<P> The Detroit River flows for 24 nautical miles ( 44 km ; 28 mi ) from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie . By definition , this classifies it as both a river and a strait -- a strait being a narrow passageway connecting two large bodies of water , which is how the river earned its name from early French settlers . However , today , the Detroit River is rarely referred to as a strait , because bodies of water referred to as straits are typically much wider . The Detroit River is only 0.5 to 2.5 miles ( 0.80 to 4.02 km ) wide . The Detroit River starts on an east to west flow but then bends and runs north to south . The deepest portion of the Detroit River is 53 feet ( 16 m ) deep in the northern portion of the river . At its source , the river is at an elevation of 574 feet ( 175 m ) above sea level . The river drops only three feet before entering into Lake Erie at 571 feet ( 174 m ) . As the river contains no dams and no locks , it is easily navigable by even the smallest of vessels . The watershed basin for the Detroit River is approximately 700 square miles ( 1,800 km ) . Since the river is fairly short , it has few tributaries . Its largest tributary is the River Rouge in Michigan , which is actually four times longer than the Detroit River and contains most of the basin . The only other major American tributary to the Detroit River is the much smaller Ecorse River . Tributaries on the Canadian side include Little River , Turkey Creek and the River Canard . The discharge for the Detroit River is relatively high for a river of its size . The river 's average discharge is approximately 188,000 cubic feet per second ( 5,324 m3 / s ) , and the river 's flow is constant . </P>
<P> The Detroit River flows for 24 nautical miles ( 44 km ; 28 mi ) from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie . By definition , this classifies it as both a river and a strait -- a strait being a narrow passageway connecting two large bodies of water , which is how the river earned its name from early French settlers . However , today , the Detroit River is rarely referred to as a strait , because bodies of water referred to as straits are typically much wider . The Detroit River is only 0.5 to 2.5 miles ( 0.80 to 4.02 km ) wide . The Detroit River starts on an east to west flow but then bends and runs north to south . The deepest portion of the Detroit River is 53 feet ( 16 m ) deep in the northern portion of the river . At its source , the river is at an elevation of 574 feet ( 175 m ) above sea level . The river drops only three feet before entering into Lake Erie at 571 feet ( 174 m ) . As the river contains no dams and no locks , it is easily navigable by even the smallest of vessels . The watershed basin for the Detroit River is approximately 700 square miles ( 1,800 km ) . Since the river is fairly short , it has few tributaries . Its largest tributary is the River Rouge in Michigan , which is actually four times longer than the Detroit River and contains most of the basin . The only other major American tributary to the Detroit River is the much smaller Ecorse River . Tributaries on the Canadian side include Little River , Turkey Creek and the River Canard . The discharge for the Detroit River is relatively high for a river of its size . The river 's average discharge is approximately 188,000 cubic feet per second ( 5,324 m3 / s ) , and the river 's flow is constant . </P>
what is the deepest part of the detroit river
what is the deepest part of the detroit river
53 feet ( 16 m ) deep in the northern portion of the river
53 feet ( 16 m ) deep in the northern portion of the river