The Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal is an artificial waterway on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan, in East Chicago, Indiana, which connects the Grand Calumet River to Lake Michigan. It consists of two branch canals, the Lake George Branch and the long Grand Calumet River Branch which join to form the main Indiana Harbor Canal.

The canal also functions as a harbor (Indiana Harbor). The outer harbor is sheltered by two bulkheads marked by lights including the Indiana Harbor East Breakwater Light. Ships enter the outer harbor from the north.

Economy

Manufacturing

Indiana Harbor and Canal lies in a heavily industrial area which includes Cleveland-Cliffs' two Indiana Harbor Works facilities. On the west side of the canal is the former Youngstown – J & L – LTV Steel – ISG steel mill. On the east side of the canal is the other Indiana Harbor Works, once known as Inland Steel Company, then Ispat Inland. BP's refinery in Whiting is nearby.

The harbor allows transport of iron ore (taconite pellets) and limestone to the steel mills from the mines and quarries of the upper Midwest through the Great Lakes. Other commodities include coke, gypsum, steel, cement and concrete, petroleum products, and miscellaneous bulk products.

The harbor is ranked first in tonnage among the 25 federal commercial harbors on Lake Michigan, and second in tonnage of the 55 Federal commercial harbors on the Great Lakes. Lacking any alternative disposal location, the harbor and canal have accumulated a backlog of approximately of sediment, which hinders deep draft commercial navigation. Shipping capacity has been reduced by 15%, increasing shipping costs. The contaminated sediment also leads to further pollution of Lake Michigan, as sediments containing of chromium, of lead, and of PCBs reach the lake each year through the waterway.

The Chicago District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the East Chicago Waterway Management District, initiated plans for a dredging and disposal project for sediment at the harbor in the 1990s. The nearby site of a former Energy Cooperative, Inc. (ECI) refinery, which is also an open USEPA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) site, was selected as the location for a confined disposal facility (CDF) to safely contain the contaminated sediment. Despite some local environmental justice concerns over the close proximity of the CDF to two low-income public schools, construction of the facility began in spring 2002. Dredging did not, however, commence until 2012, fully forty years after the canal was last dredged. Phase 1 dredging was completed in November 2020. Construction of Phase 2 began in July 2021 and is expected to continue until November 2023.

See also

  • Calumet River – Grand Calumet River Area of Concern

Further reading

  • Perry, W.A. (1979) A History of Inland Steel Company And The Indiana Harbor Works (booklet)

References

  • Indiana Harbor, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • Images of the Indiana Harbor steel mills
  • Indiana Harbor and Canal Dredging and Disposal Project
  • Confined Disposal Facility and Federal Navigation Project
  • Dredging Project
  • Harbor light