EPA announces more than $200 million to cleanup Grand Calumet River
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, on Thursday, announced that it has agreed to commit more than $200 million to clean up two sites in the Grand Calumet River area of concern.
The EPA will be joined by Atlantic Richfield Company, BP Products North America and the East Chicago Waterway Management District, according to a news release. The organizations will clean up contaminated sediments at Lake George Canal and Junction Reaches project areas in Northwest Indiana.
“By working side-by-side with our partners, and leveraging the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, we’re accelerating the cleanup of contaminated sediments and restoring critical habitat along the Grand Calumet River,” EPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel said in a news release. “This agreement demonstrates the power of partnership to deliver results that matter for people and nature. The impact will be clear: cleaner water, healthier neighborhoods, better fishing and recreation, and renewed economic momentum for East Chicago, Hammond, and communities across Northwest Indiana.”
The organizations will remove more than 240,000 cubic yards of contaminated canal and river bottom sediment across 100 acres, according to the release.
The 13-mile-long river was one of the world’s most contaminated waterways as a mix of industrial sites dumped heavy metals, untreated sewage, and toxic chemicals into it before the passage of the 1972 Clean Water Act. But over the past 15 years, it has been the site of various dredging and ecosystem restoration projects at Roxana Marsh, Seidner Dune and Swale Nature Preserve, and other places. Along 4.5 miles of the Grand Calumet River alone, the Great Lakes Legacy Act has cleaned up some 2 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment, enough to fill up more than 600 Olympic-size swimming pools.
A project for the second half of the east branch is in the design phase and will include closing the Gary Sanitary District’s Ralston Street Lagoon after a cleanup and containment plan that began 14 years ago.
The U.S. EPA estimates all necessary actions will be completed between 2027 and 2030, and that the waterway will be delisted as an area of concern possibly by 2031.
The Junction Reaches project will remediate sediments and ecosystem restoration in the Grand Calumet River and Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal in East Chicago. The Lake George Canal project will remediate sediment within a one-mile stretch of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal in East Chicago and Hammond.
Construction for both projects is expected to begin in late 2026, according to the news release.
“The District’s board appreciates the continued support and participation of Mayor (Anthony) Copeland, (Gov. Mike) Braun, Congressman (Frank) Mrvan, EPA and our local partners Atlantic Richfield and BP in advancing the restoration and revitalization of East Chicago’s waterways,” Fernando Treviño, executive director of the East Chicago Waterway Management District. “This project marks a significant milestone and sets the stage for future economic growth and expanded recreational opportunities along our waterways.”
Gov. Mike Braun commented on the investment in the news release, saying it’s more than a cleanup effort.
“It’s a long-term commitment to the continued restoration of one of Northwest Indiana’s most important natural resources,” Braun said. “Each phase of work on the Grand Calumet River brings us closer to restoring a waterway to the benefit of Hoosiers and steadily reclaiming its ecological health.”
The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1987 designated the river as an area of concern, due to legacy pollutants, including polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, oil and grease. Legacy pollutants were found in sediments at the bottom of the Grand Calumet River, Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, according to the EPA.
The EPA and its partners have identified 12 sediment remediation and five habitat restoration projects. Remediation will address sediments contaminated with legacy pollutants, according to the agency, and can be addressed by dredging and capping to prevent further release of contaminants.
More than 1,000 acres of habitat in the Grand Calumet River will be restored.
“I thank the Administration, the (EPA), the State of Indiana, the East Chicago Waterway Management District, the City of East Chicago, and our local industry partners for their collaboration in addressing the long-standing environmental legacy costs of the Grand Calumet River,” Mrvan, D-Highland, said in a news release. “This more than $200 million restoration effort will further protect public health, restore one of the nation’s most polluted waterways and unlock opportunities for economic growth and new jobs in Northwest Indiana.”