The Lower Rouge River

What we will be looking at here are images from the Lower Rouge River which is located in Southeastern Michigan.  The Lower Rouge, Middle Rouge (the main channel) and the Upper Rouge together flow into the Rouge River into the Detroit River.  The water then flows south to Lake Erie and thence on east.  The River Rouge is one of the most heavily polluted rivers in the United States.  Despite more than 26 years of labor and more than 387 million dollars - it is still loaded with chemicals, polluted with sewage and refuse and abused by most of the communities clustered along its banks.

The Lower Rouge drains some pretty wicked landscapes.  This drain, which empties into the river, runs under Michigan Avenue - US 12.  Before it gets to Michigan Avenue it travels beside several large parking lots, a gigantic gas station, a sprawling trailer park and last but not least some of the largest garbage dumps in the State of Michigan.  During each rain the poisons leached from the soil and laying on the surface are scoured away and transported to the river.  The river flows down to the Detroit River where municipal intake pumps carry into homes and businesses.

This is a manhole leading to sanitary sewers.  It is disgorging its loads into the Lower Rouge River like the geyser that it is.  This manhole is now in the center of a bike path.  The bike path is not used that much these days.  Shortly after it was opened a beautiful young woman with two children at home rode along the trail.  She got to the crossing, dismounted from her bike and began walking it across Haggerty Road.  A motorist proceeding south of Haggerty Road struck and killed her.

Above is a picture of the 'Ghost Bike'.

Here is an image of the sort of construction techniques used to create a 'natural park' at this location.  The oil, grease and diesel fuel lost to the river during the 'restoration project' was a sight to behold.  The destruction it caused is still evident two years later as the river in this section is virtually dead.