One more post on water quality
A few days ago, I discussed pollution on the west side of Lake Michigan. Safe swimming near Chicago and Milwaukee, especially after a rainstorm, means closely observing the bacteria monitoring results. But what about this side of the lake? The Grand Haven State Park beach is on the left side of the pier picture below. The Grand River, just to the right. A plume of brown water flows down this river from Grand Rapids. So how clean is the river? And the beach next to it?
How’s the water?
Very dirty… decades ago. But Grand Rapids (a metro area over a million people) invested $400 million in separating their storm sewers from the sanitary sewer system. And invested more in innovative ways to slow storm water runoff from directly entering the river. Rain gardens are extremely popular and effective in allowing dirty storm water to accumulate and sink into sandy soil instead of running directly into the river. Other communities along the Grand River have invested in upgraded sewer systems as well.
The result? The Grand River is still brown. But a natural brown with water coming from forests and fields. It will never be a crystal clear river like those originating from underground springs. It never was.
Lansing? You’re up
One exception is the city of Lansing. With a metro population of just under half a million people, and much of it still a combined sewer system, sewage overflow during major storms is still a major issue. Until Lansing gets it under control, untreated and partially treated sewage flows into the Grand River during storms. Hundreds of millions of gallons per year.
Yes, they are working on it. But the good news for Grand Haven? Lansing is significantly upriver. The river acts like a sewage treatment plant, cleaning most of the contamination before it ever reaches the mouth of the Grand River… and Lake Michigan.
One less worry for the beach
Swimmers here rarely need to worry about pollution. Instead, red flag days are for the waves… and undertow.. on days like today. And also worry about the water temperature. This is such a massive lake. An inland sea. And when the wind blows just right, the lake water flips. Water temperature of 74 degrees can drop overnight to 43 degrees. At the end of July. Amazing.