APRIL 2024 23 inhabited one part of the region. In another part, the Mohawk call it the Kaniatarowanenneh, or the “big waterway.” No disrespect is meant to the Mohawk/Iroquois people, but as a single-line subheading, Magtogoek fits better. With an area of 1.6 million km², the St. Lawrence Seaway runs 3,058 km from the farthest headwater to the mouth and 1,197 km from the outflow of Lake Ontario. It connects the Great Lakes to the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. Flowing northeasterly from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, it flows through Ontario, Québec, and New York State. Technically, the St. Lawrence River is just a part—a large part—of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. While the St. Lawrence River flows from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean, legally, the Seaway extends from Montréal, Québec, to Lake Erie, including Ontario’s Welland Canal. That was about as clear as Mississippi mud, which we’ll get to shortly. Because the Seaway empties out into the ocean, it is an economic powerhouse for all the industrial and agricultural regions near enough to take advantage of its waterway. Like all rivers, the St. Lawrence River is changing, much of it because of human intervention. Since the 1960s, the river has experienced: dredging of the shipping channel; re-depositing elsewhere of the dredged materials; construction of spillways, bridges, and tunnels; and the creation of Notre Dame Island opposite Montréal. Per the St. Lawrence Action Plan, which monitors the river, all of the above have played a key role in altering “the configuration of the river bottom and, as a result, the spatial distribution of water levels.” The St. Lawrence Action Plan also noted that standard winter maintenance of the shipping channel has included installing booms to maintain navigability, which has also changed the natural distribution of levels and flows. “For example, by minimizing the frequency and extent of ice jams,” explained the St. Lawrence Action Plan. “In addition, water levels are affected by the growth of aquatic plants in summer and ice cover in winter, and by winds and tides.” So what does this all mean for the shipping industry? Residents along the seaway have seen firsthand how low the water has become, as their docks lay nearly fully exposed or lack enough water to launch a boat without getting stuck in the mud. But it’s also affecting the larger transport vessels. In 2019 and 2020, water levels along the St. Lawrence were higher than average—extremely high. But from 2021 on, drought has affected the St. Lawrence River and its feeder, Lake Ontario (which is fed by the other Great Lakes, etc.). For more coverage on the drought and the 89-year Benner Cycle of predictable weather patterns, see A barge can haul 15 containers on the Mississippi River, an equivalent of 1,050 semi-truck loads. CH89R01/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo
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