Everyone’s being reminded to be wary of lake ice as the wintry weather continues around Southwest Michigan.
Berrien County Sheriff Chuck Heit tells us that also means stay off the piers in St. Joseph. He says it’s not illegal to go on the piers here, but they should be considered too dangerous for now.
“To my knowledge, there’s not a law that keeps them from going on,” Heit said. “It’s not safe, and we would advise strongly against it. Obviously, I know there’s some beautiful pictures, but get a longer lens where you can take that picture from a distance, or there’s a lot of drone photography.”
In South Haven, police have been escorting people off the piers because that city a couple of years ago approved an ordinance establishing penalties for venturing out on to them when they’re closed. There’s no such ordinance in St. Joseph, as far as Heit knows. He also reminds everyone to stay off the shelf ice in the lake.
“You don’t know what the water is, what’s moving below you, especially in kind of the mountains that if you fall through, you could end up in moving water and not be able to get out. So there may not be a law against it, but it doesn’t mean it’s the right or smart thing to do.”
The U.S. Coast Guard warns that walking out on to the ice shelf could result in a person falling through and then being unable to get back out as hypothermia sets in. They’d be responsible for any Lake Michigan rescues.
“The Coast Guard, I know trains and would do that. But the problem is, especially the cold temperatures we have right now, hypothermia will set in much faster than any rescue can get to them. So, again, I would just encourage people to stay off the ice for your safety and the safety of those that may try and attempt the rescue.”
As far as inland lakes, Heit tells those itching to get out on the ice to test its thickness first. The rule of thumb is that ice needs to be at least four inches thick to be safe, although he says he’d prefer for people to wait until it’s even thicker.
