Lake St. Clair

From Great Lakes Wiki

Lying between Lake Huron and Lake Erie is Lake St. Clair. Lake St. Clair was discovered in 1679 by French explorers. It was named Lac Sainte Claire for Sainte Claire of Assisi. For years after its discovery, Lake St. Clair, like many of the other bodies of water in the Great Lakes system, was used as a shipping lane and helped trade between the two lakes to the north and south of it. Lake St. Clair is connected to Lake Huron by the St. Clair River and connected to Lake Erie by the Detroit River.

Lake St. Clair borders Southeast Michigan and Western Ontario. It is 26 miles in length and has a maximun depth of 21 feet. Most of the lake is Canadian territory, with 268 sq. miles belonging to Canada. The United States side is 162 sq. miles. The retention/replacement time of the lake is 7 days. Lake St. Clair is the largest delta system in the Great Lakes.

Lake St. Clair is a popular boating and recreation destination in the summer. Many cities on the lake have extensive beaches and parks, where residents can enjoy the lake. One of the largest beaches on the lake is Metropolitan Beach, located in Harrison Twp. Michigan. Due to high levels of toxins and waste in the water in the past year, swimming at Metro Beach has become a rare occurance. Metro Beach has developed other activities and attractions on the beach to keep visitors coming even when they can't swim in the water.

External Links

http://www.great-lakes.net/lakes/ref/stclfact.html
http://www.lakestclair.net/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Saint_Clair_(North_America)