May 2025

My weekend routine, during the many years we lived on White Lake in White Lake Township, always included having to wipe down the white metal railings that ran the length of the deck overlooking the waterway, which during the course of a week ended up lightly covered with a black soot. I always suspected that the soot came most likely from aircraft from the Oakland International Airport miles down the road on the edge of Waterford Township.

The airport, one of the busiest small airports in the state, was then and still is home to a number of small jets and what as a layman I call traditional small planes, many operated on leaded gas. In 2022 there were about 120,000 landings and takeoffs from this airport, which is home to about 650 aircraft, more than half of which are single piston engine planes that still use leaded fuel. The Oakland International Airport is owned and operated by Oakland County which has two other much smaller airports, one in Troy and one in the southwest part of the county in the New Hudson/Wixom area.

About a year ago our news staff took a look at the impact on the environment from leaded gas driven planes. America banned leaded gas propelled autos in 1975 after documentation showed some serious health issues directly tied to leaded fuel. That was one of the first major actions taken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which was created in1970 by President Richard Nixon in response to growing public concerns about the environment.

You can read the longform piece in this issue that resulted from our work on the question of the impact from leaded gas aviation vehicles given the lead particulate matter generated in the atmosphere, especially in the area surrounding airports. We include this story, which first appeared in our Downtown Newsmagazine, because we are convinced that general aviation vehicles operating on leaded gas will have an impact on the quality of life on the lakes in Oakland, although officials at the county note that the Oakland International Airport, on the shores of Pontiac Lake and just south of Williams Lake, adheres to all federal lead limitations.

For years the aviation fuel industry has been looking for an alternative to leaded gas as an aviation fuel but no one seems to know when they will be successful. Further, this issue should serve as a reminder that while for the past several decades county officials liked to brag about the growth and development of the Oakland International Airport, we must remain mindful of potential impact should anyone think about further expansion of the three airports in the county.

Meanwhile, we plan on taking a further look at the county’s main airport against the background of the growing concern across the nation about the environmental impact of jet fuel and the fine particulate matter emitted by these aircraft. While jet fuel does not include lead, conventional fossil jet fuel does have an impact on health within a 12-mile area of an airport, according to studies I have been reading. My logic says that there must be a direct impact on local lakes but I suspect no one tests for that.

Once again, we monitor issues such as this because the health of the lakes and those living on the waterways in Oakland County is our primary concern.

Also inside this May issue readers will learn about Michigan’s latest effort to control geese across the state. The latest program abandons the past effort at relocating geese and instead involves killing of problem geese. A second longform piece explores the variety of natural indicators that can tell us about state of the environment in the area of a lake.

Lastly, our thanks to Heather Smith of White Lake for this month’s magazine cover. She shot this late last October when the Northern Lights put on a show above Lake Neva. We still encourage anyone who has a cover-worthy shot to email us a high resolution JPG image to photos@downtownpublications.com. If your photo is selected, we will send you a check for $100, so make sure you include your mailing address.

David Hohendorf

Publisher

DavidHohendorf@DowntownPublications.com