http://www.ecowatch.com/u-s-steel-chemical-spill-2398151514.html
[links and image in on-line article]
Lorraine Chow
May 8, 2017
U.S. Steel Chemical Spill Exceeds Allowable Limit by 584 Times
A U.S. Steel plant in Portage, Indiana spilled nearly 300 pounds of a
cancer-causing chemical into Burns Waterway last month, documents from
the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) revealed.
The release of hexavalent chromium was 584 times the daily maximum limit
allowed under state law, the Times of Northwest Indiana reported, citing
the documents. The plant is permitted to release only a maximum of 0.51
pounds daily.
The toxic industrial byproduct was made infamous by the environmental
activist and 2000 movie of the same name, "Erin Brockovich."
The leak occurred between April 11 and April 12 and forced the closure
of several Lake Michigan beaches and Indiana American Water's intake in
Ogden Dunes. Burns Waterway is a tributary that flows into Lake
Michigan, a drinking water source for nearby Lake, Porter and LaPorte
counties.
Following the spill, U.S. Steel has committed to sampling and monitoring
lake water on a weekly basis to ensure it is safe through the swimming
season, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spokesperson said.
The discharge was reportedly caused by a pipe failure.
Sam Henderson, a staff attorney for the Hoosier Environmental Council,
denounced the spill.
"If U.S. Steel had set up its system responsibly, it wouldn't have been
possible for a single mechanical failure to dump nearly 300 pounds of
hexavalent chrome into Lake Michigan," Henderson told the Times of
Northwest Indiana.
"Spills like this show that U.S. Steel isn't taking that responsibility
seriously. Industry needs to step up."
The chemical spill highlights concerns over the Trump's administration's
proposed cuts to abolish the Integrated Risk Information System, the EPA
office working on hexavalent chromium standards in drinking water. The
cuts would also affect funding for scientific reviews of toxic chemicals
and decrease the EPA's enforcement of environmental laws.
Henderson noted that IDEM's budget "has been slashed to the bone, and we
see the consequences of that in accidents like these." IDEM is Indiana's
agency charged with protecting the state's environment and human health.
"Now we face the risk that EPA will be severely cut back as well,"
Henderson said. "If those cuts go through, nobody will be minding the
store. And if nobody's minding the store, it's inevitable that spills
like this will become more common."
Cindy Skrukrud, clean water program director for Sierra Club Illinois,
added that U.S. Steel's spill "illustrates the need we have for a robust
EPA to prevent and respond to situations like this."
"We cannot bear cuts to the EPA staff and to its programs that protect
the Great Lakes from pollution and cleanup legacy contamination sites.
We are all depending on the EPA as we seek answers to the remaining
questions about the impacts of the spill on the aquatic life in Burns
Waterway," Skrukrud continued. "As potential penalties are considered,
they should include funding for restoration projects in and near the
impacted areal."
U.S. Steel said last month it takes all incidents "very seriously" and
are "fully committed to researching and taking corrective actions to
prevent a future occurrence."
The beaches and water intake reopened on April 17 after EPA water
samples detected no levels of hexavalent chromium.
However, last month the National Park Service staff said they were
concerned about the long-term potential impacts to beach users' health,
wildlife and other park resources.
"Lake currents and waves have the ability to move this hazardous
material onto park beaches at a later date," the park service said in a
news release.
Officials said that periodic beach patrols will be looking for evidence
of fish kills or other environmental damage.