Full Notification

COMBINED SEWER EMERGENCY BYPASS DISCHARGE NOTIFICATION

The City of East Chicago’s publicly owned treatment works (POTW) collects and treats wastewater  generated by approximately 5,440 residential, 200 public/government, 1,265 commercial and small,  unpermitted industrial, and 13 permitted industrial accounts. Year to date, the POTW influent has  averaged 12.4 million gallons per day. On Friday June 26th at approximately 11:30am, a break was  discovered in the 42 inch force main on Gary Road near Alder Street pump station which carries  approximately 80% of the plants daily influent flow of wastewater. Immediate steps taken by the City  included shutting off the sanitary pumps at the Alder lift station and using the storm water pumps to  divert the wastewater to the Grand Calumet River at our Combined Sewer Overflow outfall location CSO  #003, located on Frontage Rd West of the Cline Avenue bridge (CSO Outfall #003 signage is posted at the  location). The wastewater at the Roxanna Pump Station (#005) is also being diverted by hose to the Grand  Calumet River. 

The wastewater at CSO #003 is being discharged at an estimated 8 to 10 million gallons per day. This discharge  will continue until the City is able to repair the broken 42” forcemain. Once the pipe is repaired, the sanitary  pumps at Alder lift station will be turned on and the emergency bypass discharge to the Grand Calumet will cease.  During this time, the City is conducting daily inspections of outfall discharge and has implemented a daily sampling  program which includes the collection of water samples from the Grand Calumet River at the outfall location as  well as locations upstream and downstream of the Outfall #003. 

The City of East Chicago recommends that individuals avoid direct contact with water in the Grand Calumet  River within 1000 yards of the CSO #003 outfall location until this emergency bypass release has been  terminated and the river conditions are returned to pre-emergency conditions. Consumption of, or direct contact with, waste contaminated water could make you ill. 

If you have any questions, please contact the East Chicago Sanitary District at 219-391-8466.

The wastewater at CSO #003 is being discharged at an estimated 8 to 10 million gallons per day. This  discharge will continue until the City is able to repair the broken 42” forcemain. Once the pipe is repaired,  the sanitary pumps at Alder lift station will be turned on and the emergency bypass discharge to the Grand  Calumet will cease. During this time, the City is conducting daily inspections of outfall discharge and has  implemented a daily sampling program which includes the collection of water samples from the Grand  Calumet River at the outfall location as well as locations upstream and downstream of the Outfall #003. 

The City of East Chicago recommends that individuals avoid direct contact with water in the Grand  Calumet River within 1000 yards of the CSO #003 outfall location until this emergency bypass release  has been terminated and the river conditions are returned to pre-emergency conditions. Consumption  of, or direct contact with, waste contaminated water could make you ill. 

If you have any questions, please contact the East Chicago Sanitary District at 219-391-8466.