U.S. Steel Portage Facility Spills Orange Substance Into Lake Michigan Tributary

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): An outfall at the U.S. Steel Midwest plant is said to be spewing an orange substance, which in turn pollutes a Lake Michigan tributary, after travelling along Burns Waterway.

According to Portage Mayor Sue Lynch, the substance started to appear in the water near the plant’s outfall, which was reported as early as 5.50 PM. This has later spread into the open area. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has been notified about the incident, whose spokesperson has already confirmed initiation of an investigation into the matter.

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In response to the event, the Indiana Dunes National Park has closed Portage Lakefront, Riverwalk and all of its beaches until further notice, as a safety precaution. In addition, the Indiana American Water too has decided to shut down its Ogden Dunes treatment facility Sunday night, until it receives confirmation of zero-threat to its water resources from additional water sampling tests.

The company has paid around $3 million during recent years, for wastewater permit violations. Two weeks back, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana had approved the revised consent decree requiring the company to address violations by undertaking substantial remedial measures at its Portage facility.