New Beach Rules In South Haven

southhavendowntown-19
southhavendowntown-19

The city of South Haven has posted signs announcing the penalties for swimming or walking out on to the pier during dangerous conditions. City Manager Kate Hosier tells WSJM News the city council in January approved a ban on swimming or pier walking when the red flags are posted.

“When and if the piers are closed for inclement conditions and the gates are closed, persons who enter the pier after the gates have closed could face a $1,000 fine and civil infraction,” Hosier said.

The $1,000 fine also applies to pier jumping.

“What people don’t often realize is that underneath the waves, there’s a lot of rubble, armored stone, rock. Really any kind of debris that was used decades ago is around those structures.”

Hosier says the discussions about penalties started last year when city leaders became concerned about people drowning in Lake Michigan when they shouldn’t have been in the lake. So far this year, a person has been fined for pier jumping. The fine is $1,000, and not “up to $1,000.” Hosier says they made it so high to send a message. The signs went up May 15.