Lake St. Clair

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Lake St. Clair

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 Chart Datum, Lake St. Clair

Depths and vertical clearances under overhead cables and bridges given in this chapter are referred to Low Water Datum, which for Lake St. Clair is an elevation of 572.3 feet (174.4 meters) above mean water level at Rimouski, QC, on International Great Lakes Datum 1985 (IGLD 1985). (See Chart Datum, Great Lakes System, indexed as such, chapter 3.)

 General description

Lake St. Clair is an expansive shallow basin, with low, marshy shores and a flatly sloping bottom. The lake has a greatest natural depth of 19 feet. St. Clair River flows from north and enters the north part of the lake through several channels of a wide delta area. The outflow of the lake is at the southwest end through the Detroit River. The chief importance of the lake is the dredged deep-draft channel that leads across it to connect Detroit River and St. Clair River. No large commercial facilities or harbors are on the lake.

 Fluctuations of water level

The normal elevation of the lake surface varies irregularly from year to year. During the course of each year, the surface is subject to a consistent seasonal rise and fall, the lowest stages prevailing during the winter and the highest during the summer.

In addition to the normal seasonal fluctuations, oscillations of irregular amount and duration are also produced by storms. Sudden changes in wind or barometric pressure can cause fluctuations of 1 foot or more that may last several hours. At other times, strong winds of sustained speed and direction drive forward a greater volume of surface water than can be carried off by the lower return currents, thus raising the water level on the lee shore and lowering it on the windward shore. This effect is more pronounced in bays, where the impelled water is concentrated in a small space by converging shores, especially if coupled with a gradually sloping inshore bottom, which even further reduces the flow of the lower return currents. This effect is very pronounced in Anchor Bay.

 Weather, Lake St. Clair and vicinity

Strong winds associated with squall lines or winter storms occasionally whip across Lake St. Clair causing a danger to shipping. One July, a line of thunderstorms generated a 61-knot, 1-minute windspeed recorded by a ship traversing the lake. Peak gusts at Selfridge Air National Guard Base have been clocked in the 60-knot range in spring and late fall and in the 40- to 50-knot range at other times during the navigation season. Winds over the lake frequently blow out of the south through west, but numerous local effects come into play on this shallow body of water. At Selfridge, northerlies and northwesterlies are also frequent, particularly during the morning hours, while southeasterlies are common during spring and summer afternoons.

While haze, smoke and pollution often drop visibilities below 7 statute miles (6.1 nm), on 9 to 13 days per month, they seldom fall to less than 0.5 statute mile (0.4 nm). Fog, the principal cause of very poor visibilities, is most likely in autumn and early spring. Visibilities of less than 0.5 statute mile (0.4 nm) occur on about 2 to 3 days per month during these periods.

 Ice

Ice forms early on this body of water, usually starting in the shallows of Anchor Bay and in the east at Mitchells Bay. Because of prevailing winds and currents, the west side of the lake is the last to become covered and the first to clear. Navigation is usually extremely limited by early December. The broken track through the lake closes quickly, but little rafting or ridging occurs. The head of the Detroit River is relatively ice-free for the entire winter, except for minor ice jams. Heaviest ice cover usually occurs in late February or early March. Thawing is rapid and is aided by the winds and currents, which move drifting floes to the head of the Detroit River, where strong river currents move them downstream. The lake is usually open by early April.

 Navigation regulations

A vessel traffic reporting system and related navigation regulations have been established for the connecting waters from Lake Erie to Lake Huron. (See 33 CFR 162.130 through 162.140, chapter 2, for regulations.)

 Vessel Traffic Service

The Canadian Coast Guard operates a Vessel Traffic Service in Canadian waters from Long Point in Lake Erie through the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers to De Tour Reef Light in Lake Huron. (See chapter 3 and the Annual Edition of Canadian Notices to Mariners for complete information.)

 Pilotage

The waters of Lake St. Clair are Great Lakes designated waters; registered vessels of the United States and foreign vessels are required to have in their service a United States or Canadian registered pilot. Registered pilots for Lake St. Clair are supplied by Lakes Pilots Association. (See Appendix A for address.) Pilot exchange points are just below the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit River and off Port Huron at the head of St. Clair River in about The pilot boat in the Detroit River, J.W. WESTCOTT II, has a black hull encircled by an orange band and a white cabin with the words “U.S. Mail” in black letters. Three pilot boats are at Port Huron; HURON BELLE has an international orange hull with an aluminum cabin, and HURON MAID and HURON LADY each have an international orange hull with a white cabin. (See Pilotage, chapter 3, and 46 CFR 401, chapter 2.)

The main vessel route across Lake St. Clair is through the dredged channel that leads from the head of the Detroit River northeast for about 16 miles to St. Clair Cutoff Channel at the mouth of the St. Clair River. The channel is well marked throughout its length by lights and lighted and unlighted buoys, and its lower end by a 227.7° lighted range northeast of Peche Island. A racon is at the front range light. The front range light is protected by riprap and should not be passed close aboard, even by vessels of shallow draft. Lake St. Clair Light (), 52 feet above the water, is shown from a white square tower on a cylindrical base on the northwest side of the channel at the slight turn near its midpoint. A radar beacon (Racon) is at the light.

It should be noted that the charted channel legends for Lake St. Clair reflect the Corps of Engineers project depth. For further information on the most recent channel depths, direct inquiries may be made to the Office of the District Engineer, Corps of Engineers, Detroit, Michigan, and the Canadian Coast Guard. (See Appendix A for contact information.) The dredged channel through Lake St. Clair has a federal project depth of 27.5 feet.

A discontinued dumping ground is on the southeast side of the dredged channel near its lower end. There are shoals considerably above the charted depths in the discontinued dumping ground and it is considered unsafe for navigation.

The west, or Michigan shore of Lake St. Clair, has been extensively developed with homes, yacht clubs and marinas. The communities of , Grosse Point Shores and St. Clair Shores, suburban to Detroit, are on the west lakeshore extending from Windmill Point at the head of Detroit River north for about 10 miles. Several piers, some marked by private lights, extend as much as 0.5 mile into the lake with depths of 6 to 10 feet alongside.

is a small river flowing into Lake St. Clair on the northwest side of , 7.5 miles north of Windmill Point. A fixed highway bridge with a clearance of 8 feet crosses the river just above the mouth. About 0.2 mile above the bridge, just below another bridge, is a series of taintor gates that control the water level upstream. The river below the gates has been developed for small-craft berthing.

A boulder ledge with depths of 2 feet extends 1.5 miles north-northeast from . Seasonal lighted buoys mark the east side and north end of the ledge.

St. Clair Shores, MI, extends along the lakeshore from the Milk River north for 6.5 miles. Miller Memorial Light (), 270 feet above the water, is a prominent seasonal private aid shown from atop a high-rise apartment building, 0.3 mile north of the Milk River mouth.

St. Clair Shores Coast Guard Station is 0.7 mile north of the light. A slow-no wake speed is enforced in the canals of St. Clair Shores and the adjacent waters of Lake St. Clair. The lakefront for about 1 mile north of Milk River has numerous large facilities for small craft. All types of marine services and supplies, including lifts to 40 tons, are available. The rest of the St. Clair Shores lakefront has private facilities with a few public parks and ramps.

Cutoff Canal empties into the lake 7.5 miles north of Gaukler Point. The canal extends about 2 miles northwest to a weir just below the junction with the Clinton River at Mount Clemens. During flood conditions, the canal diverts a major part of the flow of Clinton River. The canal has depths of 9 feet just inside the mouth, thence 6 feet to just below the weir, thence 2 feet and 1 foot below and above the weir, respectively.

() is the southeast point of a projection of land that extends into Lake St. Clair northeast of Cutoff Canal. , on the north side of Point Huron, leads to an extensive area of privately dredged small-craft channels. The entrance to the creek is marked by private buoys and a private 297.3° lighted range. In 2002, the reported depth was 5 feet through the entrance. A slow-no wake speed is enforced in the creek and connecting canals. The Metro Beach Metropark, a marina developed by the Michigan State Waterways Commission, has facilities along the west side of Black Creek at that can provide transient berths, water, ice, electricity, launching ramps and sewage pump-out.

, fed by North Channel of the St. Clair River, is the shallow north arm of Lake St. Clair north of Point Huron. A depth of about 8 feet can be carried across the bank that separates the south end of the bay from the main body of the lake. The best water across the bank is on a general north-south line just east of Point Huron Lighted Buoy 1PH (). The central part of the bay has depths of about 10 feet with gradual shoaling toward the shores.

is a narrow crooked stream discharging into the west side of Anchor Bay about 2 miles north of Point Huron. The city of Mount Clemens, MI, is about 7.3 miles above the mouth.

 Channels

A Federal project provides for an 8-foot dredged channel that leads from Anchor Bay between two breakwaters through the mouth of the river and upstream to Mount Clemens; a 5-foot harbor basin is on the south side of the river mouth. The entrance is marked by lighted and unlighted buoys, lights on the outer end of the breakwaters, and a light on the north side of the river mouth.

The controlling depth in the river above Mount Clemens is 2 feet, and the river is navigable by small boats for a considerable distance above Mount Clemens.

Fluctuations of water level—Winds cause day-to-day level changes of sometimes more than 1 foot. Each year, spring freshets raise the water level at Mount Clemens from 6 to 9 feet above normal.

Caution.—The entrance channel should not be approached from the south because of an obstruction, covered 4 feet, 0.4 mile east-southeast of the south breakwater. Small craft are cautioned not to navigate between the dredged channel and the north breakwater, because of very shallow water.

 Weather, Mount Clemens and vicinity

Mount Clemens, MI, is located on the northwest shore of Lake St. Clair and in the southwestern part of the state on a rather large isthmus of land that separates Lake Erie from Lake Huron. Within this isthmus lies the Detroit river which not only acts as a natural border between Ontario and Michigan, but also serves to connect Lake Erie, to the south, with Lake St. Clair to the north. On average, nine days each year have maximum temperatures in excess of 90°F (32.2°C) at Mount Clemens. July is the warmest month with an average high of 82°F (27.8°C) and an average minimum of 62°F (16.7°C). January is the coolest month with an average high of 31°F (-0.6°C) and an average minimum of 18°F (-7.8°C). The highest temperature on record for Mount Clemens is 100°F (37.8°C), recorded in September 1953, and the lowest temperature on record is -13°F (-25°C), recorded in January 1963. Every month has seen temperatures at or below 40°F (4.4°C), and every month except June, July and August has recorded temperatures below freezing (0°C).

The average annual precipitation for Mount Clemens is 27.2 inches (691 mm), which is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month is June with 3.0 inches (76 mm), and the driest is February with only 1.6 inches (41 mm). Snow falls on about 79 days each year and averages about 30 inches (762 mm) each year. January is the snowiest month averaging about eight inches (203 mm). Snow has fallen in every month except June through September and one-foot-plus (305 mm) accumulations in a given month have occurred in each month December through March. Fog is present on average 138 days each year and is evenly distributed throughout the year with a slight maximum in during the autumn.

The prevailing wind direction in Mount Clemens is south during the summer and southwest during the winter. The winter season and transitional months of January through April are the windiest period, averaging around 12 knots. Extremes often occur in squall lines or thunderstorms. A maximum gust of 72 knots occurred in January 1949.

A slow-no wake speed is enforced on the Clinton River.

 Small-craft facilities

Numerous marinas on the Clinton River provide gasoline, diesel fuel, water, ice, electricity, sewage pump-out, marine supplies and launching ramps. Hoists to 100 tons are available for hull and engine repairs.

Detroit Coast Guard Air Station is at Selfridge Air National Guard Base on the west side of Anchor Bay north of the Clinton River. Two basins for crash rescue craft are 2.4 and 3 miles northwest of the Clinton River mouth. The southeast basin is protected by a detached breakwater marked by two lights on each end, and the northwest basin is marked by two lights.

The shore, north and northeast of Selfridge Air National Guard Base, is indented by several small creeks and privately dredged canals developed for housing and small-craft facilities. A slow-no wake speed is enforced on these waterways.

flows into the northwest side of Anchor Bay about 4 miles north from the mouth of the Clinton River. The entrance to the river is marked by a private 018° lighted range. Several submerged concrete remains of former light structures are in the entrance channel; caution is advised. A slow-no wake speed is enforced in the Salt River. Marinas in the lower part of the river provide gasoline, diesel fuel, water, ice, sewage pump-out, marine supplies, hull and engine repairs, marine railways to 45 feet and hoists to 25 tons.

New Baltimore, MI, is on the north side of Anchor Bay at the mouth of Frog Creek about 5.5 miles north-northeast of the Clinton River. A slow-no wake speed is enforced in Frog Creek and in the small-craft channels at New Baltimore east of the creek. Marinas at New Baltimore provide gasoline, diesel fuel, water, ice, electricity, sewage pump-out, marine supplies and a launching ramp. A 15-ton lift is available for hull, engine and electronic repairs.

Fair Haven, MI, is a village on the northeast shore of Anchor Bay at the mouth of about 4 miles east of New Baltimore. Several privately dredged canals lead to marinas off both sides of the lower part of the creek. The approach to the creek is marked by buoys. In 2001, a reported depth of 4 feet was available from the entrance to about 0.6 mile above the mouth. A slow, no-wake speed is enforced in the creek and canals. The marinas can provide transient berths, gasoline, diesel fuel, water, sewage pump-out, marine supplies, hull and engine repairs, marine railways to 50 feet and hoists to 50 tons.

The east side of Anchor Bay, from Fair Haven south, is a wide shallow area receiving the outflow from North Channel and Middle Channel of the St. Clair River.

The mouth of the St. Clair River empties into the northeast side of Lake St. Clair through numerous channels, creating a delta region. The delta region of the river, from North Channel southeast to St. Clair Cutoff Channel, is described in chapter 9, St. Clair River.

The International Boundary leaves Lake St. Clair through of the St. Clair River. The Boundary lies along the Channel’s longitudinal axis and thence along the longitudinal axis of the St. Clair River.

The following is extracted from Canadian Sailing Directions CEN304, chapter 2, Lake St. Clair. It is to be noted that the units of miles are nautical miles.

The Canadian north and east shores of Lake St. Clair are flat and marshy. Mitchell's Bay () is in the northeast corner of the lake between Mitchell's Point and St. Anne Island. The buoys in the approaches to Mitchells Bay are reported to be moved to mark the best channel. The settlement of Mitchell's Bay, population 172 (1981), is on the east side of the bay.

Mitchell's Bay Direction Light (717) is shown at an elevation of 32 feet (9.8 m) from a white square skeleton tower, 21 feet (6.4 m) high, with a fluorescent-orange, triangular daymark.

Landmarks.—A water tower 0.3 mile northeast of Mitchell's Bay Direction light is white in color and marked Mitchell's Bay. It is visible from 10 miles on all approaches. A radio tower 3.5 miles south-southeast of Mitchell's Point is a red and white skeleton tower, 230 feet (70.1 m) high, with air obstruction lights.

The Public wharf at Mitchell's Bay had depths of less than 1 foot (0.3 m) in 1994. Most of the wharf is intended as a lookout for pedestrian traffic; an iron railing prevents access to the water. The inner end of the southeast side of the wharf allows boaters to embark and disembark. There is no dredged channel to the Public wharf. There are five flag poles on the wharf, and a small convenience store with a pay phone is near by.

Caution.—In 1994 there were 16 piles, with elevations of 11 feet (3.4 m), along the south side of the wharf, 1 foot (0.3 m) off the wharf face. There were also 2 piles with elevations of 1 foot (0.3 m), one at the southwest corner and one along the west face of the wharf; these latter piles may be submerged at high water levels.

The municipal Peace Park, just north of the Public wharf, has three small launching ramps for rowboats or canoes.

Marine Park, a St. Clair Parkway Commission marina, had depths of 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 m) in 1994 and offered dockage with power and water, pump out, ramp, some boat hardware, fishing boat rentals, camping, picnic area, pay phone, showers, laundromat, snack bar, restaurant and licensed dining room, bait, tackle, ice and gasoline, and monitored VHF Channels 16 and 68. Several small spar buoys marked the channel to the marina.

There is a crib, awash, on the southeast side of the channel to the marina. This crib is at the outer end of a water intake pipeline.

Caution.—In 1994, the approaches to the following marinas dried at chart datum.

Vincent's Guide Service, on Patricks Cove on the southeast side of Mitchell's Bay, had depths of 2 feet (0.6 m) at the wharves in 1994 and offered dockage with power and water, pump out, small boat rentals and fishing charters, water taxi service, picnic area, showers, bait, ice, gasoline and winter ice fishing.

Waterway Camp, on the east shore in a canal off Patricks Cove, in 1994 offered dockage with power and water, ramp, small boat and motor rentals, camping, picnic area, pay phone, showers, snack bar, some groceries, bait, ice and gasoline.

Second Channel (not named on the chart), 50 feet (15.2 m) wide, has been dredged into Mitchell's Bay from the entrance to Chenail Ecartéat Martin Island (). Second Channel is marked by buoys and had a depth of 1 foot (0.3 m) in 1994.

Martin Island Direction Light (719), on the east end of Martin Island, is shown at an elevation of 37 feet (11.3 m) from a white square skeleton tower, 31 feet (9.4 m) high, with a fluorescent-orange, triangular daymark.

Another channel, 1 mile east of Martin Island, leads from the cut outside Mitchell's Bay Public wharf to Chenail Ecarté. The channel had a depth of 3 feet (0.9 m) in 1994 and was buoyed up to Chenail Ecarté, where a depth of 52 feet (15.8 m) was found. In 1994 this channel was weedy.

Rankin Creek (not named on the chart) enters the northeast side of Mitchell's Bay.

Bass Haven Marina, on Rankin Creek, had depths of up to 1 foot (0.3 m) in 1994 and offered dockage, ramp, fishing boat rentals, camping, pay phone, showers, snack bar, bait, tackle, propane, drinking water, ice and gasoline, and monitored VHF Channels 16, 68 and 71.

Caution.—The dredged channels in Mitchell's Bay are subject to silting. Dredging is done by priority and may be infrequent.

In 1996, a row of 21 piles with elevations of 8 to 10 feet (2.4 to 3 m) covered a distance of 3 miles in a northwest-southeast direction off the mouth of Bassett Channel. These piles had signs warning of the fishing and hunting grounds of Walpole Island First Nation. There was a row of 5 similar piles in the northwest part of Mitchell's Bay.

Thames River () flows in a generally east to west direction into the southeast end of Lake St. Clair; it is reached through a dredged channel 1.3 miles long. The river is navigable by small craft as far as Louisville, which is 23 miles upstream.

A submerged water intake 0.9 mile north of the mouth of Thames River extends 0.4 mile offshore; the crib at the outer end has a depth of 3 feet (0.9 m).

The entrance channel to Thames River is marked by spar buoys; these may be moved to mark the best channel. A least depth of 6 feet (1.8 m) was found in the buoyed channel in 1994. From the mouth of Thames River, upstream for the 4.5 miles to St. Peters Church (), which is on the south bank, mid-channel depths were 6 to 15 feet (1.8 to 4.6 m) in 1994; this part of the river is 400 feet (121.9 m) wide.

Caution.—The entrance channel is subject to silting and is reported to be maintained by dredging.

The area southwest of the river entrance is a grid of canals separating strips of residential land. The south entrance point of the river is low and grass-covered with a few trees. Four more canals indent the south bank of the river within 0.2 mile of the entrance. All the shoreline around the south entrance is protected by sheet steel pilings.

Thames River Entrance light is shown from a white cylindrical tower, with a red daymark, on the first point of land inside the south entrance of the river.

The first point, with the light, is low and mostly paved or gravel-covered; it has a Public wharf at the outer end and a launching ramp on the upriver side. The wharf is 185 feet (56.4 m) long with depths of 8 to 13 feet (2.4 to 4 m) (1994). The ramp is shallow.

The second point of land is grass-covered with a few trees and residences. A conspicuous decommissioned lighthouse stands near the outer end of the second point.

Thames River light buoy T (711.5) lies 1.9 miles northwest of Thames River Entrance light.

Thames River Yacht Club, a private club on the south side of Thames River, occupies the third canal from the lake. The club had depths of 3 feet (0.9 m) in 1994.

Smugglers Marina and Roadhouse is inside the entrance to the fourth canal, 0.2 mile from the lake. Depths were 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m) in 1994 and the marina offered dockage with power and water, pump out, boat hardware, salvage, camping, picnic area, pay phone, showers, bait, tackle, groceries, ice and gasoline, and a licensed restaurant.

Cove Marina, entered off the fourth canal, had depths of 13 feet (4 m) in 1994 and offered dockage with power and water, pump out, ramp, engine and hull repairs, 30 tonne hoist, picnic area, pay phone, swimming pool, showers, snack bar, restaurant with licensed dinning room, some groceries and ice, and monitored VHF Channel 68.

A Canadian Coast Guard Inshore Rescue Boat is based at Thames River from the end of May to early September each year, though these dates are subject to change (see information on Search and Rescue in Canadian Sailing Directions booklet CEN 300 – General Information, Great Lakes).

The Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations provide a speed limit of 8 km/hr (4.3 knots) on Thames River from Lake St. Clair to a position close downstream of Chatham, which is 16.7 miles upstream.

Submerged cables, water mains and gas mains cross the river between its mouth and the city of Chatham. In 1995, it was reported that an overhead power line also crosses the river.

Baptiste Creek enters the south side of Thames River 0.8 mile from its mouth. A cut on the south side 0.4 mile farther up river is dredged through the flat low land to the Jeannettes Creek station of the Canadian National Railways. The mouth of Jeannettes Creek is 0.6 mile beyond this cut. Between Baptiste Creek and Jeannettes Creek, the south shore of the river is low and marshy and the banks are lined with willows; there are many logs and deadheads. There are waterfront residential properties on the north shore past Baptiste Creek.

Luken Marina, on the south side of Thames River at the mouth of Baptiste Creek, had depths of 1 to 3 feet (0.3 to 0.9 m) in 1994 and offered dockage with power and water, pump out, engine repairs, salvage work, 15 tonne hoist, camping, picnic area, showers, ice, gasoline and diesel fuel.

An abandoned wharf was reported in 1995 on the river just west of the dredged cut leading to Jeannettes Creek Station. Also reported was a concrete launching ramp at the downstream end of the wharf.

(There is no chart coverage of Thames River east of longitude 82°22.4'W.)

Prairie Siding, a station on the Canadian National Railways, is on the south shore of the river 7 miles from the lake, where the river makes a sharp horseshoe bend.

A swing bridge crosses Thames River 7.7 miles from the mouth. Upbound traffic uses the southeast channel; downbound vessels use the northwest channel. The bridge opens on demand from 09:00 to 18:00, Sunday to Thursday, and 09:00 to 21:00, Friday, Saturday, statutory holidays and Sundays of statutory holidays. The bridge has a clearance of 20 feet (6.1 m) when closed.

The city of Chatham, with a population of 43,557 (1991), is on Thames River 16.7 miles from the entrance. Chatham is a thriving manufacturing city and the centre of a rich farming district.

The river is 200 feet (61 m) wide through Chatham. The river front is accessible by boat; depths along the Public wharves were 1 to 6 feet (0.3 to 1.8 m) in 1994.

A municipal marina at Chatham offered overnight dockage in 1994.

Stoney Point () is a low, wide point 7 miles east of Belle River. It is wooded, with homes and open areas along the shore. The trees are 35 to 50 feet (10.7 to 15.2 m) in height, giving the land a higher appearance. The community of Stoney Point, population 1,090 (1981), lies 0.6 mile south-southeast of the point.

A church spire at Stoney Point is 131 feet (39.9 m) high and can be seen north and east of the point; the spire has a cross.

A submerged water intake at Stoney Point extends 0.7 mile offshore; the crib at the outer end has a depth of 3 feet (0.9 m).

Ruscom River (), which flows into Lake St. Clair 4 miles east of Belle River, is subject to silting. The entrance channel had a depth of 1 foot (0.3 m) in 1994 and was marked by eight buoys, four on each side; these buoys are reported to be moved to mark the best approach. A privately maintained light is shown at a height of 20 feet (6.1 m) from a flagpole at the west side of the entrance to Ruscom River.

The Canadian National Railways bridge, 0.1 mile from the entrance, and the Highway bridge, 0.3 mile farther south, have vertical clearances of 10 feet (3 m).

The Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations provide a speed limit of 9 km/hr (4.9 knots) on Ruscom River from its mouth to a second railway bridge, 1.2 miles upstream.

JR’s Sunset Grill and Marina, on the east shore near the mouth of the river, had depths of 1 foot (0.3 m) in 1994 and offered dockage with power and water, pump out, ramp, pay phone, licensed restaurant, ice and gasoline.

Deerbrook Marina, on the west side of Ruscom River 0.2 mile south of the lake, had depths of 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 m) in 1994 and offered dockage with power and water, pump out, ramp, 18 tonne hoist, boat hardware, repairs and salvage work, small boat rentals, picnic area, camping, pay phone, snack bar, bait, tackle, propane, ice and gasoline.

Several overhead power cables span the boat canals branching south from the marina basin on Ruscom River.

Belle River () lies 3 miles east of Puce River. The town of Belle River, with a population of 4,298 (1991), is near the mouth of the river.

The entrance to Belle River is protected on its east side by a wall 0.3 mile long. The outer part of this wall is a curving boulder breakwall protecting the entrance to a marina that lies on the east side of the wall. A sheet steel piling wall on the west side of the river mouth extends 225 feet (69 m) from shore. There is a starboard hand daymark on the outer end of the west wall.

Caution.—The entrance channel to Belle River is subject to silting; in 1994, an area awash was found in the entrance channel.

Belle River Pier light (711), on the outer end of the boulder extension of the east entrance wall, is shown from a white circular tower, 24 feet (7.3 m) high, with a red upper part.

The railway and highway bridges across Belle River have vertical clearances of 9 and 7 feet (2.7 and 2.1 m), respectively.

Landmarks.—A water tank at Belle River is 125 feet (38.1 m) high with an elevation of 131 feet (39.9 m); the tank is painted white, with the words Belle River in large black letters, and stands on four circular pillars. There is a group of four silos 1 mile east of Belle River. A microwave tower 2.2 miles southeast of Belle River Pier light has an elevation of 256 feet (78 m); a microwave tower 1.2 miles farther southeast has an elevation of 296 feet (90.2 m); a microwave tower 1.5 miles west of Belle River has an elevation of 210 feet (64 m). These towers have air obstruction lights.

A submerged pipeline 0.2 mile east of the Belle River entrance extends 0.3 mile offshore; the crib at the outer end has a depth of 4 feet (1.2 m).

Belle River Marina, on the east side of the entrance to Belle River, had depths of 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 m) in 1994 and offered dockage with power and water, pump out, ramp, picnic area, pay phone, showers, laundromat, snack bar, ice and gasoline.

Puce River () is a small stream 3 miles east-southeast of Pike Creek. The entrance is between two sheet steel piling walls 80 feet (24.4 m) apart.

Caution.—The entrance to Puce River is subject to silting. In 1994, 2 feet (0.6 m) could be carried as far as Puce River Harbour, where depths shoaled to 1 foot (0.3 m). Six privately maintained buoys are reported to mark the best channel. A reported depth of less than 1 foot (0.3 m) was found in this channel in 1997.

Rivière aux Puces light (710.3), on the north end of the wall on the west side of the river entrance, is shown at an elevation of 17 feet (5.3 m) from a white mast.

A Canadian National Railways bridge crossing Puce River 0.1 mile from the lake has a vertical clearance of 9 feet (2.7 m); a highway bridge close upstream has a vertical clearance of 7 feet (2.1 m).

Puce River Harbour, on the west shore of Puce River north of the bridges, had depths of up to 2 feet (0.6 m) in 1994 and offered dockage with power and water, pump out, ramp, 20 tonne hoist, boat hardware, engine and hull repairs, salvage, personal watercraft rentals, picnic area, pay phone, showers, restaurant and licensed dining room, bait, tackle, stove alcohol, ice and gasoline.

Pike Creek() is a small stream entering Lake St. Clair 3.8 miles east-southeast of Peche Island. The entrance to the creek, between training walls, is 40 feet (12.2 m) wide. A highway bridge crossing Pike Creek 0.4 mile from the entrance has a vertical clearance of 7 feet (2.1 m).

In 1994, a depth of 1 foot (0.3 m) could be carried as far upstream as the Highway bridge, though the entrance was weedy. Privately maintained buoys mark the channel; these buoys are reported to be moved to indicate the best approach.

Caution.—Pike Creek has a sand and silt bottom and is subject to silting.

Pike Creek Entrance light (710.2), on the east side of the harbour entrance, is shown at an elevation of 17 feet (5.2 m) from a green mast with a port hand daybeacon.

Pike Creek light (710.1), on the outer end of the west training wall, is shown at an elevation of 20 feet (6.1 m) from a white mast. This light is privately maintained.

Landmarks.—A spherical-shaped water tower 1 mile south-southeast of Pike Creek light has an elevation of 142 feet (43.3 m) and is floodlit. A water tower 2 miles east-southeast of Pike Creek is painted blue and yellow, though in 1994 the paint was faded; this water tower is marked Township of Maidstone and has air obstruction lights. This second tower is prominent from offshore but is hidden from some directions when within 1 mile of shore.

South Port Sailing Club, a private club and sailing school on the west side of Pike Creek, 0.1 mile from the mouth, had depths of 2 feet (0.6 m) in 1994.

Ted Dudley’s Marina, on the east side of Pike Creek, 0.4 mile from the mouth, had depths of 1 to 2 feet (0.3 to 0.6 m) in 1994 and offered dockage with power and water, ramp, and 10 tonne hoist.

Pud’s Place Marina, on the west side of Pike Creek, 0.5 mile from the mouth, had depths of 1 to 2 feet (0.3 to 0.6 m) in 1994 and offered dockage with power and water, pump out, 10 tonne hoist, boat hardware, engine and hull repairs, salvage, canoe and small boat rentals, picnic area, pay phone, showers, snack bar, bait, tackle, ice and gasoline, and monitored VHF Channels 16 and 68.

For planning, not navigation. Verify current information before departure.