Did you know?

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Group 1493

100 metres (326 feet) how much ships are raised by seven locks within 11 km (7 miles)

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91 million litres of water (24 million gallons) to fill one lock (all done by gravity and takes about 7-10 minutes)

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43 km (27 miles) length of canal

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234 metres (766 feet) length of each lock

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25 metres (80 feet) – width of canal (a seaway max carrier is 78 feet) only 1 ft on each side to fit into lock system

How the Locks Work

A vessel traveling downstream would find the lock chamber already filled with water. The entrance gate is opened and the vessel moves in.

The entrance gate is then closed. A valve is opened and the lock chamber is drained, lowering the vessel. Once the vessel reaches the desired level, the exit gate is then opened and the vessel moves out of the chamber. This process is reversed for a vessel traveling upstream.

Why Do We Need a
Canal System?

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The Welland Canal allows ships to bypass Niagara Falls and conquer the Niagara escarpment to continue through the Great Lakes system. This marine corridor is an integral part of the supply chain in North America and is right here in Niagara!