Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
EVEN WITH the beach and harbor closed to swimmers, visitors enjoy walking the paths around the Black River Harbor Sunday. The sunny days encouraged locals to leave their houses and enjoy the fresh air.
By CHARITY SMITH
Bessemer - Officials with the Ottawa National Forest announced the reopening of Black River Harbor to swimmers on Tuesday after test results on the water by the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department came back as "clear and safe for body contact."
The harbor and river had been closed to swimmers since Aug. 5, following a sewage discharge by the Bessemer Township waste water treatment plant's sewage lagoon. The lagoons had reached it's maximum capacity of two feet from the top, much earlier then usual because of clear water entering the lagoon from groundwater and manholes, said Randy Conroy a geologist and wastewater treatment inspector with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and energy. He said that if the wastewater went over the top it would be a much "bigger" problem, so they had to schedule this "out of season" discharge.
Sewage lagoons normally have scheduled discharges, with permission from the state, in the spring after the ice melts and in late October, according to Tanya Rule, environmental health director for WUPHD.
According to Conroy the problem with clearwater entering the lagoons is being addressed with a construction project they started with the Bessemer Township system in May, which they hope to have completed by the end of the 2021 construction season.
He said the project will prevent clear water and groundwater from entering the lagoons.
