six villages and three hamlets in Ontario; these are now collectively known as [[The Lost Villages]].<ref>{{cite web |title= The Lost Villages |newspaper= The Ottawa Citizen |via=Canada.com |date=June 28, 2008 |url= http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=b888ee7c-b7b1-4c0d-b52f-451271952ba4 |access-date= February 28, 2013 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121104141454/http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=b888ee7c-b7b1-4c0d-b52f-451271952ba4 |archive-date = November 4, 2012}}</ref> The area was flooded beginning on July 1, 1958, creating the lake.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/seaway-at-60/st-lawrence-seaway-at-60-development-uprooted-lives-villages-lost |title=St. Lawrence Seaway at 60: Development uprooted lives, villages lost |last=Zajac |first=Ronald |work=The Montreal Gazette |date=April 26, 2016 |access-date=February 29, 2024}}</ref> There was also inundation on the New York side of the border, and the village of Louisville Landing was submerged.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.northcountrynow.com/stories/town-of-louisville-taking-over-massena-country-club,8080 |title=Town of Louisville taking over Massena Country Club |work=North Country Now |date=February 22, 2021 |access-date=February 29, 2024}}</ref>

A notable adverse environmental effect of the operation of the seaway has been the introduction of numerous [[invasive species]] of aquatic animals into the [[Great Lakes Basin]]. The [[zebra mussel]] has been most damaging in the Great Lakes and through its invasion of related rivers, waterways, and city water facilities. Invasive species and artificial water level controls imposed by the seaway have had a negative impact on recreational fishing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/stlawrivfshobjectives.pdf |title=Fish-Community Objectives for the St. Lawrence River |last1=LaPan |first1=Steven R. |last2=Mathers |first2=Alistair |last3=Stewart |first3=Thomas J. |last4=Lange |first4=Robert J. |last5=Orsatti |first5=Sandra D. |publisher=Great Lakes Fishery Commission |location=Ann Arbor, Michigan |date=2002 |access-date=2015-06-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150515053831/http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/stlawrivfshobjectives.pdf |archive-date=2015-05-15}}</ref>

The seaway, along with the St. Lawrence River it passes through, also provides opportunities for outdoor recreation, such as [[boating]], [[camping]], [[fishing]], and [[scuba diving]]. Of note, the Old Power House near Lock 23 (near Morrisburg, Ontario) became an attractive site for scuba divers. The submerged stone building has become covered with barnacles and is home to an abundance of underwater life.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lostvillages.ca/history/the-lost-villages/mille-roches/the-power-house/ |title=Power House |publisher=Lost Villages Historical Society |access-date=February 29, 2024}}</ref> The seaway passes through the St. Lawrence River, which provides a number of diveable [[shipwreck]]s within recreational scuba limits (shallower than {{convert|130|ft|abbr=on}}). The region also offers technical diving, with some wrecks lying at {{convert|240|ft|abbr=on}}. The water temperature can be as warm as {{convert|75|F|0}} during the mid- to late-summer months. The first {{convert|10|ft|0|abbr=on}} of Lake Ontario is warmed and enters the St. Lawrence River, as the fast-moving water body has no [[thermocline]] circulation.

On July 12, 2010, ''Richelieu'' (owned by [[Canada Steamship Lines]]) ran aground after losing power near the Côte-Sainte-Catherine lock. The grounding punctured a fuel tank, spilling an estimated {{convert|200|t|e3lb|abbr=off}} of [[diesel fuel]], covering approximately {{convert|500|m2}}. The seaway and lock were shut down to help contain the spill.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/st-lawrence-seaway-fuel-spill-contained-1.868278 |title=St. Lawrence Seaway fuel spill contained |work=[[CBC News]] |publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] |date=July 13, 2010 |access-date=February 29, 2024}}</ref>

==International trade and tourism==
The seaway is important for American and Canadian international trade. It handles 40–50 million annual tonnes of cargo. About 50% of this cargo carried travels to and from international ports in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The rest comprises coastal trade, or [[short sea shipping]], between various American and Canadian ports.<ref>{{cite web|title=Introducing the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System|url=http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/pdf/overview_brochure.pdf|publisher=[[St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation]]|access-date=2013-01-02|archive-date=2019-02-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190221025340/http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/pdf/overview_brochure.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Among international shippers are found:
* [[Polsteam]], which maintains a fleet of dry-bulk only vessels that transit every two weeks from the Dutch town of [[IJmuiden]] to [[Duluth, Minnesota]]
* [[Fednav Group]], a private<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.occq-qcco.com/main.cfm?p=421&l=en&MembreID=38 |title=Fednav Limited – Montreal – Ship chartering, Shipping agency, Marine Agencies, Tie-downs, Stevedoring, Boats, Boats repair and maintenance, International commerce, Ship owning, Navigation services, Exportation services, Ice navigation services, Logistic services, Transportation, Transportation of bulk, Oceanic transportation |website=Occq-Qcco.com |date=1974-08-01 |access-date=2016-11-25}}</ref> international dry-bulk only ocean transportation group, with routes between the [[Port of Antwerp]] and [[Sorel, Quebec]], even in wintertime<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fednav.com/anglais/schedules.html |title=Liner Shipping: Falline |website=Fednav.com |access-date=2016-11-25}}</ref>
* [[World Shipping]] Inc., a privately owned<ref>{{cite web|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=4396541 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140104202257/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=4396541 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 4, 2014 |title=World Shipping, Inc.: Private Company Information – Bloomberg |website=Investing.businessweek.com |access-date=2016-11-25}}</ref> global logistics operation<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldshipping.com/ |title=World Shipping, Inc |website=Worldshipping.com |date=2014-06-20 |access-date=2016-11-25}}</ref>
* [[Canfornav]], a subsidiary of [[Canfor]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canfornav.com/en/about-us.aspx |title=About us |website=Canfornav.com |access-date=2016-11-25 |archive-date=2016-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126003407/http://www.canfornav.com/en/about-us.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> which does dry bulk only and registers most of its vessels in [[Cyprus]]
* [[American Steamship Company]], a subsidiary of the [[General American Transportation Corporation]] (GATX)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americansteamship.com/index.php |title=American Steamship Company |website=Americansteamship.com |access-date=2016-11-25}}</ref>
* [[Rand Logistics]], which was formed from the acquisition of Lower Lakes Towing Ltd,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.randlogisticsinc.com/about.html |title=About Rand |publisher=Rand Logistics, Inc. |access-date=2016-11-25}}</ref> and does not ship containers
* [[McKeil Marine]], headquartered in Hamilton, which provides service to Arctic ports<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mckeil.com/marine-ports |title=Ports of Call &#124; Marine Transportation and Project Services &#124; McKeil Marine Limited |access-date=2014-01-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104205326/http://www.mckeil.com/marine-ports |archive-date=2014-01-04 }}</ref>
* [[Groupe Desgagnés]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://desgagnes.com/en/home/3.aspx |title=Groupe Desgagnés |website=Desgagnes.com |date=2015-12-01 |access-date=2016-11-25 |archive-date=2015-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201155845/http://desgagnes.com/en/home/3.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* The [[Port of Montreal]] is the site of operations of
** [[Maersk Line]], a unit of the [[A.P. Moller-Maersk Group]]
** [[Mediterranean Shipping Company]]
** [[CMA CGM|Compagnie Maritime d'Affrètement / Compagnie Generale Maritime]], a French transshipper
** [[Hapag-Lloyd]] acquired the Port of Montreal docks of, along with the rest of, [[CP Ships]] in 2005
** [[Orient Overseas Container Line]], a Hong Kong-based multinational
* [[Arrimage Quebec]], which has [[stevedoring]] operations in [[Baie-Comeau]], [[Bécancour, Quebec|Becancour]], [[Chicago]], [[Montreal|Cote-Sainte-Catherine]], [[Gaspé, Quebec|Gaspe]], [[Cacouna, Quebec|Gros-Cacouna]], [[Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority|Hamilton]], [[Matane]], [[Oshawa]], [[Pointe-au-Pic]], [[Port Colborne]], [[Portneuf, Quebec|Portneuf]], [[Quebec]], [[Rimouski]], [[Saguenay, Quebec|Saguenay]], [[Sept-Îles, Quebec|Sept-Iles]], [[Sorel-Tracy]], [[St. Catharines]], and other ports in the Maritime provinces of Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qsl.com/en/qsl.html |title=Quebec Stevedoring |access-date=2014-01-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211194743/http://www.qsl.com/en/qsl.html |archive-date=2014-02-11 }}</ref>

The St. Lawrence Seaway (along with ports in Quebec) is the main route for Ontario grain exports to overseas markets.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wheat Export|url=http://www.gfo.ca/Marketing/WheatMarketing/WheatExport.aspx|publisher=Grain Farmers of Ontario|access-date=2013-01-02|archive-date=2012-12-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121205011924/http://www.gfo.ca/Marketing/WheatMarketing/WheatExport.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its fees are publicly known, and were limited in 2013 to an increase of 3%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/commercial/transiting/toll-schedule/index.html |title= Commercial Shipping – Toll Schedule |website=Seaway System |access-date=2016-11-25 |archive-date=2016-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161212011520/http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/commercial/transiting/toll-schedule/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> A trained pilot is required for any foreign trade vessel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seaway.dot.gov/Cruise%20Brochure.pdf |title=Cruising the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway |publisher=U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway |access-date=2013-12-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130213211433/http://www.seaway.dot.gov/Cruise%20Brochure.pdf |archive-date=2013-02-13 }}</ref> A set of rules and regulations are available to help transit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/commercial/transiting/index.html |title=Commercial Shipping – Transiting the Seaway |website=Seaway System |access-date=2016-11-25 |archive-date=2016-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161212011510/http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/commercial/transiting/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Commercial vessel transit information is hosted on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation website.

Since 1997, international cruise liners have been known to transit the seaway. The [[Hapag-Lloyd]] ''Christopher Columbus'' carried 400 passengers to [[Duluth, Minnesota]], that year. Since then, the number of annual seaway cruising passengers has increased to 14,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seaway.dot.gov/Cruise%20Brochure.pdf |title=Cruising the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway |publisher=U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway |access-date=2013-12-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130213211433/http://www.seaway.dot.gov/Cruise%20Brochure.pdf |archive-date=2013-02-13 |page=1 }}</ref>

Every year, more than 2,000 recreational boats, of more than 20&nbsp;ft and one ton, transit the seaway.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/recreational/index.html |title= Recreational Boating |website=Seaway System |access-date=2016-11-25 |archive-date=2012-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717135013/http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/recreational/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The tolls have been fixed for 2017 at $30 per lock. There is a $5 per lock discount for payment in advance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/recreational/craft_tolls.html |title= Recreational Boating – Pleasure Craft Tolls |website=Seaway System |access-date=2016-11-25 |archive-date=2016-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112211017/http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/recreational/craft_tolls.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lockages are scheduled 12 hours a day between the hours of 07:00 and 19:00 from June 15 to September 15.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/recreational/lockage_schedule.html |title= Recreational Boating – Lockage Schedule |website=Seaway System |access-date=2016-11-25 |archive-date=2016-11-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107135828/http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/recreational/lockage_schedule.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A list of organisations that serve the seaway in some fashion, such as chambers of commerce and municipal or port authorities, is available at the SLSDC website. A 56-page electronic "Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System" Directory is published by Harbor House Publishers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.harborhouse.com/digital/systemdirectory.htm |title=Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Directory |website=Harborhouse.com |access-date=2016-11-25}}</ref><ref name="The St. Lawrence Seaway, a Vital Waterway">{{cite web |title=The St. Lawrence Seaway, a Vital Waterway |url=https://greatlakes-seaway.com/en/the-seaway/ |website=Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development |publisher=The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Seaway System |access-date=30 August 2024 |date=2024 |quote=According to a special report compiled by BMO Capital Markets, the eight states and two provinces that border the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System generate an immense economic impact within North America.}}</ref>

==Map==
''Map of the world Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway from 1959,'' depicting the entire length beginning at the [[Gulf of St. Lawrence]] in the east to the westernmost terminus at Lake Superior.
[[File:Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway map 1959.png|frameless|center|upright=3.65]]
[[File:St. Lawrence Seaway locks and crossings.png|upright=3.65|thumb|center|[[Thousand Islands Bridge]], [[Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge]], [[Seaway International Bridge]], [[List of crossings of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes#Upper St. Lawrence and Beauharnois Canal|Valleyfield Bridge]],  [[List of crossings of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes#Upper St. Lawrence and Beauharnois Canal|St. Louis Bridge]], [[Champlain Bridge, Montreal (2019–present)|Champlain Bridge]] <br /> [[Lake Ontario]], [[Lake Saint Francis (Canada)|Lake Saint Francis]], [[Lake Saint-Louis]], [[Port of Montreal|Montreal Harbour]]]]

==See also==
<!-- please keep entries in alphabetical order -->
{{col-begin}}{{col-break}}
* [[Container on barge]]
* [[Glossary of nautical terms (A-L)]]
* [[Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z)]]
* [[Great Lakes Waterway]]
* [[Lachine Canal]]
* [[Lake Champlain Seaway]]
* [[Merchant vessel]]
{{col-break|gap=4em}}
* [[Navigability]]
* [[Ship transport]]
* [[Soo Locks]]
* [[Soulanges Canal]]
* [[Watercraft]]
* [[Waterway]]
{{col-end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
* Macfarlane, Daniel (2014). ''Negotiating a River: Canada, the US, and the Creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway''. Vancouver: UBC Press.
* Parr, Joy (2010). ''[[Sensing Changes|Sensing Changes: Technologies, Environments, and the Everyday, 1953–2003]]''. Vancouver: UBC Press.
* {{citation |last = Puccia Parham |first = Claire|year =2009 |title = The St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project : an oral history of the greatest construction show on earth|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=pxgOX-bUXVwC&q=Saint%20Lawrence%20Seaway&pg=PP1 |publisher= Syracuse University Press|isbn=978-0-8156-0913-1  }}
* [[St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation]] (2006) [http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/commercial/seaway-handbook/index.html "Seaway Handbook"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617203953/http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/commercial/seaway-handbook/index.html |date=2009-06-17 }} Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.
* {{Cite book | last=Willoughby | first=William R. | title=The St. Lawrence Waterway: A Study in Politics and Diplomacy | url=https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=6005588 | publisher=Madison, University of Wisconsin Press | year=1961 | access-date=2017-09-11 | archive-date=2011-06-28 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628215249/http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=6005588 | url-status=dead }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Saint Lawrence Seaway}}

*[https://www.seaway.dot.gov/sites/seaway.dot.gov/files/docs/Tommy%20Trent%20ABCs%20of%20the%20Seaway.pdf Tommy Trent's ABC's of the Seaway, a brochure for young people]   {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075138/http://www.seaway.ca/en/pdf/tommy_trent_abc.pdf |date=2016-03-04 }}
* [http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/index.html Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway System web site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607074759/http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/index.html |date=2009-06-07 }}
* [http://www.seaway.dot.gov/ Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZNsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA97 "Stairways to the Seas"]. ''Popular Mechanics'', January 1959, pp.&nbsp;97–103. Detail article with illustrations of lock system.
* [http://hot.mixtopix.com/st-lawrence-seaway-april-25-1959-2590/ St. Lawrence Seaway April 25, 1959] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318080948/http://hot.mixtopix.com/st-lawrence-seaway-april-25-1959-2590/ |date=March 18, 2014 }}
* [http://eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/st_lawrence_seaway.html Documents and Photographs relating to the St. Lawrence Seaway, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706080203/https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/st_lawrence_seaway.html |date=2017-07-06 }}
* [http://lostvillages.ca The Lost Villages Historical Society]
* Excerpt from the ''Illustrated London News'', January 11, 1862 describing the [https://web.archive.org/web/20050207030652/http://theshipslist.com/1862/canals.html ''Canals of Canada''.]
* [http://www.thegreatwaterway.com The Great Waterway: a site dedicated to tourism along the waterway from Lake Ontario to Cornwall and the Seaway Valley]
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090617095519/http://www.lexum.umontreal.ca/ca_us/en/cts.1993.25.en.html Exchange of Notes between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America constituting an Agreement further amending their 1959 Agreement concerning the Application of Tolls on the St. Lawrence Seaway (with Memorandum of Agreement)]", 1993, Lexum
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140811192657/http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/economy-business/transport/the-st-lawrence-seaway-gateway-to-the-world/st-lawrence-seaway-is-completed.html CBC Digital Archives – "The St Lawrence Seaway: Gateway to the world - 1959: The St. Lawrence Seaway is completed"]
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110209113341/http://www.ppl.nl/bibliographies/all/?bibliography=water Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law]", Peace Palace Library. See "Great Lakes; St. Lawrence River and Seaway".
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20071212075351/http://www.qc.ec.gc.ca/csl/inf/inf045_e.html  The St. Lawrence River: Gateway to North America]", St. Lawrence Centre, Environnement Canada
* {{Internet Archive film clip|id=gov.archives.arc.95845|description="Longines Chronoscope with George A. Dondero"}}
* [http://dr.library.brocku.ca/handle/10464/9508 St. Lawrence Waterway Project Report Clippings, 1921] Brock University Library Digital Repository
* {{YouTube|id=yDYfNUrjs0w |title=Construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway "The Eighth Sea"}}

{{Greatlakes}}
{{New York (state)}}
{{Ontario}}
{{Administrative divisions of Quebec}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Saint Lawrence Seaway| ]]
[[Category:1959 establishments in Canada]]
[[Category:Canada–United States relations]]
[[Category:Canals opened in 1959]]
[[Category:Great Lakes Waterway]]
[[Category:International canals]]
[[Category:Locks of Canada]]
[[Category:Port authorities in Canada]]
[[Category:Ship canals]]
[[Category:Sea lanes]]
[[Category:Transport in Montérégie]]
[[Category:Water transport in Canada]]
[[Category:Water transportation in North America]]
[[Category:Water transportation in the United States]]
[[Category:Transport buildings and structures in Ontario]]