'Ours to protect'

By Erin McClary
C & G Staff Writer

Experts suggest simple ways people can help improve water quality

While we may be too far away to physically help out with the oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico, and more recently, on the Kalamazoo River, residents can still help maintain the quality of water systems closer to home.

After all, everything that gets into local rivers and streams could eventually end up in the Great Lakes, which contribute to a portion of the nation’s drinking water. The “HOMES” lakes Michiganders have swam, boated and fished their whole lives just happen to be the world’s largest group of freshwater lakes, holding 20 percent of the Earth’s surface fresh water, said Michele Arquette, director of education at the Clinton River Watershed Council.

“(The Great Lakes system) is over 90 percent of the surface water in the United States, and 41 million people get their water from it,” she said.

Lake St. Clair is referred to as the smallest of the lakes in the Great Lakes system, although not formally considered to be in the same class as lakes Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior. Much of metro Detroit’s drinking water comes from Lake St. Clair, which is why it’s important to consider ways to protect the waterways that lead to it, Arquette said.

Joe St. John, chairman of the St. Clair Shores Waterfront Environmental Committee, said the recreation it provides is also second to none. However, because of contaminated water, two of the lake’s largest public beaches have remained closed the majority of the summer.

E. coli is the reason for the closings, he said. “The fish that come out of that lake, they’re beautiful. The water quality out there, you can’t beat it. But we have near-shore problems.” St. John said Geese and sewer overflows are the problems.

Lake St. Clair is also home to many different types of wildlife.

For the past 15 years, St. John and other volunteers in the St. Clair Shores Waterfront Environmental Committee have been cleaning the beaches of Lake St. Clair. Four years ago, they sent a letter to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources recommending a three-quarter reduction of the Canadian geese population in the area.

“We have picked up more than 500 tons of debris on Lake St. Clair over the past 15 years,” he said.

If everyone pitched in and considered taking a few simple steps, beach and water quality in the area would improve, the two agreed.

First and foremost, Arquette said: Keep pollution out of storm drains.

“Throughout the Clinton River watershed and most watersheds in our country, that water goes directly to a lake, river or stream.”

In order to keep the runoff clean, there are several things homeowners can do to help. One of the biggest is proper lawn fertilization. A common misconception, Arquette said, is that fertilizer should be eliminated altogether. Instead, “use it sparingly and caringly,” because at the end of the day, healthy grass is much better for the environment in that it serves as a buffer, soaking the pollutants out of runoff water before it hits the drains.

Read the directions. “If (a fertilizer) says to put 1 pound per 1,000 square feet and you put 2 pounds, where is that excess going?” she said. Because soil in Michigan is already rich in phosphorus, Arquette recommends homeowners get fertilizers without it, or at least with a low amount. She also said, “Know what your lawn needs.” Stay away from buying nitrogen- or potassium-rich fertilizers unless it’s needed.

She said that not fertilizing at all could leave lawns patchy with exposed dirt, in which case surface runoff carries that dirt to the storm drains, leaving a deposit of excess phosphorus in the water. “A properly fertilized law actually contributes to better water quality than one that doesn’t fertilize at all, because healthy grass is bound really well to the soil, so when water washes out, it’s clean.”

Carefully storing and disposing of household cleaners, chemicals and hazardous wastes is another way to help water quality. “It’s actually a felony to pour these things down the storm drains,” Arquette said. Paint, paint thinners, cleaning products with ammonia and chlorine, drain cleaners, antifreeze, gasoline, motor oil, adhesives, roofing tar and pesticides should all stay far away from water systems.

Cleaning up after pets also makes a hefty contribution to healthy water. “If people don’t pick up in their backyard, that bacteria will go directly to the lake,” St. John said, which can contribute to the E. coli problem. Geese droppings on the beaches also cause bacteria issues.

A common way residents unknowingly contribute to polluting water systems is washing their car in the driveway, letting the suds run down to the drain. The Clinton River Watershed Council asks that people practice good car care, and recommends they pull their vehicles onto the grass and wash it there. “Grass will soak it up,” Arquette said. They also suggest residents use smaller amounts of soap and cleaning products that don’t contain phosphorus.

Cleaning up oil spills immediately and doing it properly so it doesn’t get carried to the drains in surface runoff is also important, she added. Kitty litter is a common way to soak up oil spills.

Choosing earth-friendly landscaping is another large component to good water quality. Arquette said simply keeping grass mowed so it’s at least three inches high, planting native plants and using mulch as a type of fertilizer can do wonders for water.

And conserving water in general helps. “Make sure your sprinklers are actually watering the grass, and not concrete. And instead of using a hose to wash grass clippings off your driveway and sidewalks, use a broom. Get a rain barrel … and only water things when they need it.” Doing laundry, watering the lawn and washing dishes after 9 p.m. and before 6 a.m. can even reduce municipal usage rates.

Part of the Clinton River Watershed Council’s job is to educate people on how their lives affect water quality. The more people catch on, the healthier the water systems will be, Arquette said. The organization’s latest campaign is called “Ours to Protect.”

There are more than 1.5 million people living within the Clinton River watershed. It covers 760 square miles, four counties and 60 communities, making it the most populated watershed in all of Michigan.

“And all that land area that drains into the Clinton River empties into Lake St. Clair,” she concluded. “Whether you’re standing in Oak Park or Armada, you’re still in the Clinton River watershed.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Erin McClary at emcclary@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1118.