One of the world’s great watersheds begins in the tributaries to Lake Superior, flows through the other four Great Lakes (Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario) and then follows the St. Lawrence River into the northern Atlantic Ocean. The lakes and rivers form the U.S.-Canada border from Michigan to New York. And for hundreds of years, humans have been modifying the watercourse to allow easier navigation. That effort took a major leap forward on May 13, 1954, when both Canada and the U.S. signed laws to create the St. Lawrence Seaway.
The watercourse runs for 2340 miles from Lake Superior to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. Although long stretches are readily navigable, obstacles to transportation exist at several places, with shallow depths, rapids and waterfalls—including the famous Niagara Falls between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. As early as 1680, engineers began working on canals and locks to bypass those obstacles.
The most significant of the early efforts was the construction of the Welland Canal, which bypasses Niagara Falls. Canada completed the Welland Canal in 1833, with 40 wooden locks over its 27-mile length, which made the four upper Great Lakes accessible from the sea. But much work remained, and the two nations started planning for a full deep-water system in 1895.
That plan arrived on May 13, 1954, when both countries passed parallel laws creating the authority to proceed. Over the next five years, the two countries spent $470 million to complete the system (Canada paid 70%). The system included 15 locks (13 in Canada, 2 in the U.S.) and deepening of the channel so that ships up to 740 feet long, 78 feet wide and drawing 26.5 feet of water could make the entire journey from ocean to Lake Superior.
The seaway has been a major boon for the industries of the upper Midwest. The seaway is open for much of the year, setting a record for ice-free operation in 2017 of 298 days. In 2017, 4,119 ships passed through the system, carrying 38 million tons of materials. Major cargoes are iron ore, coal, limestone, grain and other construction and industrial raw materials.
Read MoreApril is Keep America Beautiful Month
Back in 1971, The Keep America Beautiful organization teamed up with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to create Keep American Beautiful Day. It was expanded in 1982 to a week, and then to the entire month of April in 1984. As spring takes hold of the weather and the landscape awaken with the greening of trees and grasses, the blooming of wildflowers and the melodies of nesting songbirds, we, too, ought to take special notice of our beautiful environment—and do something to, as they say, keep it beautiful.
Read More