WTTW News reported that US Steel is reporting that a rusty colored discharge that poured into Lake Michigan on Sunday from its plant in Portage in Indiana was due to elevated iron levels. US Steel spokeswoman Ms Amanda Malikowski wrote in an email “Analysis of the water from the outfall taken during the time of the incident showed elevated concentrations of iron causing the discoloration. There are no indications of permit level exceedances for hexavalent and total chromium, as those sampling results came in well below permit limits.”However, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, which is leading the investigation into the spill, said it is still awaiting sample results taken by US EPA. Spokeswoman Ms Sarah Bonick said “Once the results are received and analyzed, we’ll provide an update.”US Steel shut down the Midwest Plant as officials investigated the cause of the spill. The discharge flowed into the Burns Waterway, a ditch that runs next to the company’s steel mill and drains into Lake Michigan. Sunday’s spill prompted the National Park Service to temporarily close the waters off all beaches at Indiana Dunes National Park, and Indiana American Water to shut down its treatment plant at Ogden Dunes, which draws water for northwest Indiana from Lake Michigan near the steel plant.Hexavalent chromium is a toxic heavy metal used in a number of industrial processes. The chemical was made famous by the film “Erin Brockovich” and can cause cancer in humans when they are exposed to it by breathing
WTTW News reported that US Steel is reporting that a rusty colored discharge that poured into Lake Michigan on Sunday from its plant in Portage in Indiana was due to elevated iron levels. US Steel spokeswoman Ms Amanda Malikowski wrote in an email “Analysis of the water from the outfall taken during the time of the incident showed elevated concentrations of iron causing the discoloration. There are no indications of permit level exceedances for hexavalent and total chromium, as those sampling results came in well below permit limits.”However, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, which is leading the investigation into the spill, said it is still awaiting sample results taken by US EPA. Spokeswoman Ms Sarah Bonick said “Once the results are received and analyzed, we’ll provide an update.”US Steel shut down the Midwest Plant as officials investigated the cause of the spill. The discharge flowed into the Burns Waterway, a ditch that runs next to the company’s steel mill and drains into Lake Michigan. Sunday’s spill prompted the National Park Service to temporarily close the waters off all beaches at Indiana Dunes National Park, and Indiana American Water to shut down its treatment plant at Ogden Dunes, which draws water for northwest Indiana from Lake Michigan near the steel plant.Hexavalent chromium is a toxic heavy metal used in a number of industrial processes. The chemical was made famous by the film “Erin Brockovich” and can cause cancer in humans when they are exposed to it by breathing
