Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes in surface area and volume. Lake Superior could contain all the other Great Lakes plus three more lakes the size of Lake Erie. Water flows into the lake from many small rivers and streams. The Long Lac and Ogoki diversions in Canada channel water into Lake Superior that would otherwise flow into Hudson Bay. By order of the International Joint Commission, the lake's level, controlled by gates on the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie, may not exceed 602 ft (183 m) above sea level. Each year a small percentage of the lake's water flows out through the St. Marys River, and it takes almost two centuries for the water to be completely replaced (retention time). The Lake Superior drainage basin is rich in natural resources and scenic beauty. It is sparsely populated and economically dependent on its natural resources, which include metals, minerals, forests and recreation/tourism opportunities such as national lakeshores and national/state/provincial parks. It is particularly known for its clear, cold water and agate beaches. A circle tour guides highway travelers around the lakeshore. Many shipwrecks in Lake Superior are now protected in bottomland preserves and accessible to recreational divers. In 1985, scientists using a submersible vessel descended for the first time to the deepest part (-1,333 ft./-405 m) of Lake Superior near the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan waters.
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