Detroit River to Atlantic: The Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Superhighway

Water from the Detroit River completes a 3,700 km (2,300 mi) journey through the entire Great Lakes–St. Lawrence system before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. The path is a chain of lakes, rivers, and engineered canals:

1. Detroit River (51 km) → flows south from Lake St. Clair into Lake Erie.
2. Lake Erie (388 km long) → water exits via the Niagara River (58 km).
3. Niagara River → plunges over Niagara Falls into Lake Ontario (193 km long).
4. Lake Ontario → drains into the St. Lawrence River (1,197 km to Gulf of St. Lawrence).
5. St. Lawrence River → passes through the St. Lawrence Seaway (locks at Montreal, Beauharnois, Iroquois) → widens into the Gulf of St. Lawrence → opens to the Atlantic Ocean near Newfoundland.

Key Features

• Retention Time: A water molecule takes ~200 years to traverse the full Great Lakes system.
• Binational Management: IJC coordinates flows, levels, and water quality.
• Commercial Artery: The Seaway allows ocean-going vessels (up to 225 m) to reach Duluth, MN—2,300 mi inland.

The Detroit River is just the first step in one of the world's greatest freshwater highways.