EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) Northwest Indiana residents are concerned that a plan to store contaminated dredged sediments in a local disposal facility will create health risks and won't be an effective long-term solution to cleaning an area waterway.
The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said air monitoring, storing the sediments in wet conditions and a cap at the bottom of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal in East Chicago will reduce those risks.
Residents said the proposed 22-foot-deep dredge should be deeper in order to address the most highly contaminated sediments.
The Army Corps of Engineers needs permission from the EPA and the state Department of Environmental Management to proceed with the proposed disposal of about 60,000 cu. yds. of contaminated sediment.
