East Chicago Lead Crisis Declared Emergency by Indiana Governor

EAST CHICAGO, IN - An area of more than 300 acres just 25 miles east of downtown Chicago has been declared a disaster. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed an executive order this week declaring a “disaster emergency” for the 322-acre USS Lead Superfund site in East Chicago, which has caused high blood lead levels in more than a dozen children living in the area.

"After months of local and state action to meet the safety, health and housing needs of these East Chicago residents, I’m declaring this disaster emergency in hopes that we can accelerate, coordinate and focus local, state and federal efforts and resources where they will have the greatest benefit," Holcomb said in a statement on Thursday.

The area of East Chicago bound by East Chicago Avenue, 151st Street, the Indiana Harbor Canal and Parrish Avenue was declared a Superfund site - an area where the United States federal government has found to be contaminated with hazardous substances and pollutants - in 2009, but it wasn’t until last May when local officials learned that the soil in the area tested for extremely high levels of lead.

Samples taken showed levels of up to 227 times the maximum allowable amount of lead contamination, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of the residents of the West Calumet Housing Complex. Soon later, it was learned that 18 children under the age of eight in the West Calumet area tested for “slightly” high levels of lead in their blood, although the executive order signed by Holcomb indicates there has been no evidence of serious lead poisoning.

The lead is a result of the USS Lead facility operating in the area for decades from 1906 to the mid-1980s, according to Holcomb’s order.

Timeline: The East Chicago Lead Crisis, via Lakeshore Public Media

Slight contamination in the area has been known since the mid-1990s, but when the city first received the results of the testing from the Environmental Protection Agency last year, East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland ordered an evacuation of the West Calumet area - a housing complex that sits in “Zone 1” of the Superfund site and which had the highest amount of lead found in the soil.

But even to this day, not all residents of West Calumet have been able to evacuate. About 100 remain living in their homes. The state of Indiana has assisted with cleanup operations, but finding a new home for all has been difficult given limited resources.

That’s where Holcomb’s executive order may help.

The area will be in an official “emergency state” until March 11. Until then, Indiana’s Department of Homeland Security will work to implement measures to “coordinate local public safety responses when appropriate and to coordinate any needed emergency services with the appropriate federal, state and local agencies,” according to the declaration.

The goal is to have all residents of the tainted West Calumet homes relocated by the end of March.
The state will also petition the EPA to assist with a grant in order to replace the lead pipes in the area. According to a FOX 59 Indianapolis report, about 90 percent of all homes in East Chicago have lead water lines. Residents have already been urged to use a properly certified filter.

“The Governor’s emergency declaration is great news for the city of East Chicago and our residents,” Copeland wrote in a statement on Thursday.

Copeland first requested the emergency declaration last year, but was denied by then-Indiana Governor and current Vice President Mike Pence. A letter from Pence indicated he felt the state had already provided adequate assistance, according to a report from the Times of Northwest Indiana.

The state did, in fact, provide a $2.8 million loan to the city to open a vacant school building that replaced the Carrie Gosch Elementary School that closed as a result of the lead crisis. Lead testing clinics were also offered where residents were able to undergo testing and immunization services. The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority gave $100,000 to help West Calumet residents relocate.

But Holcomb, a Republican, reversed Pence’s decision on denying an emergency state regarding the lead crisis. It’s one of multiple actions state leaders have taken in contrast to actions and inactions by Pence. A number of steps were taken this week by Indiana Republicans to undo his policies, the Indianapolis Star reports.

Read More: Chicago-Area Man Pardoned by Pence’s Successor; Calls Former Governor’s Inaction ‘A Disgrace’

The crisis in East Chicago isn’t on the level of the Flint Water Crisis in terms of widespread damage, but has been of concern to residents of East Chicago and surrounding communities in Northwest Indiana for nearly a year.

And until now, it has been largely ignored outside of its region. Ignored by national media outlets and - some say - by Pence.

But Copeland and others see optimism in the order put in place by Holcomb. Hope now exists that all residents of the West Calumet Housing Complex will be relocated and measures will be implemented to prevent any future exposure.

“We are actively working with Gov. Holcomb’s office to secure necessary resources for East Chicago’s residents,” Copeland said.

Related on Patch: Indiana Leaders Thrilled to See Mike Pence Leave State

Photo: Tim Moran / Patch