DEQ: Anti-Pollution Work Benefits St. Clair River Beaches
MARYSVILLE, Mich. (AP) - Environmental officials say efforts to deal with pollution that for years prompted beach closings along the St. Clair River are paying off.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality's Office of the Great Lakes announced Monday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency decided beach closings are off a list of issues that need to be addressed for the waterway along the border with Canada.
Michigan officials say the update comes after years of work to stop direct discharges from combined sewer overflows by separating combined sewer and stormwater systems as well projects such as a Chrysler Beach rain garden to curb stormwater runoff.
The river in 1987 was designated a Great Lakes Areas of Concern. The EPA says issues remain about fish, wildlife and drinking water.
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