Steel Plant Dumps Cyanide Into Little Calumet River, Killing Fish and Shutting Down Indiana Dunes

[jpak]

Source: NBC Chicago

An Indiana steel plant dumped toxic levels of cyanide and ammonia-nitrogen in the Little Calumet River, killing fish and shutting down parts of the Indiana Dunes Wednesday.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management, which is leading the investigation, said a steel plant belonging to ArcelorMittal released excess amounts of cyanide and ammonia-nitrogen into the east branch of the river, causing several fish to die.

The department said it requested ArcelorMittal to help cleanup the spill and monitor the chemical concentration in the Little Calumet River.

The National Park Service said it closed the water out to 300 feet at the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk beach area of the Indiana Dunes National Park. Portions of the Little Calumet River were closed between Highway 149 and 249, the park service said. The trails remain open.

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Read more: https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/steel-plant-dumps-cyanide-into-little-calumet-river-killing-fish-and-shutting-down-indiana-dunes-546616351.html

[malthaussen]

1. What, you mean that's still not legal?

The EPA should attend to that oversight immediately.

-- Mal

[dchill]

3. My thoughts exactly!

[texasfiddler]

2. Why are people OK with this

[maxsolomon]

16. Who's OK with it?

Name one.

[texasfiddler]

27. Lakshmi Mittal

[maxsolomon]

29. So, the owner of the Steel Mill?

You think that he's happy about this? It's a PR nightmare. He's probably firing some low-rung manager right now.

[texasfiddler]

32. There are people that do not care

As long as it is not in their backyard. I have worked at enough petrochemical plants to know that money and jobs are more important than a little pollution in the rivers, lakes, and bays to a lot of workers. They may not like it, but they accept it. So yes in a way they are OK with it. The only way to stop it is with fines $$$$. The PR nightmare is not really a problem if they don't get a healthy fine. Trump is trying to reduce these regulations. So I'll add another name as an answer to your original question. I don't think Trump cares.

[maxsolomon]

33. OK, so Rich Fucks are "OK" with it. The fines are the cost of business.

But "Why are people OK with this?" implies that MOST people are OK with this, but most people are NOT OK with it. Rich fucks are a very small proportion of the populace.

As usual on DU, broad-brushing is too common.

[texasfiddler]

35. I remember filleting seatrout

That I had caught in the bay. A few had polyethylene pellets in them. I know where they come from and I have heard workers from that plant talk with concern about the EPA and job killing regulations. They know about the pollution, but they care more about their jobs. They are not rich fucks as you say. They have been brainwashed to think that regulations that prevent this could kill jobs. They vote for Trump. I didn't say most people. As usual on DU assuming is too common.

[maxsolomon]

36. So, you mean

"Why is ANYONE OK with this."

[packman]

4. Apparently you people did not read the latest Trump EPA directive

Cyanide is now classified as a water purifier . Trump scientist have shown it bonds with lead to enhance the taste, clarity and purity of water.

[in2herbs]

9. Feed it to Trump and his minions then, not to our environment and children. nt

[packman]

15. Ah, you do know I was being sarcastic

[theophilus]

5. Rule by the super rich produces this kind of thing. It will get worse,

and worse, and worse, and worse. Until the lower classes get off their asses and realize who the real enemy is. Stupid humans.

[FiveGoodMen]

18. Why we need progressive taxes on income and further tax on excessive wealth

[blugbox]

6. An excess amount!?

How is ANY amount ok with anybody??

Why would any company still be doing stuff like that? The big industrial plant dumping sludge into the river is THE iconic image of how terrible these places are... and here they still do just that.

[barbtries]

7. they requested?

that's all the action they can take? WTF

[Hugin]

8. Damn, right back to the '60s.

Someday, the Republicans will regret shitting in their bed.

[in2herbs]

10. "Someday, the Republicans will regret shitting in their bed." An optimistic viewpoint but I don't

see where they've regretted anything they've done in the past 50+ years to ruin this country.

[Hugin]

26. Not yet they haven't...

It's a shame they're hogging our bed.

I've given up trying to explain the Earth is a finite resource and soon there isn't any going to be any more space to shit on.

My, but, they do help themselves to what's left.

As long as they believe there's some Sky Daddy who's going to coast in to save them at the last moment, nothing is going to change.

In the end, they'll probably blame Obama.

[turbinetree]

11. Cyanide and water...........................

Reaction with liquid water can produce dangerous amounts of HCN in confined spaces. They are both soluble in water. Reaction with acids quickly produces large quantities of toxic, flammable hydrogen cyanide gas. Sodium and potassium cyanide are both highly toxic via inhalation, ingestion and skin absorption.


https://publicsafety.tufts.edu/ehs/files/Cyanides-SOP.pdf

[mopinko]

12. wake up indiana.

this may hurt. lotta goobers in indiana, but they are pretty attached to the dunes. it was a long fight to get it federal protection.
hopefully this opens a few eyes about what federal protection means these days.

[murielm99]

13. I went to the Dunes many times

when I was a student in Indiana. I remember the fights for protection, and all the dead fish during those times.

They had strong Democrats in office when I was there. Things have changed. Even this may not be enough to move them.

[mopinko]

14. wont be a lot of them, but there will be a few.

and every one counts.

[maxsolomon]

17. There are Steel Mills RIGHT NEXT to the National Park.

So, this is inevitable - things fall apart and people fuck up.

[ancianita]

20. Nope. Bosses thought they could just dump their shit on the environment and get away with it.

The only thing inevitable is how industry treats humans and environments as disposable.

[maxsolomon]

21. So, you're saying that "Bosses" ordered employees to dump cyanide in the river?

"Bosses" may resist "expensive and unnecessary" (from a corporate standpoint) safety measures that lead to a human fuckup or maintenance failure, but deliberate orders? Unlikely.

It's more likely someone fucked up or something broke. Negligence and miserliness.

[ancianita]

24. So I'm saying I live near there and have seen this before. "Bosses" is just an expression. However

it's done, by carelessness -- which presumes accidental -- or by design, it's a feature of the industries found around the bottom of Lake Michigan.

When human fuckup becomes habitual, one can doubt the business, since businesses all over the U.S. seem to engage in the same kinds of human fuckups. So much so that the US govt had to create an EPA to regulate them.

[Scalded Nun]

19. Maybe some hopes and prayers will help

"The department said it requested ArcelorMittal to help cleanup the spill and monitor the chemical concentration in the Little Calumet River. "

This should be more of a demand, and lock the owners and managers up. They do this because they can and they know daddy Trump will protect them. Maybe even Pence since he probably had a malfeasant hand in this as well.


Oversight and regulations...who needs them?

[prismpalette]

22. steel plant owned by Indian company

This company was a takeover of an European conglomerate by Indian Mittal Co. They have ignored environmental concerns and caused oil spills as well as chemical dumps. They have a track record of scorched earth in their pursuit of profits at any costs. Of course the republicans of Indiana bent over background to accommodate them...

[INdemo]

23. Remember,Rivers flow to other rivers and end up in

other waterways,lakes,creeks that will ruane water recreation, especially fishing all the way down to the Ohio River eventually ..Arcelor/Mittal should be fined, totalling in the millions..No excuse for this

[maxsolomon]

31. Look at a map.

The spill was less than a mile from Lake Michigan.

The Ohio River is a different watershed - Mississippi River watershed. An incredibly polluted watershed, but not from steel mills on the other side of the state of Indiana.

[LittleGirl]

25. My cousin

Is the CFO at that site. I might have to contact him. Ugh

[maxsolomon]

34. I'd be interested in what he has to say.

That facility is surprisingly small - is it even a mill?

[BlueMississippi]

28. Trump's EPA will kill us all

We have to defeat Trump

[bluestarone]

30. Under this government EVERY state is allowed

To DIG, DUMP BURN, BURY you name it they are ALLOWED to do it! EVERY RETHUG has their head in the sand and huge bank account!

[Mc Mike]

37. What's a little cost-externalization among friends?