US Steel temporarily shut down operations at its Portage, Indiana facility Monday after the plant leaked an orange substance into a Lake Michigan tributary. The spill caused the closure of a water treatment facility and several nearby beaches.
In a statement from company spokeswoman Amanda Malkowski, US Steel said the mill has been idled “as a precaution after experiencing an upset condition with the finishing line wastewater treatment plant.”
“The plant operations will remain down until the condition is stabilized. This upset is currently believed to be the cause of the discolored water seen coming from one of our outfalls,” Malkowski said.
Malkowski did not disclose the contents of the leaked substance, although initial indications “show higher than normal suspended solids in the water.”
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management said the agency was investigating and would provide an update after it receives and analyzes sampling test results, according to local media reports.
Additionally, Indiana American Water said it shut down its Ogden Dunes treatment facility Sunday night as a precaution.
The spill comes weeks after a federal judge approved a revised settlement with the company over a wastewater discharge at the same plant four years ago that contained a potentially carcinogenic chemical into the Burns Waterway.