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Background
Pines, Indiana is located about 5 miles west of Michigan City and 2 miles south of Lake Michigan in Porter County, Indiana. In May 2002, USEPA began testing residential drinking water wells in the Town of Pines based on elevated levels of the metals boron and molybdenum discovered in water wells by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).The USEPA testing resulted in the discovery of about 30 homes with contaminated wells. The affected homes were located in two areas. One section is between Liberty and Ash streets, and U.S. 12 and 20. The other, smaller area is located between Columbia and Idaho streets and U.S. 12 and East Johns Street. High levels of boron and molybdenum were also found in surface water samples in Brown Ditch, a creek which flows through Pines to nearby Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
The molybdenum and boron were probably leached from fly ash and bottom ash that were disposed of at a landfill called Yard 520 near Pines, and possibly from other areas where ash was deposited in and around town. Fly ash and bottom ash are a result of burning coal to make electricity.
In January, 2003, Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), Brown, Inc., Ddalt Corp., and Bulk Transport (responsible parties) signed a Consent Order with USEPA to provide municipal water to the 30 identified homes plus approximately 100 additional homes near the affected homes. This work will be completed in 2004.
During 2003, further testing by USEPA and the local residents of Pines revealed additional contaminated wells. On April 5, 2004, the responsible parties signed an amendment to the original order to add approximately 140 homes to those already scheduled to receive municipal water. About 70 additional homes will also receive bottled water pending the results of an investigation into the nature and extent of the contamination and the potential long term risks to local residents and the environment. The investigation will be performed by the responsible parties as a part of a new Consent Order also signed on April 5, 2004.