Algae causes concerns for residents, lawmakers

HARRISON TOWNSHIP— On Feb. 16, members of the Huron Pointe Yacht Club and Harrison Township residents gathered for a presentation about Microseira wollei, a mucky algae causing problems for watercraft and people.

State Rep. Alicia St. Germaine, R-Harrison Township, presented the information to those who attended. The algae is a muck-like substance forming on the surface of the lake in shallow areas. According to St. Germaine, it sucks all the oxygen out from underneath it. If a person were to fall into it, it acts like quicksand, sucking them in.

The muck forms from combined sewer overflows or sewage discharges coming down from the Clinton River. Combined sewer overflows occur when storm and sanitary sewer systems become overwhelmed with rainwater and sewage, and the untreated water flows into nearby lakes and rivers. M. wollei has been described as forming in mats in the water.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a two-year study and found the muck comes from the bottom of the lake. The wind direction and the flow from the channels pushes toward Harrison Township and other communities.

St. Germaine represents Michigan House District 62, which covers all of Harrison Township, all of Fraser and parts of Roseville, St. Clair Shores, Chesterfield Township and Clinton Township.

She said mostly cells of the Clinton River get the muck and that it goes at least as far as the Grosse Pointe communities.

“But if we don’t do something about it now, it’s just going to continue to build up,” St. Germaine said. “If we don’t figure out a way to get rid of it and treat it, it’s just a matter of time where it’s going to build up so much we can’t navigate through our waterway.”

St. Germaine said even now, residents and visiting boaters are having issues on the water. A Michigan Department of Natural Resources launch is located in Harrison Township and St. Germaine said the state is spending millions to keep it up.

“The muck is making it difficult for boats to be launched and make (their) way out of that harbor,” St. Germaine said.

She said later in the interview that it has been an issue for years but that it has gotten worse in the last couple years while there hasn’t been any management.

Harrison Township is one of the first stops downstream of the Clinton River and the muck builds up in places along the shoreline. St. Germaine said the muck has been around for years.

Tony Wheaton, commodore of the Huron Pointe Yacht Club, said they noticed the issue around three years ago and that it has gotten worse since. He said the muck is more noticeable when the water level drops. Residents who live along canals have also reported the muck.

“I know a lot of people who live on the Lakeshore, Archer canal that’s really shallow and they’ve been working on that one, getting the muck sucked out of that one for years now,” Wheaton said.

The muck does cause damage to the boats that pull out of the harbor.

“I’ve hit stuff on the bottom because the bottom is so high and the water is so low right now,” Wheaton said. “I’ve hit something two or three times trying to get out of the harbor there at the club.”

Wheaton said boat cooling systems suck up water and when the muck is disturbed, it is sucked up and can eventually cause damage.

The DNR and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy have both been made aware of the issue and St. Germaine said they’ve done their best to let them know how bad it is.

“The next step is to get the DNR more engaged, and part of their responsibility is to protect our waterways,” St. Germaine said.

State authorities have been down to the lake, and they have been a part of multiple discussions with their “muck task force.” The group includes the Macomb County Public Works Office, St. Germaine, the DNR, EGLE and the Army Corps.

St. Germaine said during the meeting they received $800,000 from the state to complete a field study.

“We don’t really know what’s going to treat it,” St. Germaine said. “We’re going to mitigate it. We’re going to get rid of it in some areas and we’re starting right here in this bay.”

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved algaecides have been used in the lake to break up the muck. St. Germaine said they usually have a copper base and that she doesn’t think they are harmful to the environment. Wheaton’s opinion is that the pellets don’t work due to the flow of the lake and that they work better in a pond setting.

The muck can be removed manually, but residents can’t hire a contractor and use mechanical equipment without a permit from the state. St. Germaine introduced a bill that would eliminate the permit process, making it easier for residents to try to solve the situation.

“That stuff is heavy,” St. Germaine said. “There’s no way a homeowner could get a rake and besides that, it’s quite dangerous.”

The muck also smells like rotten eggs and constituents have contacted St. Germaine, saying they can’t sit outside or open windows due to the stench.

Wheaton said they are worried about the harbor, and the boat slips they rent out if conditions worsen. He said it will render the harbor useless if it gets any worse.

He said he hopes they stop allowing the contaminants to flow down the Clinton River and that they can clean that up.

“If they’re going to clean out this area that was mentioned, that bay there, I’m hoping they will help with our harbor also because we do lease our harbor from the state,” Wheaton said. “Some of it should be their responsibility.”