FINAL REPORT - International Joint Commission

FINAL REPORT
Possible Changes in the St. Lawrence River Seaway Facilities
The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway Study is a joint effort between the United States and Canada.
The Study partnership involves the following organizations:
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Transport Canada
• U.S. Department of Transportation
• St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
• Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
• Environment Canada
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The Seaway Study was formally initiated in May 2003 after a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) was
signed between Transport Canada and the U.S. Department of Transportation that facilitated a bi-national
study partnership. This is a collaboration between both governments, and helps them to:
• Assess the economic, environmental and engineering factors associated with the current and future
needs of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway commercial navigation system;
• Identify factors and trends affecting the domestic and international marine transportation industries
serving the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway, including evolving intermodal linkages and
transportation technologies; and
• Evaluate the reliability and condition of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway, including the ongoing
maintenance and capital requirements of sustaining and optimizing the existing marine transportation
infrastructure on which it depends.
More information about the Seaway Study is available at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District
website, from which the above information was retrieved.
The Seaway Study is being conducted independently from the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence
River Study. It is not anticipated that the findings of that Study will impact the options and operational
plans recommended in this Final Report. However, once an option is selected, its performance will be
assessed relative to future physical changes in the Seaway System in accordance with the adaptive
management procedures discussed in a previous section of this report.
Additional Control Structures – Lower St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers
Consideration of new dams and structures, for example the construction of additional dams on the Ottawa
River or on the St. Lawrence River downstream of Montreal, was beyond the scope of the Study mandate.
Reference, however, is made to previous Canadian studies and reports on these topics: the Ottawa River
Regulation Planning Committee, Final Report, and the Projet Archipel; Feasibility Report. These prior
studies concluded that no feasible location or conditions for such structures have been found that would
provide sufficient additional controls over levels and flows in the lower St. Lawrence River.
104 Options for Managing Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River Water Levels and Flows