Crews cleaning up ammonia waste spill at ArcelorMittal mill

BURNS HARBOR, Ind. (AP) - State regulators are overseeing the cleanup of about 10,000 gallons of an ammonia waste that spilled at ArcelorMittal's Burns Harbor steel mill in northwestern Indiana.

The liquid waste called ammonia liquor spilled onto the ground Tuesday during a fire and power outage at the mill.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports that ArcelorMittal crews contained the spill and have been working on a cleanup under the supervision of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

IDEM spokesman Barry Sneed says ammonia liquor is a waste byproduct from ammonia scrubbing operations associated with the coke production.

He says ArcelorMittal reported Thursday that two environmental response companies were vacuuming up the liquid and placing it in tanks at the mill complex along Lake Michigan, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Chicago.

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