The Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the East Chicago Sanitary District have proposed to conduct a project that will demonstrate an approach for remediation of contaminated bottom sediments in the Grand Calumet River. An Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed demonstration project has been released for public and agency comment.

The Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal is one of 43 Areas of Concern (AOCs) identified in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Contaminated bottom sediments are responsible for impairments to the beneficial use of waters in the AOC. As with many of the other AOCs on the Great Lakes, the technical, policy and financial challenges regarding remediation of contaminated sediments have limited progress with implementation of the Remedial Action Plans.



The proposed demonstration project site is a 600 by 40 foot channel that carries the discharge from the water reclamation facility of the East Chicago Sanitary District into the Grand Calumet River. This site exhibits many of the conditions of the Grand Calumet River including contaminated sediment and similar overbank conditions. The proposed demonstration project would include dredging of approximately 3,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediments, installation of a sediment barrier to demonstrate the feasibility of isolating contaminated sediments in a channel, installation of a new natural streambed that will demonstrate the feasibility of in-stream capping and habitat creation, and re-sloping and re-planting the banks to demonstrate stabilization and recontamination avoidance. After completion of construction activities, the project will undergo a three-year monitoring period to evaluate the effectiveness of project features to restore water quality and aquatic habitat and resist recontamination. A report on the demonstration project, monitoring results, and lessons learned will be prepared.

The demonstration project would provide knowledge and experience on integrating technologies for sediment removal, habitat restoration, and recontamination prevention that would be of significant value to future planning and design of sediment remediation projects for the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal AOC and to other AOCs throughout the Great Lakes.

This project would be conducted under the authority of Section 401(b) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1990, as amended, which is titled Great Lakes Remedial Action Plans and Sediment Remediation. The East Chicago Sanitary District has agreed to be the non-federal sponsor and contribute 35 percent of costs for the demonstration project.

To obtain a copy of the Environmental Assessment click [HERE]. For additional information, please contact Lynne Whelan at 312-846-5330 or lynne.e.whelan@usace.army.mil.

The proposed channel cross-section measures include the following. The accumulated sediment will be dredged, and a clay cover will be placed on the channel bottom to help create habitat. The channel bottom will be reconstructed to create a natural streambed (see below). The channel banks will be reshaped to provide stabilization and re-planted with native vegetation to create additional habitat.

The proposed channel layout extends from the East Chicago Sanitary District to the proposed recontamination barrier. The proposed channel layout includes measures that will create a more natural streambed and ecosystem, increasing the complexity and diversity of the system. The layout includes a stilling basin with a series of pools and riffles that will create habitat for smallmouth bass, minnows, and macroinvertebrates.