Seasonal & Holidays
U.S. Steel Spills Oil Into Indiana Waterway; 2nd Leak In 2 Months
Officials from the National Parks Service confirmed oil was spilled from the Indiana plant and that officials are working to investigate.
INDIANA DUNES, IN — An oil spill from the U.S. Steel plant into Lake Michigan is again causing beachfront closures at the Indian Dunes National Park. This is the second time in less than two weeks the company has discharged into the waterway, forcing a National Park Service response.
According to a statement from the steel plant, company officials noticed an oily sheen in the commercial harbor near the Portage, IN base Thursday morning. A spokeswoman said vacuum trucks are working to remove the oil from the Burns Waterway, which sits southeast of Chicago.
EARLIER: Indiana Dunes Beaches Closed After U.S. Steel Spills Substance
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A similar incident occurred in late September in the same waterway when the steel plant leaked a large amount of iron into the lake. The National Park Service closed all Indiana Dunes beaches from Gary to Michigan City, IN while officials investigated health risks. Beaches were later reopened when it was determined the iron didn't pose a safety risk to beachgoers.
The park service closed a smaller portion of the lakefront after Thursday's recent spill, but did not give a timeline for Indiana environmental officials to take samples of the water and investigate risks.
Find out what's happening in Chicagofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A local water treatment plant in Northwest Indiana closed down after the September spill, but a spokesman told Patch the plant is still operating but closely following the most recent discharge.
The steel plant has a permit to discharge some of its wastewater into the Burns Waterway but beaches will remain closed until officials can determine the water is clear.
In early September, U.S. Steel and Indiana state officials signed an agreement holding U.S. Steel responsible for about $1.2 trillion in Clean Water Act penalties. The National Parks Service is one of the agencies who received reimbursement from the company for accusations of contaminating water with metal pollutants.
The September 26 incident is still under investigation to determine if the company violated the Clean Water Act.
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