Bill Could Prohibit Public Pier Jumping on Great Lakes

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Bill Could Prohibit Public Pier Jumping on Great Lakes

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By WSBT News1

Story Created: Oct 28, 2007 at 9:58 PM EST

Story Updated: Oct 29, 2007 at 1:20 PM EST

PORT SANILAC, Mich. (AP) — It's a tradition spanning more than five decades to dive into Lake Huron off Port Sanilac's harbor wall.

"Back before my time they used to do it," said harbormaster David Marschall.

But a recently passed state Senate bill could prohibit making such jumps from public piers and structures along the Great Lakes and connecting waters.

If passed and signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Senate Bill 629 would "prohibit a person from jumping, diving, or swimming from a pier, jetty, breakwater or other similar structure, or a buoy or other navigational device, that was located in the Great Lakes or their connecting waters."

The bill passed the state Senate 35-2 on Oct. 17 and now goes to the House Tourism committee. It would make those jumps and dives punishable by a fine of as much as $500 if the bill becomes law.

Marschall said he backs such a law.

"It's actually a big issue," he told the Times Herald of Port Huron. "We have our hands full all the time. ... We've had incidents, and we've had drownings."

The bill was the result of meetings among officials in communities along Lake Michigan in the wake of recent drownings.

A Michigan Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman says the bill would be very difficult to enforce in its current form.

"We support the idea of controlling dangerous behaviors that this bill describes, but would find the bill very difficult to enforce and have opposed the bill as written," spokeswoman Mary Dettloff said.

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