The Sheksna Reservoir is a part of the Volga–Baltic Waterway and is used for both cruise and cargo traffic.

Both the Northern Dvina Canal, which connects the basins of the Volga and the Northern Dvina via Lake Kubenskoye, and the Belozersky Canal, bypassing Lake Beloye, connect to the Sheksna Reservoir.

In the beginning of the 19th century, the Mariinsky Canal system was open to connect the river basins of the Volga and the Neva via Lake Onega.

The system was heavily used, however, in the 20th century it could not support the increased cargo traffic anymore, and it was decided to reconstruct the old system, building Volga–Baltic Waterway.

The lower pound of the dam is the Rybinsk Reservoir.