Published: July 22, 2008 09:46 am         

Officials try to trace washed-up trash

MANISTEE -- Investigators believe the trash that recently washed ashore and cluttered miles of Lake Michigan beaches originated from land, but how and why the garbage ended up in the water still isn't clear.

Garbage washed up on roughly 13 miles of shoreline in Manistee County July 14, and more later appeared on beaches from Elberta south to Saugatuck. United States Coast Guard investigators hope to pin down the source, spokesman Lt. David M. French said.

"I think we can honestly say it's not coming from a ship," French said. "We're focusing our efforts on land-based sources."

Trash from ships usually is in bags and in much smaller quantities, French said.

But it's still murky exactly where on land the trash came from and how it got in the lake, French said. Among the items found was a "No Dumping" sign from the city of Milwaukee, but that doesn't necessarily mean the trash came from there, he said.

Most of the trash was common household waste, and many items found had names and other traceable information, French said. Wisconsin labels were on many of the items.

"We have our Coast Guard Investigative Services following some leads, and we're in the course of that investigation," French said. "We're not ready to definitively identify a source."

Punishment for such pollution could vary depending on who is responsible and if the dumping was deliberate or the result of negligence, French said.

"Until we ... get to the bottom of this, it would be a little premature to talk about any possible penalties," he said.

Manistee's public beaches were cleaned up by the end of last week, said local health department official Tom Reichard. Beaches in Benzie County are now clear, officials there said.

It appears the bulk of the trash has already washed up, French said, but officials want to know if more appears.

"We always ask for the public's assistance in this matter," French said. "If they're out on the lake and they spot something, they can give us a call and we'll check it out."

The Coast Guard is asking anyone who sees more trash to call (586) 307-6759 through Friday. After Friday, call (586) 239-6759.