Sterling State Park
| Sterling State Park | |
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Picnic area adjacent to Lake Erie
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 Location within the state of Michigan
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| Location |
Frenchtown Charter Township Monroe County, Michigan |
| Nearest city | Monroe, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 41°54′56″N 83°20′01″W / 41.91556°N 83.33361°WCoordinates: 41°54′56″N 83°20′01″W / 41.91556°N 83.33361°W |
| Area | 2.03 mi² (5.26 m²) |
| Established | 1920 |
| Governing body |
 Michigan Department of Natural Resources
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| www |
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Sterling State Park in the United States is the only Michigan state park located on the shores of Lake Erie. The park encompasses 2.03 mi² (5.26 km²) just northeast of Monroe, Michigan in Frenchtown Charter Township in Monroe County. The park was established in 1920. The park sits just north of where the River Raisin empties into Lake Erie. The park is located just south of Sandy Creek and the community of Detroit Beach. The park is located less than a mile from Interstate 75, which provides easy access from the neighboring areas of Detroit, Toledo, and Windsor. The main attractions at the park include the beach, a boat launch, and shore fishing. There are over six miles (9.66 km) of biking and hiking trails within the park.
Sterling State Park was established in an effort to preserve the Lake Erie coastline after decades of pollutants from the Detroit River emptied into the region— killing off tremendous amounts of wildlife and leaving the lake largely uninhabitable. For quite some time, Sterling State Park was greatly polluted by river runoff from Detroit, and swimming in the water was not recommended and even illegal. After decades and millions of dollars spent, the region was cleaned up and partially restored. In the late 1990s, the Environmental Protection Agency declared the area to be an environmental concern due to the level of pollutants in Lake Erie and the River Raisin. When studying fish in the area, PCB levels increased 87% from the 1988 to 1998. The result of the overpollution came from the sudden industrial growth surrounding the River Raisin delta and Lake Erie. The largest of these industries include a Ford plant and the coal-burning Monroe Power Plant, both of which caused severe impacts on the ecosystem of the area. In September 1997, the Ford completed an environmental dredging project in the River Raisin and removed approximately 25,000 cubic yards (19,000 m³) of toxic PCB-contaminated sediment from the River Raisin.
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