Lake Saint Clair (North America)

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Lake St. Clair
Landsat satellite photo, showing Lake Saint Clair, as well as St. Clair River connecting it to Lake Huron (to the North) and Detroit River connecting it to Lake Erie (to the South)
Coordinates	42°20′N 82°40′WCoordinates: 42°20′N 82°40′W
Lake type	Canadian Great Lakes
Primary sources	St. Clair River Thames River Sydenham River Clinton River
Primary outflows	Detroit River
Basin countries	Canada USA
Max length	42 km (26 mi)
Max width	37 km (24 mi)
Surface area	1,114 km² (430 sq mi)
Average depth	3 m (10 ft)
Max depth	8.2 m (27 ft)
Water volume	4 km³ (1 cu mi)
Shore length¹	272 km (171 mi)
Surface elevation	175 m (574 ft)
Settlements	Detroit
¹ Shore length is an imprecise measure which may not be standardized for this article.

A public beach on Lake St. Clair in St. Clair Shores, Michigan

Lake St. Clair (French: Lac Sainte-Claire) commonly refered to as LSC, is a lake between Ontario, Canada and Michigan in the United States, located about 10 kilometres (6 mi) northeast of Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Approximately 1,114 Square kilometres (430 sq mi) in area, the lake is part of the Great Lakes system; however, due to its relatively small size, it is rarely, if ever, included in enumerations of the Great Lakes. The lake, along with the St. Clair River and Detroit River, provides the connection between Lake Huron to the north and Lake Erie to the south.

The lake is 42 kilometres (26 mi) from north to south and 37 kilometres (24 mi) from east to west. It is a very shallow lake with an average depth of about 10 feet (3 m), and a maximum natural depth of 21 feet (6.4 m), although it is 27 feet (8.2 m) deep in the navigation channel which has been dredged for freighter passage. The lake is fed from Lake Huron at its north by the St. Clair River, which has an extensive delta, the largest within the Great Lakes system. The Thames River and Sydenham River enter the lake from the east in Southwestern Ontario, and the Clinton River enters from Michigan on the west. The lake is drained on its southwest end into Lake Erie by the Detroit River.

The residence time of water in Lake St. Clair averages 7 days, but can vary from 2 to 30 days, depending on wind direction and circulation patterns. If the water flows through the navigation channel, which is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the time the water remains in the lake is perhaps just 2 days. ^[1]

The lake served as part of the extensive navigational system of the Great Lakes for First Nations/Native Americans. On August 12, 1679 an expedition led by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle named it Lac Sainte-Claire as they discovered it on the feast day of Saint Clare of Assisi.

On the Michigan side, the southwestern portion of the lake shore is lined by the wealthy eastern suburbs of Detroit, known as the Grosse Pointe communities. Public access to the lake is highly restricted in this area, limited to private marinas and parks that are open only to residents of the specific community. Further north, in Harrison Township, lies Metro Beach, a popular public beach.

Several yacht clubs are located along this shore, including:

Many of North America's fresh water fish species can be found in the lake throughout the seasons. Species popular with anglers include Bass, Bluegill, Bullhead, Catfish, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Perch, Salmon, Smelt, Steelhead, Sturgeon, Trout and Walleye.