Roxana Marsh

Legacy Act links

Contacts

Great Lakes Legacy Act
Marc Tuchman (tuchman.marc@epa.gov) 312-353-1369

Roxana Marsh Cleanup
Diana Mally (mally.diana@epa.gov) 312-886-7275

Sediment contaminated with a variety of pollutants can be seen here as water levels are low and banks are exposed.

Division Street Outfall site location map

Grand Calumet River Phase II project area between Columbia Avenue and Indianapolis Boulevard and Roxana Marsh.

Grand Calumet River - Roxana Marsh, Indiana

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Indiana Departments of Environmental Management and Natural Resources began their second phase of work in June 2011.

Open House

Residents, media and local officials are invited to attend an informal session to discuss the Roxana Marsh Great Lakes Legacy Act Project. EPA, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Indiana Department of Natural Resources will be available for one-on-one discussions about the contaminated sediment cleanup. Restoration of the marsh is planned to begin this spring.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012
3 – 7 p.m.
Knights of Columbus
1104 Knights of Columbus Dr.
East Chicago, Indiana

Open House Flier (PDF) (1p, 305K)

Phase II

Phase II calls for the removal of about 235,000 cubic yards of polluted sediment (mud) from the river between Columbia Avenue in Hammond, IN and Indianapolis Blvd in East Chicago, IN, as well as the marsh, followed by the placement of a cap over the dredged area in the river. This cap consists of 6 inches of organoclay covered by an additional 12 inches of sand and will cover approximately 345,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment.

Phase II dredging operations were completed in December 2011. The restoration of the marsh will take place in spring 2012.

Phase I

Phase I was completed in August 2011 and entailed the cleanup of a one-mile stretch of the West Branch Grand Calumet River in Hammond from Columbia Avenue west to Hohman Avenue. Phase I cleaned up just under 150,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment through the removal of the top two feet of sediment and the placement of a cap over the remaining sediment. See http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/sediment/legacy/grandcal/ for more information on the Phase I cleanup.

Upon completion, phases I and II of this Great Lakes Legacy Act project will have remediated 730,000 cubic yards of sediment contaminated with PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), heavy metals, and pesticides.

Funding

EPA is providing 65 percent of the projected $50 million project cost of phase II using Great Lakes Legacy Act funds.
The State of Indiana is contributing 35 percent of the project cost using Natural Resources Damage Assessment funds.

EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) are cooperating in the Grand Calumet River cleanup.