Great Lakes other lakes as "the lower lakes", because they are farther south. Sailors of bulk freighters transferring cargoes from Lake Superior and northern Lake Michigan and Lake Huron to ports on Lake Erie or Ontario commonly refer to the latter as the lower lakes and Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior as the upper lakes. This corresponds to thinking of Lakes Erie and Ontario as "down south" and the others as "up north". Vessels sailing north on Lake Michigan are considered "upbound" even though they are sailing toward its effluent current. Lakes Huron and Michigan are sometimes considered a single lake, called
Great Lakes Basin the Great Lakes Charter of 1985, the 2001 Charter Annex, and the Agreements of 2005. While not a part of the Great Lakes Basin, Quebec's position along the Saint Lawrence Seaway makes it a partner in water resource management with Ontario and the eight US states mentioned above. There are many nuclear power plants in the Great Lakes Basin. Twenty power plants on the Canadian side. The radioactive waste they produce and release like radioactive tritium have not been collectively combined to ascertain the total impact on the area. Great Lakes Basin The Great Lakes Basin consists of the Great