Everything about St Clair River totally explained
The
St. Clair River is a
river in central
North America which drains
Lake Huron into
Lake St Clair, forming part of the
International Boundary between the
Canadian province of
Ontario and the
U.S. state of
Michigan. The river is also a significant component in the
Great Lakes Waterway with shipping channels permitting
cargo vessels to travel between the upper and lower
Great Lakes.
Location
The river, which some consider a "
strait,"
(External Link
) flows in a southerly direction, connecting the southern end of
Lake Huron to the northern end of
Lake St. Clair. It branches into several
channels near its mouth at Lake St. Clair, creating a broad
delta region.
Size
The river is 39 miles (64 km) long and drops 5 feet (1.5 m) in elevation from Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair. The flow rate averages around 182,000
cubic feet per second (5,200
m³/s), and the
drainage area is 222,400
square miles (576,000 km²). This takes into account the combined drainage areas of
Lakes Huron,
Michigan, and
Superior.
The shipping channel on Lake St. Clair itself is 35 miles (56 km) long from the end of the St. Clair River to the beginning of the
Detroit River. The Detroit River is 32 miles (51 km) long and drops 3 feet (1 m) in elevation from Lake St. Clair to its mouth at
Lake Erie. The Detroit River discharges an average of 186,000 cubic feet per second (5,300 m³/s) into Lake Erie.
History
In the 1700s,
French voyageurs travelled on the river in
canoes loaded with furs destined to adorn Europe's royalty. Ships built at
Marine City, Michigan during the mid-
1800s carried immigrants up the river on their way to new homes in the American West. During the
20th century,
freighters returned from the upper Great Lakes with
iron ore,
copper,
grain - products of some of these settlers' labor.
Watersheds
The St. Clair River and its
Lambton County tributaries in Ontario contributes 103,210 acres (418 km²) to the
watershed, although this doesn't include the
Sydenham River watershed. In Michigan, the
Black River,
Pine River, and
Belle River drain 780,600 acres (3,159 km²) in
Lapeer,
Macomb,
Sanilac, and
St. Clair counties; the watersheds around
Bunce Creek and
Marine City are relatively small.
Islands
- Stag Island lies between Corunna, Ontario and Marysville, Michigan.
- Fawn Island is near Port Lambton, Ontario and Marine City, Michigan.
- Walpole, Seaway, Bassett, Squirrel, Pottowatamie, St. Anne, Dickinson, Russell and Harsens islands are located where the St. Clair River flows into Lake St. Clair near Algonac, Michigan; these islands form the "St. Clair Flats", the only major river delta in the Great Lakes and the largest freshwater delta in North America. Six of the islands in this delta are Crown lands being used by the Walpole Island First Nation.
Land usage
Most of the watershed away from the river in Ontario and Michigan is used for
agriculture. A few
forest and
wetland remnants are present, although their area has declined significantly since European settlement.
Much of the shoreline on both sides of the St. Clair River is
urbanized and
heavily
industrialized. Intensive development has occurred in and near the cities of
Port Huron, Michigan and
Sarnia, Ontario. The heaviest concentration of industry (including a large
petrochemical complex) lies along the Ontario shore south of Sarnia.
Several communities along the St. Clair rely on the river as their primary source of
drinking water. About one-third to one-half of the residents of Michigan receive their water from the St. Clair/Detroit River waterway.
Industries -- including
petroleum refineries, chemical manufacturers,
paper mills,
salt producers and electric
power plants -- also need high quality water for their operations, although there have been some cases in recent years where these industries have contaminated river waters after discharging
pollutants.
Land habitat
Land areas of the St. Clair River
shoreline and
flats consist of two biological zones: upland and transitional, both of which are normally above the
water table, but which may be
flooded periodically.
The upland forests consist of
deciduous species, many of which are near their northern climatic limit. Most pre-European settlement trees have been cleared for agriculture, industry, or urbanization. Remaining forest stands, such as
oak savannas as well as lakeplain prairies, are found along the southern reaches of the river, particularly on the islands of the St. Clair River Delta and on the Michigan shore in
Algonac State Park.
Transitional species are abundant in the low-lying regions, categorized as
shrub ecotones, wet
meadows,
sedge marshes, and island shorelines and
beaches. This
habitat is home to water and land
mammals, including humans, as well as
songbirds,
waterfowl,
insects,
pollinators,
reptiles, and
amphibians.
Water habitat
The
aquatic habitat of the St. Clair River ranges from deep and fast near the
Blue Water Bridge to shallow and slow in the lower river near its discharge point into Lake St. Clair.
Each area provides a unique habitat for aquatic life:
macrophytes (visible marine plants),
benthic macroinvertebrates (organisms that live at the bottom of a lake or stream),
phytoplankton and zooplankton (floating plants and animals),
emergent vegetation (plants seen above the water surface),
fish (from minnows to large sport fish).
Area of concern
The St. Clair River is listed as an Area of Concern (AOC) because of pollutants such as bacteria, heavy metals, and toxic organics, which had come from municipal and industrial discharges, urban and rural runoff, combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and contaminated sediments.
The St. Clair River AOC includes the entire river, from the Blue Water Bridge to the southern tip of Seaway Island, west to St. Johns Marsh and east to include the north shore of Mitchells Bay on Lake St. Clair. Anchor Bay isn't included.
Through the Great Lakes agreement, a Remedial Action Plan (RAP) was created to initiate cleanup measures. It consists of six steps:
Restrictions on fish consumption
Bird and animal deformities
Degradation of benthos
Restrictions on dredging activities
Restrictions on drinking water consumption
Beach closings
Degradation of aesthetics
Added cost to agriculture and industry
Loss of fish and wildlife habitat
The RAP for the St. Clair River AOC was initiated in 1985. A binational group, called the RAP Team, was established in 1987 to develop the plan and ensure adequate and appropriate public involvement. The RAP Team included representatives from federal, state, and provincial governments.
Crossings
This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the St. Clair River from Lake St. Clair upstream to Lake Huron.
Further Information
Get more info on 'St Clair River'.
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