An encampment is being asked to move off property owned by Bay City after high levels of lead and cadmium were found near the Liberty Bridge.
The toxic metals were found last month, and organizations around Bay City have been trying to connect the unhoused people with resources to move.
“We're trying to do this in the most compassionate way possible, and that is to tell them about the danger and encourage them to move voluntarily,” said Bay City Manager Richard Hayman.
The surface-level contamination was found after the city began testing for the toxic synthetic chemical polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Saginaw River, according to Hayman.
Cadmium and lead have been linked to poor physical and mental health and could cause illnesses such as cancer.
"The levels of the two contaminants were elevated (by confirmatory testing results) enough to warrant that action needed to take place to make sure the occupants were removed from the premises," said Bay County Health Officer Joel Strasz in an email to WCMU.
Hayman says the city periodically tests for PCBs and that "the Saginaw River and pretty much every city has faced that issue over the years."
Organizations such as Mid-Michigan Community Action and The Great Lakes Dream Center have been working to connect those within the encampment with resources such as food, clothes and shelter.
The Bay County Health Department is also offering free blood testing.
"In this situation, we have been working with residents to provide information, assess housing needs, and connect individuals to available supports," said Mid-Michigan Community Action Outreach & Opportunities Director Eva Rohlman.
"Our priority is to ensure that every person impacted by the planned closure is treated with dignity and respect and has an opportunity to access services that may help them transition to a safer living situation."
During a city commission meeting on Aug. 10, Tracy Szenay, a homeless advocate in the Bay City area and owner of Wicked Emporium, said that the resources to help those who are homeless in the region are strained.
“I'm hoping that we have a solution,” she said during the meeting. “A social worker on site, harm reduction, and a solution about where we're going to put them because our homeless shelter is currently running at capacity and everyone around us in a 50-mile radius."
According to Hayman, the city will begin cleaning the contamination from the area in 2027.
