Midwest Steel in Portage, IN

U.S. Steel says no harm in chemical spill

Contributed By:The 411 News

Indiana American Water shut down its Ogden Dunes water treatment facility after a chemical spill on Tuesday morning, August 20, into Burns Ditch.

The spill was reported to the Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management Midwest (IDEM) by Midwest Steel, a U.S. Steel owned facility in Portage, Ind.

U.S. Steel reported Tuesday morning a "discoloration" in the outfall of its Midwest facility located along the Burns Waterway. The company said it immediately took samples and contacted local authorities and stakeholders.

The water utility said the shutdown was a precautionary measure as it performs continuous real-time monitoring at the Ogden Dunes treatment facility. “Although we have seen no impact on the raw water parameters we are monitoring for at this location or on our finished water quality, the Ogden Dunes facility will remain offline until such time as additional data and water testing results confirm there is no threat to the company’s source water at this location.”

Tuesday night, U.S. Steel said their samples indicated no presence of violations of discharge limitations. "This matter did not result in any risk of harm to the public or the environment and has been resolved," the company said.

Indiana American Water uses water from two Lake Michigan intakes as source water in northwest Indiana, including the facility at Ogden Dunes and the larger Borman Park water treatment plant located in Gary, Ind.

Indiana American Water said it had already reduced flow through the Ogden Dunes facility after ArcelorMittal exceeded its permitted discharge of cyanide and ammonia into the Little Calumet River last week, resulting in a fish kill downstream from their outfall.

In a statement, the water utility said, “The Borman Park water treatment facility, located in Gary, Ind., remains in service and is able to provide adequate treatment capacity to meet customer needs for the company’s customers in northwest Indiana.”

Story Posted:08/21/2019