Muck plaguing Lake St. Clair shoreline getting worse
Lyngbya algae pulled from Lake St. Clair near the shore in Harrison Township.
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - What's causing the muck along Lake St. Clair?
That's what Macomb County officials want to learn as they pulled samples from the shoreline along Jefferson Avenue in Harrison Township.
The samples were sent to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers for further study - part of a two-year joint study between the parties to learn how the algae forms.
The muck tends to accumulate in areas of the lake with little water movement. According to Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller, the material then breaks away and forms dense, free-floating mats that clog the shoreline and canals.
The county also wants to see if the algae poses any kind of health risk to beach goers.
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"There are a number of boat wells along Lake St. Clair where this stuff is just packed in, or you see it in different areas right along the shore where there are layers of it," said Miller.
Identified as an algal species called Lyngbya, its growth has worsened over the past 10–15 years.
"Macomb County is always focused on how we can improve our water quality in Lake St. Clair, and we expect this study will offer excellent insight into the muck issue," Miller said.
There are also questions around why the muck accumulates in certain areas. Removing the mats can be an expensive dredging process and often a short-lived solution.