Trent-Severn Waterway

:"This article is not about the British company Severn Trent Water.":"For waterways in England with Trent and Severn in their names see Canals of the United Kingdom"The Trent-Severn Waterway is a Canadian canal system formerly used for commercial purposes but now exclusively for pleasure boats, connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to the Georgian Bay portion of Lake Huron at Port Severn. Its major natural waterways include the Trent River, Otonabee River, the Kawartha lakes, Lake Simcoe, Lake Couchiching and the Severn River.

It traverses Southern Ontario's "cottage country" with recreational properties being the primary industry along the waterway. It is open for navigation from May until October.

The total length of the waterway is 386 km, beginning at Trenton, Ontario, with roughly 32 km of man-made channels. There are 44 locks, including 36 conventional locks, two sets of flight locks, hydraulic lift locks at Peterborough and Kirkfield, and a marine railway at Big Chute which transports boats between the upper and lower sections of the Severn. The system also includes 39 swing bridges and 160 dams and control structures that manage the water levels for flood control and navigation on lakes and rivers that drain approximately 18,600 square kilometres of central Ontario's cottage country region, across four counties and three single-tier cities, an area that is home to more than a million Canadians.

It reaches its highest point at Balsam Lake. It is often claimed that this is the highest point on Earth to which a vessel can be navigated from sea level; however, portions of the Mississippi River that are higher can be reached.

The Trent-Severn Waterway is managed by Parks Canada under the statutory authority of the Historic Canals Regulations. These regulations outline the Waterway's responsibilities for navigation, resource protection, dredge and fill operations, the operation of boater campgrounds etc. The 386 km navigation corridor includes over 4 500 km of shoreline and over 500 square kilometers of water. More than 125 000 private and commercial properties abut onto the navigation corridor of the Trent-Severn Waterway. The Trent-Severn Waterway also has regulatory responsibility and authority under the Dominion Water Power Act for the 18 hydroelectric generating facilities located along its route.

Recently, a six member independent panel was appointed to evaluate the waterway's future. The panel members will meet with stakeholders and the public about the many complex issues, challenges and opportunities facing the system. More information can be found by visiting the Panel on the Future of the Trent-Severn Waterway website:

* [http://www.tswpanel.ca Panel on the Future of the Trent-Severn Waterway]

History

In the mid-1800s the river systems of Central Ontario were used by lumber barons to easily transport newly felled trees to sawmills closer to market. Many of the logging companies opposed the building of locks for it interfered with their business interests. The logging companies did, however, help to create thriving communities like Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Falls, all of which helped to delay the building of the lock system.

Construction began in the Kawartha Lakes region in 1833 with the Lock at Bobcaygeon marking its beginning. It took over 87 years to complete the waterway with two "temporary" marine railways installed at Big Chute and Swift Rapids, and only by 1920 could a boat travel the whole route. Some argue that the canal has not been finished, as although Swift Rapids finally had its intended lock installed in 1965, the marine railway at Big Chute is still in operation. A branch of the canal constructed to Newmarket, Ontario was also abandoned.

The slow progress was noticed by the Canadian government. In 1878 Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald tried to speed up progress by making it government policy to ensure that the system would be completed. Even with this it would take several decades more. In an attempt to circumvent Federal apathy and realize some of the economic benefits of a complete canal system, some of the locks were even built by the Government of Ontario, before the Federal government again stepped in and resumed construction.

The lock system aided the development of central Ontario, allowing a quick and efficient flow of goods to and from the major trading centres along Lake Ontario. The rugged, rough terrain of this area of the province made travel by land extremely difficult and time-consuming.

When the canal was finally completed, it failed to have a major impact on the economy of the regions it was built to serve. In general, it was designed for boats that were too small to be commercially viable. And in the years that it was under construction, railroads had further developed their networks and improved service, which influenced settlement patterns. It finally became completely obsolete for commercial purposes when the present day Welland Canal was completed in 1932. The Welland Canal could handle ships large enough to sail across the ocean, though cargo was generally transferred to or from larger ocean-going vessels at Montreal.

The Trent-Severn system is still in service and is maintained and operated by Parks Canada, a federal government agency. It is now a tourism feature catering to recreational boaters.

List of locks

Starting from Lake Ontario (distance listed represents the distance via water from Lake Ontario which is KM 0).

Trenton Region

Lock 1 Trenton (2.9 km - lift height of 6 m/20 feet)
Lock 2 Sidney (3.9 km - Lift 5.8 m/19 feet)
Lock 3 Glen Miller (6.2 km - Lift 8.5 m/28 feet)
Lock 4 Batawa (8.3 km - lift 5.5 m/18 feet)
Lock 5 Trent (10.3 km - Lift 5.2 m/17 feet)
Lock 6 Frankford (11.7 km - Lift 5.2 m/17 feet)
Lock 7 Glen Ross (22.2 km - Lift 3.6 m/11 feet)
Lock 8 Percy Reach (40.7 km - Lift 5.8 m/19 feet)
Lock 9 Meyers (42.5 km - Lift 4.6 m/15 feet)
Lock 10 Haigs Reach (45.0 km - Lift 7.3 m/24 feet)
Lock 11 & 12 Ranney Falls (47.8 km - Lift 14.6 m/48 feet)
Lock 13 Campbellford (51.8 km - Lift 7 m/23 feet)
Lock 14 Crowe Bay (54.2 km - Lift 7.9 m/26 feet)
Lock 15 Healey Falls (58.2 km or - Lift 6.7 m/22 feet)
Lock 16 & 17 Healey Falls (58.8 km - Lift - 16.5 m/54 feet)
Lock 18 Hastings (82.3 km - Lift 2.7 m/9 feet)

Kawartha Lakes Region

Lock 19 Scotts Mills (142.8 km - Lift 2.4 m/8 feet)
Lock 20 Ashburnham (144.5 km)
Lock 21 Peterborough Hydraulic Lift Lock (Peterborough Lift Lock) (145.0 km - 19.8 m/65 feet)
Lock 22 Nassau Mills (151.7 km - Lift 4.3 m/14 feet)
Lock 23 Otonabee (152 km - Lift 3.7 m/12 feet)
Lock 24 Douro (155.1 km - Lift 3.7 m/12 feet)
Lock 25 Sawyer Creek (156.6 km - Lift 3 m/10 feet)
Lock 26 Lakefield (158.9 km - Lift 4.9 m/16 feet)
Lock 27 Young's Point (168.1 km - Lift 2.1 m/7 feet)
Lock 28 Burleigh Falls (181.8 km - Lift 7.3 m/24 feet)
Lock 29 A new lock was built in 1968 which replaced 2 older locks - therefore there is no longer any Lock 29.
Lock 30 Lovesick (184.7 km - Lift 1.2 m/4 feet)
Lock 31 Buckhorn (194.2 km - Lift 3.4 m/11 feet)
Lock 32 Bobcaygeon (222.4 km - Lift 1.8 m/6 feet)
Lock 33 Lindsay – on a side branch of the waterway connecting to Lake Scugog (251.6 km - Lift 2.1 m/7 feet)
Lock 34 Fenelon Falls (247.2 km - Lift 7.3 m/24 feet)
Lock 35 Rosedale (252.9 km - Lift 1.2 m/4 feet)

Talbot Region

Kirkfield marks the descent towards Lake Huron.

Lock 36 Kirkfield Lift Lock - Completed 1907 (272.6 km - Lift 14.9 m/49 feet)
Lock 37 Bolsover (284.9 km - Lift 8.2 m/27 feet)
Lock 38 Talbot (286.5 km - Lift 4.3 m/14 feet)
Lock 39 Portage (289.1 km - Lift 4 m/13 feet)
Lock 40 Thorah (289.8 km - Lift 4.3 m/14 feet)
Lock 41 Gamebridge - Built 1906 (290.9 km - Lift 5.8 m/19 feet)
Lock 42 Couchiching (337.8 km - Lift 6.4 m/21 feet)

evern Region

Lock 43 Swift Rapids - Marine railway completed 1919 - replaced in 1965 with an advanced conventional lock (361.2 km Lift 14.3 m/47 feet)
Lock 44 Big Chute Marine Railway - Completed 1917 - upgraded 1977 (374.1 km - Lift 17.4 m/57 feet)
Lock 45 Port Severn (387.1 km - Lift 4.3 m/14 feet)

ee also

*Ottawa River Waterway - Northeastern Ontario waterway
*Rideau Canal - Eastern Ontario waterway
*Welland Canal - Southern Ontario waterway
*Canal lock
*Boat lift

External links

* [http://www.tswpanel.ca Panel on the Future of the Trent-Severn Waterway]
* [http://collections.ic.gc.ca/waterway/main_e_i.htm Parks Canada Website]
* [http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/on/trentsevern/index_e.asp Parks Canada - Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site of Canada]
* [http://www.boatdealers.ca/magazine/Trent-Severn.aspx Boating the Trent-Severn Waterway]
* [http://www.etsw.ca TSWwiki]
* [http://www.trentsevern.com TrentSevern.com]