By Terry Oparka
C & G Staff Writer

MACOMB/OAKLAND — Restoring the Great Lakes and its tributaries is good for business and the environment, says a panel of environmentalists and other stakeholders.

Melissa Damaschke, representative of Sierra Club Great Lakes, said that according to the Oakland County Planning and Economic Development Service, lakes add more than $1 billion in property value to Oakland County.

However, studies completed in New York have shown that polluted bodies of water reduce property values by 5 percent, Damaschke said.

“There’s real value to the economy to restore the Great Lakes and local rivers,” she said.

Every inch of rain or snow in the Clinton River Watershed, which encompasses a large part of Oakland County and all of Macomb, drains to the mouth of the Clinton River in Harrison Township, explained Dan Keifer, community outreach coordinator of the Clinton River Watershed Council. He and others spoke to a group of about 50 people who attended the Great Lakes Forum, hosted by the Sierra Club at the Troy Community Center June 24.

Kiefer noted that the Clinton River was known in the ‘60s and ‘70s as the most polluted body of water in the state.

He said that although that has changed, areas of concern remain, such as storm water runoff that can cause sanitary sewer overflows and invasive species.

“We’re asking the system to handle way more water than it can,” Keifer said. “Much more work needs to be done on storm water management.”

He praised the federal legislation that President George W. Bush signed into law last fall that stopped large-scale withdrawal of water from the Great Lakes and the $475 million slated for restoring the Great Lakes through an annual funding bill from the U.S. Department of the Interior and Environmental Protection Agency, which lawmakers recently passed in the U.S. House. The bill now goes to the Senate for approval.

U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak, explained in a prepared statement that the Great Lakes restoration initiative would begin to address longstanding problems such as invasive species, pollution, habitat and fisheries loss, and contaminated sediment. 

Gerard Santoro, senior planner of the Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic and Development, cited the Great Lakes Economic Initiative, titled “Great Lakes Healthy Waters, Strong Economy,” released by Brookings Institution in 2007. It states that the close proximity to bodies of water increases state property values by $12 billion to $19 billion. “It makes the region more attractive to businesses and workers,” he said. 

“Now it’s time to focus on ecology,” he said.

“There are no rivers in Troy,” said Jennifer Lawson, environmental specialist with the city of Troy Engineering Department. However, Troy is home to both the Rouge River and Clinton River watersheds.

She explained that in the area’s agricultural past, swamps were drained in order to grow corn, wheat and melons.

Lawson said the city has signed an agreement with the Alliance of Rouge Communities for a study on the number of trees in the watershed. Lawson said a grant would fund the study.

Aerial photos will be taken to determine the amount of tree cover, since more trees result in better storm water runoff.  “We can plant more trees to save money,” she said.

The city has stabilized the stream banks at Sylvan Glen Golf Course and established a wetland area on the site, and hopes to install 5,000 rain barrels in the city in the next five years.

She urged people to serve as watchdogs and report things such as oil dripping from vehicles and trash violations, and to participate in and sponsor environmental initiatives.

Troy resident Margaret McLand, chair of the Emerald Lakes Village Homeowner’s Association, said that she and her neighbors stopped using fertilizer with phosphorus after they learned that phosphorous levels in the lake near their home were high.  “We haven’t been able to swim in our lake for five years,” she said.

She asked Lawson if the city could place a ban on property owners using fertilizers containing phosphorus.

Lawson noted that fertilizers containing phosphorus are widely available, and funding for enforcement is tight in the current economy.

“All our habits impact the watershed,” said John McCulloch, Oakland County water resources commissioner. 

He noted that Oakland County is home to five major watersheds: Flint, Shiawassee, Huron, Clinton and Rouge rivers.

“They all discharge to the Clinton River,” he said. He said it is imperative for St. Clair, Oakland and Macomb counties work together.

He said that Gov. Jennifer Granholm has indicated she wants to turn enforcement of water quality in the state over to the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers to save money, which he opposes because state rules and regulations are stricter than federal standards.

“We lead the country,” he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Terry Oparka at toparka@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1054.