High water level warning issued for boaters, swimmers on Lake St. Clair

(FOX 2) - The warning has been issued for high water levels on Lake St. Clair during this popular boating season. 

"They are sandbagging, some are under water, some are fortunate to be above water," said Eric Tanaka. "But for the most part, it's pretty iffy out there."

It's iffy for the Macomb County Marine Division which were sandbagging. And they had to build new docks because they couldn't get their boats in the garage because of the high water levels.  And it smells.

"There is residue from the dead fish, it kind of ends up in our wells over here," said Lt. Tina Old, Macomb County Sheriff Division.

Boaters have to take precautions because of the high water levels. 

"The biggest problem is stuff floating in the water that can come up unexpectedly," said Ron Szolack, Harrison Twp. boater. "You can hit it, damage your hull, your props, your skeggs."

"There's also different debris that you can't see like an old dock, and other things that boaters can easily run into as well," Old said.

And boaters have to go slow with officials recommending a no wake.

"No wake means slow, idle speed," Old said. "That means look behind your boat when you get out on the water and make sure you are not creating a wake."

"Be courteous to keep the wakes down, because you're swapping these people houses, unfortunately it's unavoidable," Tanaka said.

Besides boaters, it's dangerous for swimmers too.  

"We encourage everybody to throw on a life jacket before you jump into the water," Old said. "And make sure you get familiar with the height and the depth of the water before you actually take a swim and jump off."