UPDATE
As of June 25, 2010 at 4:30 pm, the Total Body Direct Contact Advisory for Luna Pier has been lifted. There is no longer an advisory against using the waters at City of Luna Pier beach.

Qi Gong class on the beach at Luna Pier, Michigan. Source: Mayor Mary Liske.

High coliform bacteria (Escherichia coli) counts close Lake Erie beach.

According to the Monroe County Health Department, fecal coliform bacteria levels found in water samples collected at Luna Pier Beach exceeded the limit for full body contact. From the County’s website:

“Streams and creeks, connected to county and private drain systems, have carried the heavy burden of draining the landscape to allow us to develop the land that predominately was a low-lying marsh landscape. The rivers shuttle vast amounts of water from the inland landscape and form an entire river “water shed”. The River Raisin Watershed encompasses over 100 square miles. Rivers are community resources because contamination or unhealthy alteration above stream can dramatically alter the waterside experience of those downstream.”

There was a time, back in the day, when folks rode a street car up the shore from downtown Toledo, north to a boardwalk and bandstand, and good summer times, and Luna Pier was “considered the best spot for dancing under the stars.” The more adventurous and uninhibited might still find that (bring your own music), but they’d best stay out of the water.