Residents told Michigan Republicans about their environmental concerns during a community talk in St. Clair Shores Thursday.
Lake St. Clair, a source of drinking water for many Michigan communities, made up a major topic of conversation. Pollution, invasive species, and sewer overflow came up as some of the biggest points of concern.
Republican gubernatorial nominee John James said if elected, he’d be willing to spend money on the issue.
“It is otherworldly to force the best people in the world, Michiganders, to drink from a toilet bowl. Lake St. Clair is a treasure. It is a crown jewel of Michigan. We’re going to start treating it that way,” James said.
Some ideas that came up for paying for the work included cutting back state spending in other places and having bottled water companies pay more for their use of the Great Lakes.
Public officials and area residents suggested Macomb County, which is home to five sewer flow outfalls have already begun working on cutting back on wastewater entering the lake.
Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller pointed to construction outside the restaurant where the event took place as evidence of that work.
“You had a hard time getting here today. But I hope you really make sure that you do come to all these businesses here because everybody is really sort of sucking it up,” Miller said. “What’s happening here, we’re putting a big pipe down.”
Miller said there are already plans to remove chunks of a toxic algae species referred to as “muck” as part of a study. However, she expects it to grow back. Miller and other advocates for the lake’s health blame waste from Oakland County as a contributor to the problem.
Macomb County resident Mike Gutow runs a group called Save Lake St. Clair. He called it “massive” to hear James’ support.
“We have literally for decades not acknowledged there’s been a problem here at all. Everybody knows it’s happening but, hey, but how do you actually solve a problem? Acknowledge you actually have a problem. You acknowledge it, you can go after funding, you have funding, you make things happen, you put people to work, that’s how the world evolves,” Gutow said.
The policymakers said they want the state take a bigger lead in addressing issues facing the state’s waterways and wetlands. Rather than expanding the size of government, however, the Republicans said they wanted to do it by being more efficient.
James’ running mate, State Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Twp) gave the state’s management of phragmites, also known as the common reed, as an example. He argued the state wasn’t doing enough to prevent its takeover of marshes.
Meanwhile, DeBoyer said the state was overzealous when it came to other environmental enforcement.
“How they treat someone who might run a driveway through an eighth of an acre wetland as opposed to letting our own state assets turn into a wasteland, to me, there’s a conflict there that doesn’t seem to jive,” DeBoyer said.
James and DeBoyer are facing Democratic nominee Jocleyn Benson and her running mate, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids).
Benson’s platform for improving the environment involves proposes replacing aging pipelines and cracking down on polluters to protect our waters.
