ArcelorMittal filed a motion in US District Court this week that said its operations in Cleveland, Ohio will suffer "catastrophic harm" if a federal judge doesn't immediately order the US Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the Cuyahoga River shipping channel.
Sediment has built up in the shipping channel, and cargo ships have been compelled to lighten their loads to prevent bottoming out or becoming stuck in the river, according to media reports.
As a result, the mill's inventory of iron ore pellets has reached a critically low level, according to the filing, and a failure to dredge could force the mill to curtail or shut down its blast furnaces.
"Each passing day decreases the likelihood that ArcelorMittal will be able to recover from that inventory shortfall without having to curtail or idle its plant," the filing said.
The Army Corps is required by law to dredge the shipping channel and Cleveland Harbor to a depth of 23 feet to maintain marine commerce. The Corps, which is contesting the lawsuit, has failed to dredge this year after arguing it isn't necessary.
Federal Judge Donald Nugent has not yet decided whether to order the Army Corps to dredge and dispose of the sediment in a lakefront containment dike, but media reports say the Corps would prefer to dump the dredged sediment directly into Lake Erie, or dispose of it in a dike at someone else’s expense.