The northwest Indiana utility NIPSCO is working to repair a seawall on the site of its Michigan City coal plant. Activists worry the wall could fail, sending coal ash into Trail Creek and Lake Michigan — the water some residents in the Region drink, swim in and fish.
For years, activists with Just Transition Northwest Indiana have urged the utility to remove the coal ash on the site — both its coal ash ponds and ash used to fill holes on the plant’s property.
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An inspection last year found corrosion along the steel wall that borders Trail Creek. According to NIPSCO, the inspection estimated the wall would only last another five to eight years without repairs.
To restore the wall, NIPSCO is adding new steel sheets to the existing one and sealing the space between them. The work should be finished by the end of this year.
Ashley Williams is the executive director of Just Transition Northwest Indiana. She said the group has concerns about the repairs — both that they could disturb the polluted sediment and that they’re not enough.
“We see this as more of this temporary Band-Aid to what ultimately could be this imminent crisis at the plant, if indeed there's a full-blown rupture,” Williams said.
Just Transition wants NIPSCO to test the water and sediment in Trail Creek throughout construction and at least a month after it’s done.
"Taking those proactive steps and be in communication with us as the community, because that's what we deserve," Williams said.
NIPSCO said that testing isn’t necessary and there isn’t any coal ash on the part of the property near the Trail Creek seawall. But a 2018 report shows there used to be a coal ash pond there that was closed in the early 70s.
"It is important to note that the seawall does not pose an imminent threat, and it is performing as designed," NIPSCO said in a statement.
Though the utility had planned to close the Michigan city coal plant and decommission the site, Williams said the future use of the site is now unclear. NIPSCO agreed to study whether the plant should be converted to natural gas.
It's also unclear whether stricter coal ash rules from the Biden administration will be in effect for long. The Trump administration plans to change the rule this year.
NIPSCO didn’t provide anyone for an interview.
Rebecca is our energy and environment reporter. Contact her at rthiele@iu.edu or on Signal at IPBenvironment.01. Follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele.