While many may think of Lake Superior’s waters along the Upper Peninsula shoreline as pristine and unspoiled, those who dive beneath the surface often find some disappointing evidence to the contrary.

For example, car batteries, a refrigerator, four tons of tires and an assortment of other litter was found and removed from the lake by divers during last summer’s Lake Superior Underwater Cleanup at Mattson Lower Harbor Park in Marquette.

While it’s always deeply disappointing to find litter in the lake, it’s especially distressing when we consider that tires, car batteries and refrigerators can leach hazardous chemicals into the lake, impacting water quality, the marine ecosystem and human health.

However, there are many things we can do to protect and preserve Lake Superior.

And participating in the second annual Marquette Lower Harbor Underwater Cleanup on Saturday is one way to make a difference locally, as the goal this year is to clean up the remaining tires.

“Getting the gunk and junk out of the lake is what we want to do. Hopefully this will be the last year we have to do it, at least with the tires,” event organizer Don Fassbender told the Journal in a recent article. “There will always be the wrappers and garbage thrown into the lake and cans … but the larger things, I’m hoping to be done with it this year.”

It’s scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern time Saturday at Mattson Lower Harbor Park.

Volunteers are needed to lend a hand when divers bring tires to the harbor wall surface and we encourage readers to help with the effort if they are able, as this is a valuable chance to actively preserve and protect the lake for generations to come.

We commend Fassbender and all who are involved in this effort to clean our lake, as these types of actions can make a big impact on water quality, the well-being of the environment and human health.

Whether or not you can participate in the clean up this Saturday, we strongly encourage all area residents to do their part in keeping our lands and waters clean by not littering in the first place and picking up litter found in the environment.

— The Mining Journal (Marquette)