Documents: US Steel leak more than 580 times allowable limit

PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) - Environmental records show that a U.S. Steel plant in northern Indiana spilled nearly 300 pounds of a potentially carcinogenic chemical into a waterway near Lake Michigan last month.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times (http://bit.ly/2pIq2vL ) reports documents from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management show that hexavalent chromium spilled into the Burns Waterway on April 11 and April 12.

The records show the level of the chemical was more than 580 times the daily maximum limit allowed under state permitting laws. The department says a multi-agency investigation is ongoing into the incident, which was reportedly caused by equipment failure.

A spokesperson with the Environmental Protection Agency says U.S. Steel must take part in long-term water monitoring for hexavalent chromium.

The chemical spill forced a temporary closure of several beaches and Indiana American Water's intake in Ogden Dunes. They were reopened April 17, after EPA water samples found no levels of the chemical.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com