Seaway & Welland Opening Date

[Denny]

With the opening dates set up for both the Seaway Locks and the Welland Canal for March 22, 2025 I have often been thinking about this question to ask any and all of you boatnerds. First and foremost the Soo Locks as far as I know have a set deal or whatever it’s called as I don’t do details like most of all you do so please bear with me on that note. Anyway my point is, usually the Soo Locks are set to open every year on March 25 at 12:01 A.M. per the regulations and by the USACE that run and operate the Soo Locks then at that point. With the March 22 opening date for the Seaway and Welland same date as last year, why then don’t the Seaway and Welland have a set opening date every year like the Soo does? It seems up until recently if I recall the Seaway and the Welland different times have opened on different dates so, I guess then my main question then is why then can’t a set target date every year be done for an opening date on the Seaway and Welland like the Soo has each year for March 25? I hope I’m making some sense here with my questions to all of you boatnerds? I have often and always wondered why that is with the opening dates? To me IMO it would just make sense to have the Seaway and Welland open up every year then on March 22 no matter what the ice conditions may be like out there or anything else for that matter then. This is only though my opinion and viewpoint on this subject though! Thanks in advance for any information and explanations along with any type of answers to my questions here.