The river turned from blue-green, to coffee to grey to black. My eyes watered and the stench was so strong it took my breath away. The consequences of the overflow, which left mats of weeds reeking of sewage on Lake St. Clair's shoreline and closed its beaches, are still being felt in Macomb County more than four years later. Last summer new overflows resulted in the shutting of public beaches on Lake St. Clair for 22 days due to fecal contamination. The lake's marina operators, who manage a total of 10,000 slips, are losing tens of millions of dollars each summer as boat owners cruise other lakes.
Several residents say they've been sickened by the contamination.
Property values along the lake and the canals have slipped, say real estate agents. Restaurants, hotels, bait shops, and suppliers say their business has been cut in half during the peak summer season. You can't blame the people. A Clear Warning Lake St. Clair's polluted shoreline is a warning to the rest of Michigan. A 31-member commission appointed by Macomb County concluded in 1997 that rampaging sprawl was the primary cause of the sewage overflow and other lake contamination in southeast Michigan.