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Aerial view of Sorel-Tracy Port

The port of Sorel-Tracy, with its grain elevators, is located at the junction of the Richelieu and the Saint Lawrence Rivers.

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Cruise ships sail regularly along the mighty river.

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The lighthouse on Île du Moine

This splendid lighthouse is located upstream on île du Moine.

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Common Tern on a buoy

This buoy marks the presence of an overflow weir between Île des Barques and Île du Moine. All in all, five overflow weirs were built in the archipelago around 1930. These small dams partially block the passage of water, in order to ensure a higher water level in the Seaway.

Enlarge map

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To facilitate the passage of larger ships towards Montreal and the Great Lakes, the Saint Lawrence Seaway was built. Between 1854 and 2001, its depth went from 5 metres to 11.3 metres, and its width, from 75 metres to 245 metres.

Nearly 100 million cubic metres of sediment were dredged, the equivalent of 32,000 Olympic swimming pools. In 1957, Île des Barques was carved out in order to straighten the navigation channel.

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Commercial liners create enormous waves that crash on the riverbanks.

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This action accentuates the erosion of the banks, especially in areas where the navigation channel passes closer to the islands.

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