Grassy Island

{{for|the lighthouses in Wisconsin|Grassy Island Range Lights}} {{Use American English|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox islands | name = Grassy Island | native_name = | native_name_link = | sobriquet = | image = File:NASA Worldwind, USGS imagery map, Grassy Island, Michigan.png | image_size = | image_caption = USGS aerial imagery of Grassy Island | image_alt = Aerial image of an island. | map = WayneCountyMI#Michigan | map_caption = | location = Detroit River | coordinates = {{coord|42|13|21|N|83|08|05|W|type:isle_region:US-MI|display=inline,title}} | archipelago = | total_islands = | major_islands = | area_acre = 72 | area_sqmi = | rank = | length_mi = | width_mi = | coastline_mi = | highest_mount = | elevation_ft = | Country_heading = | country = United States | country_admin_divisions_title = State | country_admin_divisions = {{Flag|Michigan}} | country_admin_divisions_title_1 = County | country_admin_divisions_1 = Wayne County | country_admin_divisions_title_2 = City | country_admin_divisions_2 = Wyandotte | country_capital = | country_largest_city = | country_largest_city_population = | country_leader_title = | country_leader_name = | demonym = | population = Uninhabited | population_as_of = | density_sqmi = | ethnic_groups = | website = | additional_info = }} thumb|Aerial view of Grassy Island looking north '''Grassy Island''' is a small, uninhabited {{convert|72|acre|adj=on}} American island in the Detroit River.<ref name="coalition"/> It is located just north of Grosse Ile and west of Fighting Island, about {{convert|600|ft}} west of the Canada–United States border.<ref name="MACA" /> The island is part of the city of Wyandotte, in Wayne County.<ref name="CDqw9" /> The island is part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge.<ref name="FWSG" /> Grassy Island should not be confused with Grass Island, which is an island of Ontario on the exact opposite side of the Detroit River.<ref name="MACA" />

Grassy Island was first charted by French explorers in 1796 as ''Ile Marecageuse'' (Marshy Island). At the time, the island's size was only six acres (2.4 ha), and the whole length of the Detroit River was a prominent coastal marshland.<ref name="ERGI" /> During the nineteenth century, the island was primarily used as a fishery and later was home to the Grassy Island Light.<ref name="uvMS0" /> From around 1960–1982, the island served as a disposal facility for millions of cubic meters of toxic soil dredged from the nearby River Rouge, and the island's size was increased dramatically. Because of that, the island remains heavily contaminated today.<ref name="FWSG" />

==Expansion== When Detroit underwent rapid industrialization beginning at the turn at the twentieth century, much of the pollutants from the growing industries found their way into the Detroit River and had devastating consequences on the ecosystem. When the Detroit River became so polluted as to warrant federal intervention, Congress declared Grassy Island and the surrounding area as part of the Wyandotte National Wildlife Refuge in 1961.<ref name="FWSG" /> However, larger shipping lanes were needed in the Detroit River and its main tributary, the River Rouge, with the increase of commercial shipping and larger freighters during this time. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took control of Grassy Island from 1960–1982 and used it as a disposal facility for millions of cubic meters of sediments dredged from the nearby River Rouge for better navigation of that river. Dikes were constructed around Grassy Island to hold the sediments— much of which were heavily contaminated from nearby industries.<ref name="ERIE" />

When the dredging project was completed, Grassy Island swelled from its original {{convert|6|acre}} to {{convert|72|acre}}. Because of the island's massive expansion, it can be considered an artificial island, as no real remnants of the original island are seen today.<ref name="GLIN" /> The mouth of the River Rouge was effectively diverted to an easier route (creating the artificial Zug Island in the process) with all the sediments from this new River Rouge route being dumped at Grassy Island with no regard to the amount of pollutants in the soil. The island now has an unnatural appearance and composition. Its sides are steep earthen dikes used to hold up the island, and this can pose a variety of hazards to those who attempt to dock boats at the shore or walk on the island.<ref name="ERIE" />

==Pollution== thumb|left|A circa 1915 postcard showing the lighthouse that once stood on Grassy Island Around the time that Grassy Island became a disposal facility for the dredging of the nearby River Rouge in 1960, at least nine major industries (including the Ford River Rouge Complex) freely dumped their waste products into that river.<ref name="GLIN" /> This caused a huge buildup of toxic waste around the mouth of the river— the exact location where the sediments came from that were deposited on Grassy Island. The soil that was deposited on Grassy Island was highly contaminated from Detroit's unregulated industrialism for many decades. Grassy Island is now contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyl, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and lethal amounts of harmful heavy metals, such as mercury and lead.<ref name="ERIE" /><ref name="ODk2e" />

While there is no imminent danger to human trespassers because of a thin layer of protective topsoil on Grassy Island, public access is prohibited but not often enforced.<ref name="ERIE" /> The island has become largely void of wildlife and vegetation, as 97% of the original wetlands around the Detroit River were depleted by 1982.<ref name="ERGI" /> The soil contains 28 different contaminants that exceed state and federal limits.<ref name="Millsap" /> While the site has not been declared a Superfund site, similar procedures are being used by the Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations to clean up Grassy Island.<ref name="Millsap" /> In 1994, the Department of the Interior began working on Grassy Island in order to find remedies for such hazardous sites. Currently, the island is still being evaluated to see if the many contaminants within the soil are leaking into the surrounding Detroit River.<ref name="ERGI" />

In 2001, the Wyandotte National Wildlife Refuge, including Grassy Island, was absorbed into the newly created Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, which allowed for more federal funds necessary to clean up the river. Large portions of land have been set aside for ecological restoration. Because of this, much of the Detroit River has been cleaned up, and a number of native animal and plant species have returned.<ref name="MACA" />

==References== <references> <ref name="coalition">{{Cite web | url = https://www.detroitrivercoalition.com/the-detroit-river | title = The Detroit River | website = Detroit River Coalition | access-date = 2021-05-20 }}</ref> <ref name="MACA">{{cite web | last = Metropolitan Affairs Coalition | title = A Conservation Vision for the Lower Detroit River Ecosystem | url = http://www.mac-web.org/Publications/assets/ahrconservation.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110727051253/http://www.mac-web.org/Publications/assets/ahrconservation.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2011-07-27 | date = Oct 2001 | accessdate = December 10, 2009 }}</ref> <ref name="FWSG">{{cite web | last = Millsap | first = Stephanie | url = http://www.fws.gov/midwest/grassyisland/ | date = 23 Jul 2009 | title = Grassy Island Disposal Facility | accessdate = December 10, 2009 | archive-date = 25 September 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120925131318/http://www.fws.gov/midwest/GrassyIsland/ | url-status = dead }}</ref> <ref name="ERGI">{{cite web | last = Manny | first = Bruce A. (U.S. Geological Survey) | url = http://riccawu.mnsi.net/story5.html | title = Ecological Restoration of Grassy Island and the Wyandotte National Wildlife Refuge in the Detroit River | accessdate = December 10, 2009 }}</ref> <ref name="ERIE">{{cite web | last = Ingles | first = Mike | url = http://www.blogsmonroe.com/expatriate/2008/01/health-report-on-grassy-island-detroit-river/ | date = 30 Jan 2008 | title = Health Report on Grassy Island – Detroit River | accessdate = December 10, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110708020449/http://www.blogsmonroe.com/expatriate/2008/01/health-report-on-grassy-island-detroit-river/ | archive-date = 8 July 2011 | url-status = dead }}</ref> <ref name="GLIN">{{cite web | last = Great Lakes Information Network | url = http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/glin-announce/2004-11/msg00011.html | date = 8 Nov 2004 | title = Investigation of Hazardous Substance Contamination on Grassy Island | accessdate = December 10, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110607234519/http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/glin-announce/2004-11/msg00011.html | archive-date = 7 June 2011 | url-status = dead }}</ref> <ref name="Millsap">{{cite web | last = Millsap | first = Stephanie | url = http://www.fws.gov/midwest/grassyisland/documents/Grassy_FAQs.pdf | date = Feb 2006 | title = Grassy Island: Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (FAQ) | accessdate = December 10, 2009 | archive-date = April 15, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100415070353/http://www.fws.gov/Midwest/GrassyIsland/documents/Grassy_FAQs.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref> <ref name="CDqw9">{{cite web | last = Buttle and Tuttle Ltd | url = http://www.placenames.com/us/p627226/ | date = 2000–2008 | title = Wayne County islands place names: Grassy Island | accessdate = December 10, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110906133815/http://www.placenames.com/us/p627226/ | archive-date = September 6, 2011 | url-status = dead }}</ref> <ref name="uvMS0">{{cite web | last = Lighthouse Marketing LTD | url = http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_digest.asp?action=get_article&sk=0873&bhcd2=1260470852 | year = 2009 | title = Lighthouse Digest: Mission to Mama | accessdate = December 10, 2009 | archive-date = June 14, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110614090326/http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_digest.asp?action=get_article&sk=0873&bhcd2=1260470852 | url-status = dead }}</ref> <ref name="ODk2e">{{cite web | last = Citizens Environmental Alliance | url = http://www.citizensenvironmentalliance.org/pdf/CEA_10_Actions_4_Detroit_River_Area_Of_Concern.pdf | date = Nov 1996 | title = Environmental Problems in the Detroit River Area of Concern | accessdate = December 10, 2009 | page = 3 }}</ref> </references>

Category:Islands of Wayne County, Michigan Category:Islands of the Detroit River Category:River islands of Michigan Category:Uninhabited islands of Michigan