Claim: Lake Erie is in Ontario.

Lake Erie -LRB- -LSB- ˈɪəri -RSB- Lac Érié -RRB- is the fourth-largest lake -LRB- by surface area -RRB- of the five Great Lakes in North America , and the thirteenth-largest globally if measured in terms of surface area . It is the southernmost , shallowest , and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time . At its deepest point Lake Erie is 210 ft deep . Lake Erie 's northern shore is bounded by the Canadian province of Ontario , with the U.S. states of Ohio , Pennsylvania , and New York on its southern and easternmost shores and the Lower Peninsula of Michigan on the west . These jurisdictions divide the surface area of the lake by water boundaries . The lake was named by the Erie people , a Native Americans people who lived along its southern shore . That Iroquoian tribe called it `` Erige '' -LRB- `` cat '' -RRB- because of its unpredictable and sometimes violently dangerous nature . It is a matter of conjecture whether the lake was named after the tribe , or if the tribe was called `` Erie '' because of its proximity to the lake .   Situated below Lake Huron , Erie 's primary inlet is the Detroit River . The main natural outflow from the lake is via the Niagara River , which provides hydroelectric power to Canada and the U.S. as it spins huge turbines near Niagara Falls at Lewiston , New York and Queenston , Ontario . Some outflow occurs via the Welland Canal which diverts water for ship passages from Port Colborne , Ontario on Lake Erie , to St. Catharines on Lake Ontario , an elevation difference of 326 ft. Lake Erie 's environmental health has been an ongoing concern for decades , with issues such as overfishing , pollution , algae blooms and eutrophication generating headlines .