The Big Winter Drain: What Happens Beneath the Welland Canal

If you take a stroll along the Welland Canal trails once winter sets in, the view is downright surreal... where massive 740-foot lake freighters churn all summer long, suddenly there is nothing but mud, bedrock, and empty air.

Every year around Christmas, one of North America’s busiest commercial shipping routes shuts down for the season. The St. Lawrence Seaway begins its annual "unwatering" routine, draining the canal reach by reach down to Lake Ontario—leaving the chambers bone-dry straight through January and February. But pulling the plug on a waterway that holds billions of litres of water isn't quite as simple as opening a drain in a bathtub...

The exposed floor of the Welland Canal during the winter maintenance shutdown.
Illustration by SCG NIAGARA

The Careful Drain: Why Engineers Can't Just Rush It

You might think workers simply open up the gate sluices and let gravity dump all that water into Lake Ontario overnight. In reality, Seaway operators have to throttle the drainage down to a crawl—strictly keeping the drop between 6.4 and 7.6 cm (2.5 to 3 inches) per hour.

Capturing the 'Sea Keeper' Mural on the CSL St-Laurent Bulk Carrier | Welland Canal, ST. CATHARINES

Talk about perfect timing! On a gorgeous sunny day, before entering one of my favourite spots - the Welland Canal, I noticed a cargo ship moving amongst the trees in the distance. 

 As I got closer, I realized it was not just any cargo ship but the Trillium Class* bulk carrier CSL St-Laurent - the one with that 'famous' mural of a colourful Canadian icon, the goose, painted on it. 

The Canada goose with its powerful wings spread in flight, in a forward motion is a tribute to Montreal and to Canada.

I've read about the mural earlier in the year and knew it was special, and the last time I visited the canal was over a year ago. What were the chances?! I was thrilled! Good thing I had my camera with me! 
At the end, I've included my not-so-professional video of my capture as well as 2 additional videos (professionally done) by CSL, of the artists behind the mural and viewing the finish creation from sea...

SPOTTED: A Couple of Alaskan Malamutes...

While going for a morning stroll along the Welland Canal, I spotted a couple of Alaskan Malamutes, those domestic dogs that look like wolves and are best known for hauling sleds. 

 

Aren't they gorgeous?