Home
News Calendar Great Links Site of the Month E-mail Lists Information Center About GLIN Search
The Great Lakes Environment Economy Education Maps and GIS Tourism
Tourism Maps and GIS Education Economy Environment Great Lakes
About the photos (©Mahan, except for satellite photo)

Great Lakes Topics

Great Lakes
Lake Erie
Lake Huron
Lake Michigan
Lake Ontario
Lake Superior
Also: Lake St. Clair
Also: St. Lawrence River
Lake Facts & Figures

Lake Conditions

Lake Erie
Lake Huron
Lake Michigan
Lake Ontario
Lake Superior
Also: Lake St. Clair

States and Provinces
Illinois
Indiana
Michigan
Minnesota
New York
Ohio
Ontario
Pennsylvania
Québec
Wisconsin

Current Issues
Great Lakes Restoration
Levels and Hydrology
Fish Advisories
Water Quantity/Use

References
Agencies & Organizations
Circle Tour
Lake Facts & Figures
Islands
Lakewide Management Plans

Legislative Tracking
Great Lakes Priorities
Legislative News

  St. Lawrence River and Seaway
What's New | Overview | General Resources | Education and Research
Publications | Tourism | Related Resources

 
What's New
Seaway, river group agree to disagree
Watertown daily Times (11/17)
For several years, Save the River has been fighting winter navigation through the Seaway and efforts to expand the water route to accommodate larger, oceangoing vessels.

Stasi dumped syringes, serum in '76 Montreal Olympics
CTV News Canada (11/12)
After injecting athletes with performance-boosting drugs at the Montreal Olympics, East German officials dumped the leftover serum and syringes in the St. Lawrence River, newly uncovered documents indicate.

Candidates answer questions about North Country issues
Watertown Daily Times (10/27)
Last week, the Watertown Daily Times' editorial board rapped the three 23rd Congressional District candidates for their combined lack of focus on the north country's "bread-and-butter concerns," such as power, transportation and the environment. By Monday, two candidates had decided to address some of the outstanding questions the newspaper raised.

First Nation women 'walk the environmental talk'
WeNews (10/23)
Tomorrow's global day of climate activism aims for media and political attention. First Nation women have another way. Since 2003, they've walked the shoreline of a Great Lake or major river, meditating on the needs of an unborn generation.

Search GLIN for more news items about    

Back to Top


 
Overview
The St. Lawrence River and Seaway is of vital geographic and economic importance to the Great Lakes system, connecting the lakes to the Atlantic Ocean and providing navigation to deep-draft ocean vessels. Approximately 800 miles (1,287 km) long, the St. Lawrence River can be divided into three broad sections: the freshwater river, which extends from Lake Ontario to just outside the city of Quebec; the St. Lawrence estuary, which extends from Quebec to Anticosti Island; and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which leads into the Atlantic Ocean.
 
The St. Lawrence River drops 226 feet between Lake Ontario and Montreal, Canada. To allow vessels to pass through the river and in and out of the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, a massive American-Canadian navigational project, was begun in 1954 and completed in 1959. The Seaway created the final link in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River system, connecting Duluth, Minnesota, some 2,340 miles (3,766 km) away, with the head of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, through a complex system of lakes, rivers, deepened channels, locks, and canals.

Back to Top


 
General Resources
Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River
University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
Provides geographic information on both water bodies.

Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
A U.S. government organization created to construct, operate and maintain the St. Lawrence Seaway between the Port of Montreal and Lake Erie.

St. Lawrence River at Cornwall AOC
Environment Canada
The St. Lawrence River at Cornwall Area of Concern (AOC) extends from the Moses-Saunders Power Dam at Cornwall to the Beauharnois Power Dam in Quebec.

St. Lawrence River at Massena AOC
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The St. Lawrence River at Massena Remedial Action Plan (RAP) addresses an Area of Concern (AOC) within the legal boundaries of New York state.

St. Lawrence Seaway Management
Provides shipping and navigation information as well as current news.

The St. Lawrence Seaway
Canada's Digital Collections
Provides historical information on the St. Lawrence Seaway, including photographs.

Back to Top


 
Education and Research
Environmental Science JK-12 Programs
St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences
The Institute's all-ages hands-on programs are offered in both English and French, and are designed to meet with the Life System Strand of the Ontario Educational Curriculum.

Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Study
The Canadian and U.S. governments are conducting a joint study to evaluate the infrastructure needs of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway system, specifically the engineering, economic and environmental implications of those needs as they pertain to the marine transportation infrastructure on which commercial navigation depends.

St. Lawrence Centre
Environment Canada
The SLC is involved in a multitude of studies and research programs aimed at better understanding how the ecosystems of the St. Lawrence River function and to keep this knowledge up to date.

St. Lawrence Observatory
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
This web portal is dedicated to the exchange, dissemination and presentation of data collected in the St. Lawrence marine ecosystem. Includes aerial views, current monitoring efforts, models, animations and more.

St. Lawrence River Institute and Environmental Sciences
An organization based in Cornwall, Ontario, dedicated to environmental research and education of large river ecosystems.

The Biosphère
Environment Canada
Opened in 1995 as the only museum of water in America dedicated to the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, the Biosphère heightens public awareness of water's importance and the necessity to protect it.

The Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Study
International Joint Commission
Specific studies include the effects of water level fluctuation on wetlands, tourism, coastal zone, navigation, energy, and municipal water uses.

Back to Top


 
Publications
Le Fleuve
Saint-Laurent Vision 2000
An online newsletter aiming to inform people, organizations or companies interested in the protection and the conservation of the St. Lawrence River.

Back to Top


 
Tourism
The Great Lakes Circle Tour
Ride along on the 6,500-mile Great Lakes Circle Tour: a scenic, international road system connecting the five Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River! For new visitors to the region, this online travel guide offers informational maps, road routes and estimated mileages, and links to major cities, camping and recreation areas, and natural attractions.

New York State's Seaway Trail
The New York State Seaway Trail is a 454-mile scenic route paralleling Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

St. Lawrence Seaway Port Map
A clickable map with information on the vairous ports and cities along the Seaway.

Back to Top


 
Related Resources
GLIN: Boating in the Great Lakes Region
GLIN: Cruises in the Great Lakes Region
GLIN: Maritime in the Great Lakes Region
GLIN: Rivers and Lakes in the Great Lakes Region

Back to Top


 

 
News | Calendar | Great Links | SOTM | E-Lists | Info Center | About GLIN
The Great Lakes | Environment | Economy | Education | Maps and GIS | Tourism

 

Great Lakes Information Network
Last Updated: June 18, 2009
Maintained by: Christine Manninen, manninen@glc.org
Selected Photos: Copyright ©John and Ann Mahan
Contact Us | Search | Site Index
© 1993-2009