(AP) -- The trash and medical waste that washed up on Lake Michigan beaches in 2008, 2009 and 2010 likely came from Milwaukee sewer overflows.

Used syringes, tampons and other medical waste were found by lakeshore homeowners in the Ludington, but the problem extended beyond the borders of Mason County.  The Department of Natural Resources suspected the waste came from Milwaukee.  The new documents obtained by the Alliance for the Great Lakes support that initial belief.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes report cited an investigation by the Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency. The environmental group obtained Coast Guard and EPA documents using the federal Freedom of Information Act.

The EPA found no federal permit violations linked to the sewer overflows.

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