Why You Still Can’t Swim at Seven Lakes State Park in Holly

We just recently told you about 12 Michigan beaches that were either closed or under contamination advisories. Well, you can go ahead and add another one to that ever-growing list.

The swimming area at Seven Lakes State Park in Holly has been closed for quite some time, and a lot of people have been asking, “Why?” Turns out it's not just one thing. It's one of those everything that could go wrong went wrong situations.

The park posted a statement on Facebook this week, breaking it all down.

Big Seven Lake isn’t just one lake. It’s actually seven smaller lakes all jammed together behind a dam they put in back in the 1960s. That dam stopped the natural flow of water, so they added a pump to help keep the water levels where they should be.

Why the Swimming Area at Seven Lakes State Park is Closed

They say the problem is that we haven’t had any real rain in a while. Which is kind of odd because it feels like we’ve had more rain this summer than in a long time.

But apparently, it hasn’t been the kind of rain that actually helps. Water levels are still down, the flow from Dickinson Lake (which feeds into Big Seven) is barely doing anything, and the wetland that feeds the pump system is dried up, too. So yeah, the lake’s not exactly getting the fresh water it needs right now.

And then there’s the geese. Oh man, I’m so sick of the geese this year. Well, so are they.

Seven Lakes has about 50 full-time “resident” geese, but every night, another 100 to 200 fly in and camp out on Big Seven Lake. And, as you can imagine, they crap everywhere. Add in some classic Michigan summer heat, and you’ve got a recipe for murky, messy water, not exactly the kind of stuff you want to swim in.

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The Oakland County Health Department is still testing the water every weekday, and park staff are doing what they can to keep the beach area clean. But without a good, long stretch of rain, there’s only so much they can do to fix the real problem.

So for now, the swimming area stays closed.