Very Sad

<steps on soap box>

I just wanted to say that I am dissappointed that our failure as a community to control our sewage. I am no civil engineer but I am pretty sure that a lot of money was spent on the Deep Tunnel project to handle our sewage, but every time it rains heavily untreated sewage goes right into friggin Lake Michigan. Its no secret around here, but now Milwaukee and other communities have been outed. Though they blame older sewere systems, Milwaukee, as I mentioned has a new one. The picture they chose is as some of you know a place I have a very strong attachment to, McKinley beach. I worked there 4 out of my 7 years as a lifeguard for Milwaukee County (1992-1998). There was really only one time I can think of that poor water quality shut down McKinley. On the other hand South Shore beach which is closer to the pipe that dumps the sewerage was closed frequently in my day. The lake and the rivers gave life to our city and we are befouling them. I am no activist or eco-warrior or whatever but I'd hope we can get this problem fixed before any further damage is done to the tremendous natural resources we benefit from.

*Just a note about this picture. It says 'no lifeguards on duty'. This is not due to the water quality, its due to cutbacks in seasonal employees.

Comments

[Johnny Mack]

I really do miss swimming in the lake back in the beach guard days. I can barely get myself to go in the water passed my knees now after seeing everythig that is being dumped in to the lake. Millions of $$ spent to clean up the waste water but we still dump even when the deep tunnel is only 50% full because other segments of the tunnel are under "regular maintence".

Below is pulled from tomboer.net:
After spending more than $1.8 million for a temporary system to catch stray condoms slipping through the Jones Island sewage treatment plant - including having a full-time worker at $52.15 an hour manually skimming errant condoms from the final wastewater treatment tanks...
The work was done weekdays by union laborers under a subcontract with MMSD's private operator, United Water Services. Those workers were paid $23.19 an hour. However, United Water charged MMSD $52.15 an hour, a figure that included costs of fringe benefits and a 15% markup for profit and administrative fees.

On weekends, United Water employees scooped condoms at the plant. They were paid overtime - $51.06 an hour for Saturdays and $68.06 Sundays.

Info from: http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/may05/325680.asp?source=tmj4

Lets do something just silly and start putting all that "crap" in to NASA test rockets and just start shooting it at the sun so it all melts and becomes harmless....Like that would be cheap....
Build a subdivision where all the MMSD employes live and have a waste water run off there so when they have to dump, it goes over to their houses and not to Lake MI.Are there any quaries that need filling? Farm lands that need fertilizer? Prisioners that need excersize shovling this stuff? Fill in Soldier Field before the Bear's opener? Fill up the Dome in MN for the Viqueens?

[waiken]

i have no lifeguarding experience. i do, however have experience swimming in the waters of lake michigan. in 1991, i was at grant park with some friends, and while wading thru the shallow waters in my aqua socks, i saw a convoy of unidentifiable (to my non-entymologically trained eyes) wormlike things swimming all over the place. they were covering our skin in places, and from that day forward, i never set foot within our grand lake again.

you're right AP, it is sad. you'd think milwaukee would want to spend money to make sure that it remains "a great place on a great lake." obviously, we are not entirely to blame, as numerous other cities lie on the shores of lake M. i guess it's all about all of the different communities involved communicating on an even level to see what they can do.